Page 10 - Yunnan Tourism Culture Times (97)

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“Luxury items” become everyday dishes

“稀罕物”成了家常菜

Yijiaolong, a young woman of the We now offer group purchases and upscale homestays
Dai ethnic group, established the Zhuang- in our community,” said Yijiaolong, who proudly
bing Specialties Shop in Shangyong Communi- serves as the manager of one of the initial Mingrida
ty, Mohan Town, Mengla County, Xishuangbanna Dai Supermarkets in Mohan.
Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, in 2018. Nowadays, every villager who knows how to use
By 2024, leveraging the power of e-commerce akin to a smartphone can easily make online orders, with the
an express train, the Zhuangbing Specialties Shop has goods arriving at Zhuangbing Specialties Shop the
successfully turned many exotic items, once consid- following day. Apart from the usual vegetables, bever-
ered rare by the locals, into common delicacies served ages, and household items, former “luxury” items like
on their dining tables. turtles and hairy crabs are now regular delicacies on
“In August 2022, Meituan Youxuan’s staff members the villagers’ dining tables.
visited Mohan for on-site research. Upon discovering A resident of Shangyong Community surnamed
their plan to establish an e-commerce self-pickup spot Yan said, “I enjoy purchasing eggs here. Order today
in our community, I took the opportunity to open Mo- for delivery tomorrow. The eggs are big and fresh, and
han’s first e-commerce self-pickup location with a ‘let’s Yijiaolong provides friendly service.”
give it a shot’ mindset,” Yijiaolong recalled. “The roads are continuously improving, making
Previously, essential items like rice, flour, and transportation more convenient. As a result, more peo-
cooking oil could only be purchased during village ple are visiting, leading to increased sales,” Yijiaolong
fairs. For products not found at these fairs, villagers said with confidence. “I believe that life will continue
had to travel to Mengla county town or even more dis- to improve in 2024, and I aspire for my shop to cater
tant places to make their purchases. to even more local customers.”
“Within just a few years, the border town where I
live has evolved to rival cities in terms of convenience.

A succulent garden irresistibly alluring

多肉花园的“磁吸力”

In Kunming, Yunnan, plants and flowers are emblematic the customer’s name. The fostering area
of the city’s vibrancy and form the foundation of numerous is partitioned into different zones inspired
small shops. Among these, the enchanting succulent gar- by locations in Jin Yong’s martial arts novels,
den named Gumupai stands out. Through their inventive including Peach Blossom Island, Heartless Valley, Bright
fostering services for succulent plants, the shop owners—a Peak, and Misty Peak. Customers can select their preferred
joyfully married couple—have attracted a multitude of suc- zones for their succulents to be looked after.
culent enthusiasts from across the country. With the popularity of live streaming, Xie Xin goes live
In 2018, Xie Xin moved from Anhui to Kunming with once every two weeks. During each live broadcast, he not
his family and established a succulent plantation. In 2020, to only highlights the fostering area but also shares insights on
meet the growing demand from customers, they introduced caring for succulent plants. The succulent garden Gumupai
an online “cloud fostering” service for succulent care. Each has significantly boosted the appeal of Yunnan’s succulent
pot of succulents is assigned a number and labeled with plants.