Event Invitation | Stories from the Editorial Office: The Annual Gathering Can’t Stop

Attention all departments, Foodthink’s “Occupy Jishi 3.0” and Annual Gathering Special Programme, is now officially launched!

On Saturday 7 February, from 10:00 to 22:00, we will take over Jishi, the community shop of the Beijing Organic Farmers Market at Sanyuanqiao. This is not just where we source the ingredients for our daily staff meals—it is also a community space connecting agroecology farmers with urban consumers.

Over the past year, we have written thousands of words in our office about climate change, agroecology, and food and agriculture justice, trying to illuminate the circumstances faced by smallholder farmers and food and agriculture practitioners. But the more we write, the more clearly we see a problem: we talk about food every day, but do we truly understand the most direct interface through which the public encounters food—consumption?

There are a thousand theories, and action is the first. The best form of action is to sell vegetables—to use vegetable selling as a method for delving deeper into the food and agriculture system. Only when we accept the fresh vegetables delivered by our farming partners, face consumers both in-store and online, and process order after real order, will the trust, the support, and the hardship behind agroecology cease to be mere concepts on the page.

Therefore, over these 12 hours, Foodthink will transform from writers and researchers into vegetable shop staff, stepping out of the comfort zone of writing and into the real world of manual labour: coordinating with our farming partners, serving customers, sorting and packing produce, restocking shelves, operating the till and printing receipts… Oh, and the show Foodthink always saves for last—making our own staff meal. This is Foodthink’s annual gathering, and it is also a special year-end report card we are submitting to you, our readers.

Whether you come to test our vegetable-selling skills or simply want to meet Foodthink in person and pick up some fresh produce while you’re at it, on Saturday 7 February, all our “spiritual shareholders” are welcome at Li Xiang, Sanyuanqiao—see you “in no time”!

To make sure nothing goes wrong on the day, each of us has already completed 48 hours of “undercover training” at Jishi over the past three months. Presenting to you our eight trainee vegetable sellers—new faces, new forces, so please bear with us—

For this takeover, the team lineup has changed (some former colleagues have become dads, mums, or overseas students foraging in the mountains, while our new colleagues have returned from their studies, unmarried and childless). Who knows whether what lies ahead is comedy or tragedy.

The Annual Gathering Can’t Stop! Besides selling vegetables, we have also prepared four events, all open for in-person attendance or live-streaming online.

Look closely—this editorial team is about to publicly share its year-end work report. Over the past year, the Foodthink editorial team has kept a close eye on a range of issues in food and agriculture: from smallholder farmers struggling under extreme weather to herders impacted by globalised imported meat; from delivery riders who complete the last mile of food for so many urban dwellers to the hidden power relations behind what we eat. We have strived to tell food and agriculture stories that remain unknown to the public yet touch every one of us. Because we believe: we record, so that we may continue to record.

Stepping out from behind the scenes, we want to share the stories that never made it into our articles: Why does Foodthink choose to tell these stories? Which stories from the past year have left us with a sense of things unresolved? From the Food and Agriculture Media Workshop to our grant programme, what new observations have we made about food and agriculture coverage in the media? Of course, this is also a “mutual pursuit” story meeting. In 2026, what content would you like to see from Foodthink? What voices would you like to hear? What books would you like to read together? Whether you want to vent, push us for more, or share an exclusive tip, you are welcome to join us in person or in the live stream to ‘point at the mountains and rivers’ and share your grand ideas.

We have hosted many sharing sessions at Jishi before, but this time, we simply want to talk about ourselves. We warmly invite all our ‘spiritual shareholders’ to attend in person; readers who cannot make it can also book the live stream and serve as our “cloud overseers”.

Live stream

No registration required—simply book through the Video Account Foodthink and enter the live room when the sharing session begins.

14:00-15:30

 “Selling Vegetables as a Method” Sharing Session  

—Seeing Another Possibility for the Food System Through One Organic Vegetable Shop

The Jishi that Foodthink “occupies” that day is the longest-established shop on this Sanyuanqiao street. In the journey of food from farm to table, a brick-and-mortar vegetable shop is often seen as nothing more than a “layover”. But this one is rather special—It is not merely a place of commerce, but a microcosm of an entire alternative food system. Here, farmers and consumers are not numbers in a system but real people who can see one another and actually talk. On Saturday 7 February at 2 p.m., we have invited three hands-on “food and agriculture observers”:

Wang Rui

Formally trained in agricultural science, has farmed the land and sold vegetables, and is responsible for the market’s PGS farm visits. Currently runs the lead shift at Jishi and is a traditional Chinese medicine apprentice.

Xiao P

Trained in statistics, yet has gone from a university summer job to shop manager, working at the Beijing Organic Farmers Market for nearly ten years. She is the darling of both the market and our farming partners, and a new mother.

Tianle

Convener of the Beijing Organic Farmers Market and founding editor of Foodthink. Trained in international journalism and a reporter by background, has twice left the profession—spending several years selling vegetables full-time—only to come full circle and return to media as an editor.

