Browse a Wet Market with an Anthropologist | Event Preview

This Saturday (22 August), Zhong Shuru, an anthropologist and long-standing friend of Foodthink, will bring her new book “China’s Wet Markets” to Beijing! In the morning, we will go together to a “special market” to browse around and chat; in the evening, starting from “shopping for groceries in Beijing”, we will discuss the past and present of China’s wet markets, their human stories, and their possible future.

Everyone is welcome to join us online or in person to discover the wisdom behind “Farewell to the Boring Table”.

10:00 am–11:00 am

Browse a Special Wet Market with an Anthropologist: “China’s Wet Markets” Live-Streamed Sharing Event

Location: South Gate, Shangri-La Hotel Beijing Zizhugiao · Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market

Live stream + in-person book signing

*The in-person event includes a book signing; no registration required.

*Book directly to watch the online live stream.

7:00 pm–9:00 pm

Farewell to the Boring Table: “China’s Wet Markets” New Book Sharing Event

Location: Jiantou Bookshop (Guomao Branch)

In-person event + live stream

*The in-person event includes a book signing; please scan the QR code on the poster to register.

*Book directly to watch the online live stream.

– About the Author –

She is Associate Professor at the Sun Yat-sen University School of Tourism and holds a PhD in Anthropology from Texas A&M University.

She has long studied wet market culture, sustainable food systems, and food tourism, and continues to explore in research and practice how food can act as a medium to reconnect people to food, nature, society, and place.

If you are curious about Dr Zhong’s research, she has actually been a “long-time regular” at Foodthink.

From immersing herself in “odd jobs” at island fish stalls to discussing how wet markets connect to sustainable living, Dr Zhong has previously been a guest with us and shared many insights about wet markets.

Before the event begins, why not first revisit these highlights:

🎧 Listen: Roundtable Podcast

🎬 Watch: Event Replay

*The videos above were edited from the 19 July 2023 Sustainable Food Sharing Event in the Pearl River Delta.

For the full event video, please visit Foodthink’s video account to watch the live-stream replay.

📖 Read: Field Observation

– New Book –

“China’s Wet Markets”

Author: Shuru Zhong; Guangqi Publishing House | Published July 2026

Why do Chinese people love browsing wet markets so much? Do young people still go to wet markets?

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

What kinds of social structures and everyday wisdom do wet markets bring together?

Where exactly do the resilience and vitality of wet markets come from?

10 years, more than 50 cities, more than 200 wet markets: based on panoramic observation and fieldwork of urban wet markets across various cities, the author of this book explores topics such as the history of wet markets, stallholder communities, supply chains behind wet markets, food consumption culture, and urban public management, uncovering the resilience and vitality of China’s wet markets.