Wednesday, March 14

Today our day began with visiting the Guangzhou Aqua Products Market (wet market). This market consisted of fresh meat and seafood. The majority of products consisted of various types of seafood, such as many species of clams, crabs, lobster, squid, fish, eels, snakes, turtles, shrimp, sea urchins, and other products such as beef, reticulum, crocodile, scorpions, and more. As we wandered around the market looking at all the fresh product, many people smiled and said hello to us. We soon realized that they call it a wet market not due to the fresh moist meat, but to the fact that water was flowing through the walk ways and across the street. Most of the seafood was kept fresh in large fish tanks. Then when a purchase is made, the fish is caught by a wooden handmade net, tossed into a plasitc bag, then filled with a small amount of water and blown up with air, just like purchasing a fish at a pet shop. The fish in the tanks were continuosly being rotated to other tanks and the water was being flushed out and emptied into the drain. The busiest time at the market is overnight. This is due to restaurant coming to buy raw product for the following business day. It puts an entirely new spin on buying local and knowing where your food comes from. This market is open 24 hrs/day, and 500 tons of fish/seafood are sold here EVERY day!
For our next stop, we went to the Guangzhou Jiangnan Fruit and Vegtable Market, which is the third largest in China. Much activity was going on in this market with hundreds of locals buying and selling fresh fruit and vegetables. Our group first toured the fruit building which resembled a large concrete factory stocked full of every fruit imaginable. Fruit types ranging from apples and oranges to Chinese dragon fruit. Dragon fruit was like nothing I have every seen before in terms of edible foods. It resembled a fruit that would be seen in a scifi movie with its purplish pink body and green like arms emerging from its body. Upon touring the first fruit market building, our group journeyed on over to the imported fruit building. This place was extremely hectic with forklifts speeding around everywhere moving large crates of fruits from places such as California, Wahsington State, and Peru. It takes approximetly fifteen days for fruit to be picked and shipped from California to Guangzhou, China. From Guangzhou, this produce moves throughout inland China. The cost of the fruit imported from America is typically much higher than the domestically grown produce.
After visiting the fruit section, we walked down the busy streets to stop by the vegetable building. The vegetable market was again a large building very comparable to the fruit market, but stuffed full of corn, onions, potatoes, green beans, etc. Large semi trucks brought loads of vegetables in to be then sold by the many vendors. There seemed to be relatively few buyers around the market despite the commotion all around. More than likely there is a difference between suppliers; or rather the buyers likely have a reason for buying from one over another. But to outsiders it seemed rather inefficient to have so many sellers in one location offering the same product. After the visit to these two markets it is easy to see why the Chinese eat so many more fruits and vegetables than Americans: there is a readily available supply of diverse produce all at a lower price than in America. Also, 1,000 tons of fresh produce are sold every day, and then moved throughout China.
In the afternoon we visited the Chen Family House. It is the former residence of the influential and wealthy Chen Family here in Guanzhou. It was used as both a school for family members and other wealthy people as well as a residence for visiting friends and family. The architecture and artwork on the buildings was very ornate and highly detailed. It was in very good condition and well maintained. It is currently utilized as an art museum. The types of art include carved ivory, bone, and wooden figurines, animals, and scenes of China. The whole house and grounds were highly landscaped with many types of trees, shrubery, and bushes. It was so quiet, peaceful, and relaxing.
After visitng the house, we walked around downtown Guangzhou. The streets were filled with people shopping, eating, and walking around. There were many many stores with American fashions and many garments that had English writing on them. There were so many people and it was so crowded. Dr. Dan Gee and Denny Everson treated our whole tour group to Blizzards at McDonalds. It was delicous because alot of people are missing home and American food, so ice cream really hit the spot. Thank you Dr. Gee and Denny!
As the day went on, we ate dinner at a nice restuarant and then headed to the river for our boat ride. After waiting in line for a short period, we boarded the river boat and headed down the river. The boat was lit up with many lights and we traveled down the Pearl River. There were so many beautiful sights to see including brightly lit skyscrapers and bridges. Everyone had a great time but we are all exhausted from the adventures of today. Tomorrow we have a long day of travel of head of us. Best Wishes, The South Dakota State Unviersity 2012 China Travel Tour.