Live stream

No registration required—simply book through the Video Account Foodthink and enter the live room when the sharing session begins.

16:00-17:00

  Serious Foodies Show You Around the Vegetable Shop  

— Offbeat Live Shopping: A Chinese New Year Provisions Special, One Day Only!

Although what we “occupy” is a brick-and-mortar shop, in response to the countless “Camping for links!” cries flooding our comments section—Foodthink’s first-ever live shopping stream is here!

As year-end approaches, “What Chinese New Year provisions should we buy?” has become the most pressing question. Over the year, we have cooked more than 90 meals in our office, with 95% of the ingredients sourced from the Beijing Organic Farmers Market. We have absolute authority on how to eat well from what is available here. Whether you want to treat your own table to something special or give a thoughtful gift to friends, family or a boss, a bundle of organic produce from an ecological farm is the perfect choice—substantial in quality and impressive in presentation.

This time, two seasoned food lovers—Tianle and Kairui—will take you on a virtual browse of Jishi, sharing Foodthink’s secret New Year picks:

●Centrepiece Dishes: What are the must-have signature dishes for the New Year table? How should you cook yak meat? ●Top Gift Picks: Which produce combinations are both healthy and presentable, yet show a distinctive sense of taste?

●Hidden Gems: What unassuming treasures are quietly stunning once you try them?

This is an offbeat live shopping event and a “virtual shop browse” gathering all rolled into one. On the day of the stream, readers in Beijing can enjoy same-day delivery via Shansong, while those elsewhere can order by standard courier. Book the live stream through the Video Account Foodthink and get your Chinese New Year provisions sorted!

18:30-20:00

Whose Table, Whose Pasture: In-Person Screening & Lamb Soup Dinner

— Watch a “Fake Meat” Film, Drink Real Lamb Soup

At dinnertime, we have prepared a special feast. We will screen the documentary filmed with the support of the 2024 Lianhe Creative Programme, Whose Table, Whose Pasture. The film ventures deep into the Qinghai Lake pastoral area, revealing how, under the chains of globalisation, vast quantities of imported frozen meat have undercut the livelihoods of local herders at rock-bottom prices. In this feast of cheap meat, who exactly is enjoying the low prices? And who is paying the cost?

A documentary about the pastoral lands deserves a bowl of proper, authentic lamb soup to go with it. After learning the true cost behind our food, we hope you will taste the genuine flavour of the grasslands here. Two lamb chops from the Ujimqin ecological pasture in Inner Mongolia, paired with radishes that have soaked up all the broth and silky rice noodles. This is more than just a dinner—it is an act of voting with your tongue—In an age where real and fake are hard to tell apart, we still choose to pay for real food.

Scan the QR code on the poster or click this link to fill in the form

Successful payment confirms your registration.

*This event will not be livestreamed*

 Foodthink Readers’ Exclusive Perks 

Since it’s our annual gathering, it wouldn’t be complete without some gifts:

🐴 Perk 1: Pop in and collect a “ration coupon”

On 7 February, all readers who visit Jishi can collect a Jishi-exclusive “ration coupon” to use on the on-the-spot spend-and-save discounts.

🐴 Perk 2: Sick of your boss’s empty promises? This New Year, eat a horse biscuit instead

Had enough of “pie in the sky” promises at work? Come grab a biscuit made with our own hands instead!

We’ve prepared Year-of-the-Horse limited-edition pony biscuits 🐴🍪—may your new year be in full gallop!

🐴 Perk 3: Discounts at our whim! Purchases come with surprise bonuses!

Well, since we’re the ones occupying Jishi, we get a say on the pricing, too. Throughout the day, we’ll be rolling out random surprise discounts and value bundles—price cuts and freebies galore—to make sure you stock up on everything you need for the New Year!

Now, we hand the microphone over to our readers! Drop a comment and tell us:

❶ What question would you most like to ask the editorial team and the market partners? Or is there a particular food trend or phenomenon you’d love to hear them discuss? ❷ What goodies would you like Foodthink to feature? (💡 Tip: Have a scroll through our Moments—the best details are hiding in our weekly office lunches!)

❸ What little details can you spot in the poster?

We’ll pick five heartfelt comments and send the authors:

📖 A curated pack of Foodthink’s New Year picks

or

🎟️ One Jishi spend-and-save voucher

📢 And one last thing—stay tuned for a very important announcement!

Feel like Saturday wasn’t quite enough?

Don’t worry—there’s more to come! Once our band of vegetable-selling trainees retreats, the rightful proprietors of Jishi will make their grand return.

Sunday, 8 February, 10:00–14:00—still Sanyuanqiao, still Jishi—“Dining as Method” ✖️ Beijing Organic Farmers Market New Year Provisions Fair

Even more ecological New Year produce, tasting sessions, face-to-face chats with farmers, traditional New Year activities…all at the Provisions Fair!

*Additional note: AI was used to create parts of the trainee poster; the inspiration came from Stardew Valley

Copy: Li Ye

Editor: Tianle

Poster: ZX & Li Ye