China’s rail network has grown rapidly, and it now has the world’s most extensive high-speed railway network, boasting 50,000km of tracks. 

While many people still think Japan has the fastest trains – it’s actually China that holds the record. Major train stations across the country are built to handle 16,000 people per hour, where they’re whisked onto trains that can travel 1,000 km in just 4 hours. 

We needed to get from Jishou in Hunan county, across to Kaili, in Guizhou. The journey was going to take two trains, but we had the choice of a high-speed train, taking two and a half hours and costing £20, or a slow train, taking seven hours and costing £5. 

We’ve taken our fair share of high-speed trains in China, so for a change, we decided to take the slow train and save some money. 

Locals call the slow trains ‘Green Skins’ due to their green exterior, and our train seemed to be a special service for farmers living in rural areas so they can sell their goods in cities. It’s known as the ‘Get Rich Train’ as it helps rural revitalisation. 

Almost everyone else boarding the train seemed to be a farmer, carrying the classic wooden pole across their shoulders with a basket hanging from either end, or a big wicker basket on their back filled with cucumbers or cabbage. 

Apparently, these trains can be used for livestock too, and it’s not uncommon to have a herd of goats in your carriage, at no extra cost to the owner. 

There were only about 30 seats in our carriage, and the other half was made up of a long metal table, designed for the farmers to store their produce – they also sat on the surface if they didn’t have a seat number. 

Chaos broke out when someone was sitting in the wrong place, causing a riot of screaming between a young mum and an old lady. China’s loud enough as it is, but this was like a TV drama happening before our eyes. 

Eventually, things calmed down and the train began chugging west through a mix of forest and agricultural land, until we arrived in Huaihua where we had an hour wait. 

The next train was very different, with no farmers on board and an almost empty carriage. The scenery became more dramatic with lush green hills rising around us as we rolled towards Kaili for sunset. 

It was a much bigger city than we expected, but it was surrounded by ethnic minority villages – which is what brought us to the area. 

The following day was Sunday, aka ‘Kaili Sunday Market’ where the villagers all come to the city to sell and buy goods. I tried searching for the location online, but it was very hard to get any information. 

Eventually, we found it literally a stone’s throw from our hotel which was lucky. It stretched all the way up the road, lining both sides of the pavement with medicinal plants. 

Just as we’d hoped – the market was filled with locals in their traditional wear. Most of them were Miao – the 4th most common ethnic group in China, with a population of 11 million. 

The Miao are split into different groups, such as the Long-Horn Miao who have elaborate hairpieces about a foot wide, then there’s the Short and Long Skirt Miao. Each group wear different attire – but it always includes elaborate silver jewellery and embroidery. 

We spotted a few Gejia women, who are classified as a subgroup of the Miao, but due to their different language and culture, they consider themselves as an entirely separate ethnic group that is yet to be recognised. 

The Gejia women were easy to spot due to their unique white hats with red tassels. I spotted a Gejia woman videoing me, and when we locked eyes she began giggling so I decided to raise my camera and see if she was happy for me to take a photo. She beamed a smile at me and I began snapping photos, at which point she stuck up her fingers in the ‘F-you’ symbol – who knows what it means in this area of the world, but she seemed very happy. 

There were all sorts of mysterious items for sale, from roots and leaves to thorns and wood chips, which I assume all have some use in the Chinese medicinal world. 

Along with the plants were stalls offering medical services – such as cupping, right there on the street. We saw a lady leaning forward with her back exposed while a man removed cups from her. Blood oozed out and he casually wiped it away without wearing any gloves. 

Snake oil was also available as it’s used in traditional Chinese medicine to reduce inflammation and pain. Next to the glass bottles that resembled a secret potion, was a live snake in a mesh sack. 

It was extremely popular with the locals, who sat around the seller on little plastic stalls with their sleeves or trouser legs rolled up so they could have snake oil applied to their ailments. 

Dentists offered their services, with roadside tooth polishing and full extractions available. A selection of replacement teeth varying from white to yellow, was neatly lined up on the counter, which was no more professional than a table at a car boot sale. 

After wandering through the herbal stalls, we passed the vegetable and fruit stands, and then the pipe-making men – who carved tubes through twisted roots and connected spouts to create the perfect smoking pipe. Trays of tobacco leaves were lined up on the floor, with a group of elderly men testing their potency in their one-of-a-kind pipes. 

