Turtle Markets in China August 2001
This picture is taken outside of Beijing in August 2001 at the Great Wall of China.
This was the second trip to China in 2001. This trip started in Beijing and ended in Hong Kong. While in Beijing I visited numerous food-markets. I found only one market selling live turtles and the species available at this market was Trachemys scripta elegans (Common red-eared slider) and Pelodiscus sinensis (Chinese soft-shelled turtle).
This picture is also at the Great Wall. The picture above is on the "front" side and this picture is of the "back" of the Wall.
From Beijing I traveled by train to Guilin. Because our trip was only 25 days we didn't stop along the way to southern China to visit other towns or sites. This is a possibility for those of you interested in see other parts of the beautiful country of China. In Guilin I visited one morning food-market. At this market the local people offered 3 small Platysternon megacephalum (Chinese big-headed turtle). The young lady offering these specimens said that these animals were freshly caught by herself.
A side note: While in China I purchased my own English-Chinese dictionary so I could communicate a little better with the locals. Almost nobody that reptile enthusiasts come in contact with speak English good enough to be understood.
From Guilin we traveled by bus to Yangshou. This area of China is considered by both the Chinese and international visitors to be the most beautiful scenery of China.
This is a picture of the river outside of Yangshou. I cannot find the name of the river in my atlas but I will find it soon!
Yangshou is a tourist area for both the Chinese and for foreigners. There were people everywhere and it was crazy. We had the opportunity to visit numerous morning-markets and saw no live reptiles for sale. We did however see pictures in a popular tourist restaurant on the tourist street where you could try snake. The restaurant had pictures of westerners visiting a holding area and taking pictures with the snakes they had ordered to eat. They then had pictures of the murdered snakes on the plate and the blood-bile-wine that the tourist was drinking. This is a disgusting site for me to witness because we in the west should know better than to eat wild-caught animals for the simple purpose of "trying" something "new".
Anyway, from Yangshou we had booked a bus to Nanning. This experience was a complete nightmare so we jumped of at the first big city which turned out to be Luizhou. This was a stop by change and it paid off. If you are interested in seeing a lot of different species of reptiles and mammals you should stop in Luizhou. The first night was a disaster because we didn't find any markets. So we got up the next morning very early and started walking around looking for a market. I asked a taxi after 3 hours of walking around to take me to a market and she, through hand signs ask if it was a food market I was looking after. I nodded yes, and the rest is an unbelievable experience. I have been seeing pictures of the "Turtle-Markets of Guangzhou" for a few years and those original pictures are nothing compared to what I seen in Luizhou. The market this taxi-driver took me to was called the "Luizhou Tourist Market" and was by the river, down from the train station taking you to Nanning. At this market I seen everything from small Fisher cats to domestic fish species. The number of reptiles at this market was unbelievable. You can compare the numbers to the wild-animal markets outside of Guangzhou. In this small market there where at least 5000 head of turtles on this one day I visited the market. Unfortunately I didn't know Luizhou would have this market and I had booked tickets to Nanning the same day I found this market. So I had 3 hours at this market then we were off to Nanning.
We took a 2 hour train-ride to Nanning. It was a real nice ride because we met a few nice Chinese who were real open and helpful. Taking the train and bus in China is the best way to get around and to meet people who can help direct you to what you want to see.
In Nanning there is a well-known turtle-market downtown by the river. At this market you can view many species of soft-shelled turtles both very large and hatchlings. Along with the soft-shelled there is a very large number of hard-shelled species. Along with the well-known turtle-market I also visited the Bird, Fish, and Flower market. This is a very large market with many vendors selling a wide variety of items from small Canary Birds to small Civets (a small wild cat). At this market I seen Geoemyda spengleri, Indotestudo elongata, Manouria impressa, Trachemys scripta elegans (mostly hatchlings), and Pelodiscus sinensis (mostly hatchlings).
