Weary of oh-so-impersonal Taobao and soulless shopping malls? Then get ready to open your wallet wide for the creative vendors slinging distinctive wares at these local markets and bazaars.

Upcoming markets

Jun 28: Yanjing Beer International Festival
Now in its 28th year, the Yanjing Brewery (ever heard of it?) beer festival returns with a variety of suds related activities. Be sure to stop by the accompanying market chock-full of local and foreign food vendors, as well as a seemingly incongruous mix of vintage items such as amber from Lithuania to leather products from Indiana, and more. Meanwhile, there will be mouthwatering food offered by over 140 food vendors, live music, and endless glasses of Yanjing beer. RMB 20. 4-10pm. Shunyi Olympic Water Park

Jun 29-30: TTG’s Suitcase Rummage
A market idea which originated in Australia, Suitcase Rummage invite makeshift suitcase-toting stallholders to sell their unwanted secondhand goods. While they downsize their wardrobes and closets, you’ll get the chance to re-up on some very reasonably priced knick-knacks and clothes, books, jewelry, shoes, records, and more. Free. 1-6pm. Port Apartment (Xizhimen)

Jun 30: Loreli Affordable Art Market
Loreli and myriad local artists will take over over Jen Hotel on Jun 30 with a vast array of affordable artwork. You’ll have the opportunity to buy unique souvenirs and all the while support the local art scene. There’ll also be food vendors and live entertainment to keep things lively. Free. Midday-6pm. Hotel Jen

Jul 6: Go Back to Crafts Market
Organized by Jop Pottery, this market brings together craftspeople from around Beijing to sell their works, including anything from leather items, ceramic tea sets, fabrics, organic soaps, and skin care products to jewelry, handmade clothes, tie-dye bags, earrings, hats, fragrant candles, lacquerware, and more. Free. 10am-4pm. I Read Park

Jul 13-14: Mazha Bazaar
As part of the 77 Cultural & Creative Festival, Mazha Bazaar will gather 60-plus vendors from around the city to sell tapes, handmade artifacts, vintage clothes, and more. Some of the stalls even offer DIY portrait and tattoo services, as well as a swap section where you can exchange secondhand books and vinyl records. There will be food and drinks on offer too. Free. 1-8pm. 77 Cultural Park

Ongoing Markets

Every Saturday: Chuzou Creative Market
Located in the artists’ community of Songzhuang, Chuzou Coffee acts as a meeting point for many of the young artists who own workshops or live nearby. That means this market is a great place to buy a range of local products such as pottery, leather wares, wooden sculptures, paintings, and more. We’re particularly fond of the great selection of secondhand items to be found here, available for bargain prices. Free. 4-8pm. Chuzou Coffee Shop

Every Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday: Beijing Farmers’ Market
Since its first iteration in 2018, Beijing Farmers’ Market has remained one of the most popular pop-up food markets in the city. Here you’ll find organically grown food, artisanal cheeses, meats, vegan products, baked goods, herbs, skin care products, textiles, and more. In keeping with the farmers’ market spirit, please bring your own shopping bags to minimize waste. Free. 10am-2pm. Various locations (follow WeChat account ID: countryfair to find updated market schedules) 

Every Saturday and Sunday: Farm to Neighbors
Advocating a zero-waste lifestyle, Farm to Neighbors (F2N) market offers fresh local vegetables and fruits, Beijing-made cheeses, bread, cookies, and numerous other delicious goodies. In keeping with the spirit of the other eco-friendly events on this list, please bring your own shopping bags along. Free. Midday-6pm. B1, Grand Summit

Photos courtesy of the organizers

As Farm to Neighbors celebrates their second anniversary this Saturday, July 16, supporters are welcome to vote for their favorite vendors via WeChat.  Farm to Neighbors’ vendors will be awarded in 18 different categories at the event where Beijing elementary students will perform Beijing opera, and separate concerts with flute, string quartet, and Chinese zither.

Over the past year, Farm to Neighbors has been writing and sharing more posts about food, including healthy recipes, on their WeChat channel: farm2neighbors.  They emphasize how grateful for the vendors and customers they’ve met every week, confirming that people do care about what they eat and saving the environment.