Veering down an unknown alley led us into the textile zone – filled with beautiful velvet outfits, and the most intricately embroidered skirts and trims. Some sellers focused on silver jewellery and the elaborate headpieces were being made by hand. 

The vast majority of women strolling through the textile area had extremely long black hair which they wrapped around their heads, creating a pristine bun just above their foreheads. It was always finished off with a flower clipped on the side. 

Many of the stalls sold these flower clips, but also ‘fake’ buns for women whose hair wasn’t thick or long enough to present in a big bun. It’s clearly an important symbol amongst this group so it was nice that they created an alternative for the women. Some were made from very realistic hair, while others were made from wool. 

I adored wandering through the textile area and gawping at the vibrant embroidery pieces, but eventually the alley led us back to the main road where we searched for the next ‘zone’ to explore. 

We came across an area where men held wooden bird cages. They didn’t seem to be selling them, instead, they held up their cage next to someone else’s, and the birds would begin tweeting loudly. We didn’t know what was going on – maybe it was a way of socialising the birds, or maybe it was matchmaking them. 

While I hate caged birds, I did appreciate the craftsmanship in the wooden cages – many were complete with miniature ceramic bowls for water and food, painted with blue Chinese artwork. 

The road eventually led down to the animal market where most people seemed to have a chicken under one arm. The poultry for sale was rather featherless, which was a shame to see, but we also saw many men affectionately stroking the birds. 

Beyond the birds, ducks and geese, were lots of dogs. But these weren’t just any dogs – these were Xiasi dogs, a breed owned by Miao people for thousands of years. They’re considered to be great hunters and guard dogs, but they’re also very loyal and are said to bring wealth to their family. They’re pretty unique, with white, wiry fur, and adorable pink noses. 

Pure-bred Xiasi dogs are considered rare, and in the late 90s, there were only 270 left, making them one of the rarest dogs in the world. But their numbers are bouncing back thanks to new efforts. 

I spotted a gorgeous Xiasi puppy sitting on someone’s scooter, and when I asked for a photo the man insisted I hold the puppy – which I was more than happy to do, even if he dribbled wee on me (the puppy, not the owner). 

Just as Craig began taking photos, a group of men surrounded me, also wanting to get a photo. I was in hysterics as it was such a funny scene, with 10 men holding their phones up – I guess this is what it feels like to be famous. 

I put the puppy back down and thanked the owner, only for him to point to a fully grown Xiasi dog, suggesting I should have a photo with it. He said to hold the lead tightly, which I took very seriously as I had no idea how powerful the dog would be – and yet again the men all took dozens of photos while I roared with laughter at the bizarre scene – I imagine I looked a little like Cruella de Vil in that moment. 

While the purebred Xiasi dogs are protected, other dogs can be considered food in China, and just around the corner from the dog market were stalls selling dog meat. 

It’s not the first time we’ve seen dog meat for sale in China – and it’s a hard thing to witness. Normal butchers sell slabs of raw, bloody meat, sometimes they’ll have the whole head of the pig or cow, but it’s always uncooked and just looks like meat – something we’ve all just become accustomed to seeing. 

Dog meat however, is sold differently, it’s the entire dog, and it looks like it’s been put in the oven – I don’t know if it actually has, or whether it’s the technique used to remove the fur, but the entire animal is a golden brown colour, and the face is horrific, with its mouth open and teeth all visible. 

I used my translator to ask a seller ‘Is this a Xiasi dog?’ and she said yes. Maybe it was a mixed breed? Either way, it’s hard to witness, but it’s a reality of life here and in other countries in Asia. At the end of the day, if you eat other meat, I don’t think you have the right to say that someone else can’t eat a different kind of meat – they’re all animals with feelings. 

Another rather unexpected sight was a man’s tiny stall selling rodent poison. To demonstrate how powerful his product was, he had the corpses of rodents dangling from the handle of his display basket. 

We ended the market by sitting on some steps to watch a man performing some sort of fortune or health prediction using an egg. We had no idea what was going on, but the man would pierce an egg and wrap red cord around it, then wave an incense stick around it while chanting. 

He’d then get the customer to blow on the egg before placing it in some red, hot, coals. Within a few minutes, the egg would explode, and the man would remove it and start peeling it open to look at the yolk inside. As I said – we were clueless as to what was happening, but he began pointing to the lady’s back, as if he was saying ‘You will have problems with your back’ but that’s just us making assumptions from a fun game of charades. 

We ended up walking around the market for hours – it was probably one of the biggest, and most fascinating ones we’ve ever visited.