Along with the mounds of vegetables are the chickens in their basket cage and pigeons waiting to be bought alive. Any chicken bought often goes directly to the chicken killer who kills it, defeathers and plucks it in a machine specific to this task, and guts and washes it for the customer. Feet and head are left on to eat since Chinese consider these parts a delicacy. The potted plant culture is the dominant way to garden and to display plants like magnificent Orchids, Cyclads, Norfork Pines, and vigorous clumps of what look like Lillies, and Boxwoods. Every guesthouse has displayed hundreds of these types of potted plants sitting around.
Every hotel also has a special iron display rack to give more height to their arrangements.
Most of the pots are quite magnificent with dragons decorating the sides. Some seem to me to be just lava chunks cemented together. Others are slabs of slate wired at each corner, a common sight here since NuJiang slate is famous. Many Nu people roof their houses with slate. Another common sight at hotels is the pond in the center courtyard.