I remember not that long ago a couple came to my Singapore shop for hill tribe silver ornaments from China. They were apparently very sought after in Europe especially in Belgium. Over the last 18 years I have bought and sold many similar pieces from the Golden Triangle.

They range from bracelets, necklaces, torques, earrings, embroideries and clothing of the Hmongs, Akha, Lisu, Lahu along with the long neck Padaung tribe of Burma. These people were originally from the province of Yunnan in Southern China. Their customs and traditions are parallel to their contemporaries like the Bai, Miao, Moso and the Naxi tribes of Kunming in Yunnan, Southern China.

I followed my instinct and flew to Kunming city in transit to Lijiang, only 45 minutes away by plane. Lijiang is situated in the southern tip of the Ginghai-Tibet highland and the northern tip of the Yunnan-Guizhou plateau. This ancient city which dates back to the Tang dynasty period (618-906 AD) was endorsed by UNESCO as a "world" cultural heritage site in 1997.The magic of this place is that it brings us back in time owing to its architecture and the surroundings.

Lijiang is surrounded by canals and mountains. The houses form irregular groups that space out rustically from every angle. There are always unexpected views of interest where crystal clear canals filled with fat carp run parallel alongside the cobbled streets. This place is best to be explored alone away from the madding crowd in the wee hours of the morning when every one is still snoring away .Besides being a very popular tourist destination among the mainland Chinese, the other unique attraction is only 18 km away.

Yu Long mountains (mountain of the jade dragon) looms 5596 metres high. Known as the mountain of love with its nearby lake Lugu, a fairy tale like land, inhabited by the Moso People who live on the banks of the lake. These ethnic groups are still practising "visiting marriage" a custom of this maternal society in China. Males visit their lovers to spend the nigh and females never leave their homes. This maternal society has a lust for love and profound promiscuous feelings.

When I got to Lijiang I walked around with my little bag of clothing until a charming inn caught my attention. This little inn was converted from an old Chinese complex residence. Despite being centrally located it was really serene and peaceful with three complexes enclosing a courtyard that was filled with cymbidium orchids which seemed to be indigenous since they were abundant over the entire town. Contrary to its traditional setting this inn provided very modern amenities which made it so comfortable. It came with a price tag of only US$30 a night.

Only a stone's throw away, were beautiful tea houses, restaurant, bars, internet cafes, souvenir shops and willow tree-lined crystal clear canals. I walked further up the canal to have a good look at an old flour mill that was operated by the gushing water which flowed to the canals from the nearby mountains. Cheerful women who were washing their clothing in the canal were chatting away doing their chores side by side with little children who were trying to catch fish with their bare hands. The water was really crystal clear since dumping of rubbish was strictly forbidden. I could see and feel the transformation of the Tang dynasty mood to a busy Disneyland as the morning hours passed by. Tour guides with their flags together with endless groups of mainland Chinese tourists marched by busy people who were up and about doing their routine work. I was told that this period was their" low" season!! Without fussing around too much I felt very blessed to be among the natives who made their living entirely from tourism.

I was quite disappointed at not finding my source for artefacts since this place was flooded with only souvenirs. My business trip has always been a pleasure too but it would be so nice to find both like we say, to kill two birds with one stone.

After spending two nights in Lijiang, I took a bus to Dali, a three-hour ride away towards the south western part. Dali was smaller and with fewer beautiful canals. It was charming in its own way. People did their daily business among the town dwellers, and those who were catering to tourist were mostly dealing with souvenirs, travels, sightseeing, restaurants and guest houses.

Tourist who came here were mostly foreigner and they loved to dress up like hippies. The clothing they wore were sold in shops and they mostly come from Nepal and India. The guest houses and inns were replicas of those in the Himalayas. They were decorated mostly with symbols of the esoteric Buddhism of Tibet. Though they were cheap and clean ,they did not seem reliable.

Famous Yunnan hams were seen hanging from everybody's door frame to be aired dried along with the pollution, flies and dust. I would imagine that they were part of the process without which the hams would have less flavour. Similar to Parma ham but usually small bit and pieces are simmered with cabbage. I savoured this dish and would highly recommend it if you plan to visit Yunnan.

In Dali luck was on my side. I found two dealers who were operating side by side each other. They had mostly Miao and Bai tribe silver ornaments. Some were authentic pieces while 90% were copies. I picked up pieces that I like, the silver of which was mellowed with human patina. My grumpy lady seller moaned about her best pieces being taken away as her profit margin would be better had she sold replicas as antiques.

A pair of earrings in my catalogue, which is shown in the picture above, depicts laughing Buddha. They came from a head cloth ornament. In the legendary tales, he is born a very handsome monk and has attracted most women who have gone to see him for wrong reasons. In order for him to avoid this obstacles to be on the right path to sainthood, he has deliberately made himself obese and undesirable by indulging in food. He is very popular and supposing brings prosperity and happiness despite his drastic transformation. A row of many laughing silver Buddha were originally stitched onto a head cloth ornament worn by brides of the Bai people in Kunming.