Browsing Wet Markets with an Anthropologist: Event Preview

This Saturday (22 August): anthropologist and longtime friend of Foodthink, Dr Zhong Shuru, is bringing her new book China’s Wet Markets to Beijing! In the morning, we’ll head off together to browse a “special market” and chat as we walk; in the evening, we’ll start from “shopping for groceries in Beijing” and talk through the past, present and future of China’s wet markets, the stories of the people behind them, and what might lie ahead.

We welcome you to join us – online or in person – to seek the wisdom of “saying goodbye to a boring dinner table”.

10:00–11:00 am

Browsing a Special Wet Market with an Anthropologist: Livestream Sharing Event for China’s Wet Markets

Venue: South Gate, Shangri-La Hotel, Zizhuqiao, Beijing · Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market

Livestream + on-site book signing

*On-site attendees can have their books signed; no registration required

*For the online livestream, simply book to watch

7:00–9:00 pm

Goodbye, Boring Dinner Table: New Book Sharing Event for China’s Wet Markets

Venue: Jiantou Bookstore (Guomao branch)

In-person event + livestream

*On-site attendees can have their books signed; please scan the QR code on the poster to register

*For the online livestream, simply book to watch

– About the Author –

Associate Professor at the School of Tourism, Sun Yat-sen University; PhD in Anthropology, Texas A&M University.

Her research focuses on wet market culture, sustainable food systems, and food tourism. Through both scholarship and practice, she continually explores how food can serve as a medium to reconnect people with food, nature, society, and place.

If you’re curious about Dr Zhong’s research, she has in fact been a longtime regular at Foodthink.

From “working” at a fish stall on a remote island to exploring how wet markets connect us to sustainable living, Dr Zhong has appeared as a guest on our platform, sharing a wealth of insights about the wet market.

Before the event, why not revisit some of these highlights:

🎧 Listen · Roundtable Podcast

🎬 Watch · Event Replay

*The video above is an excerpt from the Pearl River Delta sustainable food sharing session on 19 July 2023,

For the full event video, please visit Foodthink’s WeChat Channels to watch the livestream replay.

📖 Read · Field Observations

– New Book Recommendation –

China’s Wet Markets

Author: Zhong Shuru; Guangqi Press | Published July 2026

Why do Chinese people love browsing wet markets so much? Do young people still visit them?

How have China’s wet markets stood firm against the tide of the “supermarket revolution”?

What social structures and everyday wisdom are woven through the wet market?

Where does the resilience and vitality of wet markets truly stem from?

Ten years, more than 50 cities, and more than 200 wet markets: drawing on panoramic observation and fieldwork across urban markets around the country, the author explores topics such as the history of wet markets, the stall-holder community, the supply chains behind them, food-consumption culture, and urban public management, uncovering the resilience and vitality within China’s wet markets.

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