Throughout China, you’ll find plenty of quirky and unique markets. One fine example is the Bird & Flower Market (花鸟市场 – huā niǎo shì chǎng) located in Kunming. Just off the major pedestrian shopping street of Zhengyi Road, you can find this maze of stalls specializing in – you guessed it – birds and flowers. That’s not all you’ll see for sale here, though: dogs, lizards, fish, porcupines, spiders, snakes, and even tarantulas are all here in what might be one of the oddest pet stores in the world. In addition to all the plants and animals, you’ll also find the usual assortment of handicrafts, knick-knacks, and even the Yunnan classic water pipers. Although much of the traditional market has been lost due to soaring real estate prices and construction, it’s still an interesting place to wander around for a while should you find yourself in the Spring City. See for yourself in this photo essay:

The market is located on a small walking street downtown.

Here, you’ll find plenty of birds…

…and flowers, obviously.

There are also plenty of souvenirs, such as crystals and jewelry.

An interesting place to buy a pet.

Some of the many different pets for sale.

A pack of sleepy puppies.

There are some very pretty plants available here.

Close up on some of the cool plants.

You can pick up some awesome lizards here.

Looking for a cute amphibian? You’ve come to the right place!

You can even pick up huge snakes here.

Scoping out a tarantula.

Multi-colored frogs?

Selling flowers sure is tiring.

Not sure why you’d want a pet slug…

Huge water pipers – a Yunnan classic.

Obama says “good good study, day day up!”

For more on Kunming, check out our recent post about 10 awesome things to do in China’s Spring City.