Chinese vegetables, such as these purple eggplant, cucumbers, lotus root and cabbage at a street market in Wanxian, China, look vaguely similar to those in North America yet different enough to be uncertain if they taste the same. They often have a unique taste when prepared in local cuisine. Footnote: Two-thirds of Wanxian, a city that dated back to the Ming dynasty starting in the late 14th century, was flooded by the Three Gorges Dam reservoir in 2008, five years after this photo was taken. In preparation, approximately 80,000 people were displaced and 900 factories were moved. The area is now called Wanzhou District and is considered part of the Chongqing municipality.