While at the well-known turtle market I met a young man who was on his way to work. He stopped to see what was going on at the market because of the large group of Chinese "surrounding the foreigner". As it turned out this young man was disgusted by the turtle-market and was very willing to help me find another market in Nanning so I could take pictures. Because Nanning is the capital of Guangxi Province I had had a feeling about a large wild-animal market. After speaking with this young man my hunch was proved correct. He gave me the name of what was probably the largest wild-animal market I would see. I visited this market the same morning and to my amazement it was almost deserted. I had come at the wrong time of year. There where a few animal dealers selling a few mammals and some reptiles, including snakes and turtles. I was NOT allowed to take pictures and one reason was the Chinese government has begun cracking down on the exploitation of the countries fauna and the animal dealers where very apprehensive to my presence. But the list of species is the same as at the well-known market, but I can imagine there are ten times more species and animals available when it is in season and the government isn't breathing down their necks.
From Nanning I traveled by train to Hainan Island. On Hainan Island I visited a small town close to the middle of the island called Tongzha and the capital of the island Haikou. In Tongzha I found one market and the locals said there was only two turtle vendors. I located both vendors and had a look at what was available. At the first vendor there was 7 adult Cuora galbinifrons hainanensis in very poor condition. Plus there where 3 very large Pyxidea mouhotii which were also in poor condition. One was very peculiar because of the size of his head. It was very large and a nice red color. Along with these two species there was two very large unknown species (to me) and a tank full of Pelodiscus sinensis. The second vendor had only two small Platysernon megacephalum. The market in the capital of Haikou was a very different story. There was a very large number of turtles and many different species. I was however not allowed to even look at most of the vendors animals, but a few vendors had their animals in small plastic tubs so viewing them was no problem. The species I seen were large adult Chinemys reevesii and Ocadia sinensis. I would estimate there was at least 500 of these animals but because I couldn't see the other vendors animals there were many more.
This picture is taken along the road between Sanya and Tongzha on Hainan Island.
From Hainan Island I was off to Guangzhou. Having been in Guangzhou in March I knew what to expect to see and where to see it. Everyone that has an interest in Asian turtles has heard about the Xing Ping Market and it has changed a little since I first read about it in The Vivarium and talking to people who have visited this market in the past. I imagine the change is due to a number of factors not excluding the pressure from the Chinese government to not openly sell wild animals for all the worlds tourists to see. Anyway, they have a very large (I am understating very large A LOT here) wild-animal market in GZ. This place is huge, but this trip they where remodeling so most of the vendors where closed when I was there in August. I would estimate that in March I seen at least on one day 1000 Elaphe mandarina being skinned and dried plus they had huge bags full of them. I can only wonder where all these animals came from, is there animals left in the forests that remain in South East Asia?????
From GZ I traveled to Hong Kong. Both trips I took the bus from the China Hotel. The border crossings (two crossings one on the mainland side and one on the Hong Kong side) are a pain. You have to get of the bus with ALL your bags, go through customs (X-ray machine) and get on the bus again. You do this on the mainland side. Then on the Hong Kong side you just take you bags and go through a passport control, but you can be stopped. The entire trip takes 4-4,5 hours and is boring and a pain. I have been told that the plane trip is short and simple, but it costs 200 USD. If your short on time and have an extra buck go for it. Anyway, in Hong Kong I have visited one market and one store. The market is on Nelson Street and there is two vendors selling turtles. They are at the end of the street and opposite each other. Both in March and August they have sold large refrigerators FULL of Cuora galbinifrons ssp. and Cuora ambionensis. The store I visited in August was on the corner of Jordan Road and --------, it is some kind of chain store. In the basement they sold live Cuora flavomarginata and Cuora trifasciata (very large males and one large female). Also in Hong Kong there are other markets but due to limited time I didn't visit them. I did however visit the pet market at Mong Kok. There are a few reptile stores with the usual display animals plus a few uncommon species of reptiles. They where offering a few Asian turtle species but you could find the same species in the aquarium shops up and down the street.
After Hong Kong I traveled home by plane.
The following links are of the markets visited and are where pictures of the species seen can be viewed.
Luizhou (no photos)
Nanning (no photos)