Farm to Neighbors founder Erica Huang has since become an ambassador for Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, hosting a series of events since May 20—Food Revolution Day with many more to come.

Vendor Awards

In commemoration of their anniversary, Farm to Neighbors had invited customers to vote for their favorite vendors in 18 different categories, including:

Best Vegan Vendor

Best Craftsman Spirit

Best Farm

Most Environmentally Conscious

Most Creative Vendor

Best Fermented Food

Visit Farm to Neighbors Anniversary Celebration at the Grand Summit this Saturday, July 16, from 12-6pm to celebrate their anniversary with them and witness the results of the awards!

Photo: courtesy of Farm to Neighbors

Beijing’s very own healthy foods community organization, Farm to Neighbors, convened its first Jamie Oliver Food Revolution event last week.  If you recall, beijingkids attended the Farm to Neighbors Call to Action meeting on May 19^th, the official Jamie Oliver Food Revolution Day.  We wrote about the volunteers’ brainstorming session led by Farm to Neighbors, as each attempted to envision how they could educate the local Beijing community.

So what is Farm to Neighbors’ led Food Revolution aiming to educate us on?  Exactly what they have always been teaching us about:

• Food education (especially on nutrition and healthy eating)
• Where our food comes from (how it’s produced)
• How the “public health crisis” (of growing percentages of obesity in younger and younger children, along with other food related illnesses), is not just a Western concept. Most importantly, how eating right can prevent the onslaught of obesity and various related conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease (the number one killer in developed countries).

Specifically, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution (JOFR) is a public call to action, encouraging everyone to petition schools on changing food policies in cafeterias (school lunches), etc.  However, Erica Huang, founder of Farm to Neighbors, emphasizes that the local version of JOFR is not a public call to action, for obvious reasons. Instead, the goals of the entirely volunteer-based movement are to educate the Beijing Chinese and international community on the fundamental points of JOFR.

The first Food Revolution event of the series took place on Sunday, June 19^th, a month after the initial planning meeting. It was hosted by Farm to Neighbors and the Beijing Mindfulness Centre (BMC) at the YOGASUMMIT (at the Grand Summit, above the regular Farm to Neighbors market).  The bilingual workshops were on Mindful Eating Practices, with a kids’ session (ages 6-14) and an adult session, lasting two hours in total.

The goal of the children’s workshop was to help children experience slowness, learn how to establish a relationship with food, and understand the differences between Hunger, Appetite, and Emotional eating. BMC states that by mastering mindful eating, children will grow up with the long-term benefits of reduced anxiety and depression, as well as a better relationship with parents, teachers, and peers.

The session began with tasting little bits of food very, very slowly. While the kids’ savored their tiny portions of dark chocolate, cucumber, and carrot (all from the Farm to Neighbors market), Dalida Turkovic, founder of BMC, explained the origins of the food they were eating. Using enlarged photos, Turkovic described how the food is grown, processed, and made into what’s on the kids’ plates. Children were surprised to learn that chocolate is made from cocoa beans, which are large and grow on trees!

The purpose of the mindful eating practice session is therefore not just to slow down while you eat and really taste what is put in your mouth, but to also observe and think about where one’s food comes from and how it’s made.  By learning such habits, children will eventually be able to make better food choices.

For our readers, Turkovic has a few recommendations on how to inspire mindful eating at home:

1. Establish your own mindful eating practices.
2. Be playful and make it fun!
3. Keep it simple.
4. Avoid a punishment and rewards approach.
5. Let your children know that “emotions are like the weather”. Talk openly about emotions and help them notice that they are constantly changing.

Sound advice, and similar to what a nutritionist recommended to us previously on inspiring healthy eating habits in our children!

The next JOFR meeting in the Farm to Neighbors’ series is titled: The Future of Foodie, and takes place on Friday June 24, from 2:30-4:30pm at The Hatchery. The RMB 20 entrance fee includes a drink from the Hatchery. For more information, follow the Farm to Neighbors WeChat, which now provides news blasts on the Jamie Oliver Food Revolution movement (including a summary of the recent Eat Stockholm Food Forum) and find out more about how Farm to Neighbors can help revolutionize your eating habits!

Photos: courtesy of Farm to Neighbors (WeChat), Jamie Oliver Food Revolution