Days of the month with 2, 5, or 8 in their number(ie - 2, 15, 28) are market days in FuLi. People from the countryside come into FuLi to buy, sell, and visit. So on market days the dock at DuTou is very busy. When we come to school at 8:30, the country people are already headed into FuLi. One market day I came to school at 9:30 and was amazed at the number of people getting on and off the boats.

These three wheeled trucks (san lun che) cart the country people and their wares to the dock area in DuTou. Passengers sit in the cab and in the back. Their wares are also in the back or on the roof of the cab. The trucks are parked under the bamboo once everyone has left for the boats. The market goers will return to the trucks in a few hours.

You want to look your best when you go to market, so before getting on the boats, some of the males get a shave or a haircut. This man giving a young boy a haircut works beside the building at the top of the steps while another man works midway down the steps, you may have spotted him in the first picture.

The boats are very busy on market days. More boats are at the crossing to handle the increase in traffic. I like market days. I am going in the opposite direction of the market goers so am not on the packed boats. And the increase in traffic means the time we wait on the boats is not long.

I've seen 40and 50 followed by the character for "ren" (people) on the side of some boats. Doesn't look like anyone is counting how many people are allowed on. The boats look filled to the brim. And when they empty at the dock, there is a steady stream disembarking.

On market mornings as I walk through the streets of FuLi toward the boat that will take me to DuTou, I pass more people carrying loads of goods. They are going to market with their baskets full of vegetables, fruits, or chickens; bags of rice; large plastic containers of oil, vinegar or other liquids; bundles of tobacco or noodles; stacks of bamboo baskets...the list is endless.

Everyone is headed to this site in the center of FuLi. It is in use every day but becomes a real hub of activity on days of the month with the magical 2, 5, or 8 in their numbering.

This egg vendor was in her place early this day. What's that about the early bird?

The vegetable vendors line up on the back side of market place. They are always there. But on market days they swell in number from two rows to rows and rows that cover the basketball court.
See the white corner of a building behind the vegetable vendors? I have spent several weeks looking for a supermarket in FuLi. I was sure there must be one. FuLi is a fair sized town. "The" market didn't seem enough. Then this week I remembered my friend Susan and I looking for a temple in Beijing only to learn it had been behind our backs the day we gave up our search and sat relaxing in a park. I have walked through this market many times but when I looked for the supermarket, I didn't look here. Until this week. And there it is!

When I leave DuTou at 1:00, the boats coming back from FuLi are full of returning shoppers. They're heading home with their purchases in hand, on their backs, or slung over shoulders. The river will be quieter for the next two or three days. And then it will be market day once again in FuLi.