This Day, That Year

Item from Nov 7, 1993, in China Daily: The rich selection in urban vegetable markets means people are abandoning the decades-long tradition of storing tons of cabbages in their corridors and balconies during the long, chilly winter.

For people from the country's north and northeast, Chinese cabbage, or bai cai, is like no other vegetable. It's a symbol embedded in the culinary culture of the regions, a culture inextricably linked with the areas' long and chilly winters.

Memories must be still vivid for those who are in their 30s and older. For city-dwellers, the "seasonal hoarding" started in late autumn, as horse-drawn carts loaded with cabbage appeared on the street. It was not unusual for a family of three or four to buy up to 200 kilograms. The cabbage was then dried over two or three weeks as a protection against decay.