At the southwest corner of Hou Hai, a popular tourist area, lies a small shop, carrying the local products from southwest China’s Yunnan province. The façade of the shop is reminiscent of Old Beijing, with grey bricks and a yellow signboard hanging above the door.

As soon as I got into the shop, I noticed some Pu’er tea shaped into round flat cake. It’s called Bing Cha, or cake tea. The brands are all some of the best, such as Da Yi and Long Sheng. Prices for these healthful tea range from 68 yuan to 268 yuan each. Also on display are gift boxes of Pu’er tea, which is a popular gift item.

Before there was instant ramen, there was "Cross-bridge Rice Noodles", a famous dish in Yunnan, where all the ingredients are mixed into the noodle soup right before it's served. The shop sells the rice noodles used for this dish at 6.5 yuan per 500 g.

Another thing that caught my eye was the Bamboo Tube Liquor. The particular liquor had a beautiful bamboo tube packaging, and cost 48 yuan for the 1 liter bottle.

Other goods on sale included local snacks like roast beef and preserved vegetables.

What I appreciated

Characteristic Yunnan specialties

What customers appreciate

Yunnan local products, local features

Opposite the west entrance of Dashilar Street, Yunnan Specialty Shop is the only State-owned shop in Beijing specializing in Yunnan special local products, such as wild funguses, rice wine, rice noodles, pickles, oil fermented bean curd, tea, etc.

Prices for a bag of wild funguses vary from RMB 18 to RMB 40; a bamboo bottle of pseudo-ginseng wine costs RMB 40; a bamboo bottle of gastrodia elata wine retails for RMB55; rice noodles cost RMB 5 /500g; Kuding tea cost RMB 120 to RMB 400 per 500 grams; red snow tea, RMB 130 per 500 grams; white snow tea, RMB 190 per 500g; Pu’er tea, RMB 60 to RMB 150 /500g.

In addition, some special local products from Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Hainan are on sale. For example, preserved fruits from Beijing, white rabbit toffee from Shanghai, etc.

What I appreciated

Unique specialties from Yunnan and other parts of China; reasonable prices.