Event Invitation | The Editorial Team’s Story: The Annual Conference Cannot Stop

Attention all departments, Foodthink’s Occupy Jishi 3.0 and Annual Conference Special Project, now officially launched!

On 7 February (Saturday), from 10:00 to 22:00, we will take over the Sanyuanqiao community store of Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market — Jishi. This is not only the source of ingredients for our daily staff meals, but also a community space connecting ecological farming partners and urban consumers.

Over the past year, we have written countless words in our offices about climate change, ecological agriculture, and food justice, trying to clarify the circumstances of smallholders and food-system practitioners. But the more we wrote, the more clearly we realised a question: if we talk about food every day, do we truly understand the most direct interface through which the public encounters food — consumption?

No matter how many theories there are, action comes first. The best action is to go and sell vegetables, using vegetable selling as a method for engaging deeply with the food system. Only when we receive the fresh vegetables delivered by our farming partners, face consumers both online and offline, and handle one real order after another do the trust, support, and hardships behind ecological agriculture cease to be merely concepts in our articles.

Therefore, During these 12 hours, Foodthink will turn from writers and researchers into vegetable shop staff, stepping out of the comfort zone of writing into a real field of labour: liaising with farming partners, welcoming consumers, sorting and packing, tidying shelves, taking payments and printing receipts… Oh, and our in-house favourite — preparing our own staff meals. This is Foodthink’s annual conference, and also a special year-end report card we submit to all of you, our readers.

Whether you want to test our vegetable-selling skills, or meet Foodthink in person and pick up some good vegetables along the way, On Saturday, 7 February, all our “spiritual shareholders” are welcome to visit Sanyuanqiao · Li Xiang — see you soon!

To make sure nothing goes wrong on the day, every one of our colleagues has completed 48 hours of “undercover training” at Jishi over the past three months. Please meet these eight vegetable-selling trainees — newcomers and new forces. Please show them some encouragement —

The team composition for this takeover has changed (some former colleagues have become dads, moms, or returned overseas students, and gone foraging in the mountains; the new colleagues are unmarried, childless, and have completed their studies and returned), so who knows whether what lies ahead will be a comedy or a tragedy.

The annual conference cannot stop! Besides selling vegetables, we have also prepared four events, and you are welcome to join in person or watch the livestream online.

Look closely: this editorial team is preparing to make their year-end work review public. Over the past year, Foodthink’s editorial team has kept a close eye on a wide range of issues in food and agriculture, from smallholders struggling in extreme weather to pastoralists hit by globalised imports of meat; from food delivery riders who complete the last mile for many urban people to the hidden power relations behind food… We strive to tell food and agriculture stories that are little known to the public yet closely connected to everyone’s life. Because we believe: we record to keep recording.

Stepping out from behind the scenes, we want to talk about the stories that our articles never told: Why did Foodthink choose to tell these stories? Which story ideas from the past year have been hardest for us to let go of? From food and agriculture media workshops to funding programmes, what new observations have we made about food and agriculture coverage in the media? Of course, this is even more a story-pitching session in which both sides move toward one another. In 2026, what content would you like to see at Foodthink? What voices would you like to hear? What books would you like to read together? Whether you want to vent, nudge us for updates, or have an exclusive tip, you are welcome to come in person or to the livestream and boldly weigh in.

We have hosted many sharing sessions at Jishi, but this time, we simply want to talk about our own matters. We sincerely invite all our “spiritual shareholders” to come in person; readers who cannot attend in person can also book the livestream and then supervise us online as “cloud supervisors”.

Online livestream

No sign-up is required; you can book directly on the Foodthink video account and join the livestream at the start of the sharing session.

XIV. 00–15:30

 “Vegetable Selling as a Method” Sharing Session  

— From an Organic Vegetable Shop, See Another Possibility for the Food System

Jishi, the shop Foodthink is “taking over” that day, is the longest-established shop on Sanyuanqiao Street. In food’s journey from farm to table, brick-and-mortar vegetable shops are often seen as mere “waypoints.” But this one is somewhat special—It is not merely a place of exchange, but a microcosm of an entire alternative food system. Here, farmers and consumers are not numbers in the system, but real people who can see and speak with one another. At 2 p.m. on 7 February, we have invited three “food and agriculture observers” working on the ground:

Wang Rui

Trained in agriculture, experienced in farming and selling vegetables, responsible for the market’s PGS farm visits, currently leading the main shift at Jishi, and a trainee in traditional Chinese medicine.

Xiao P

A statistics major, she has gone from a university summer job to shop manager, has worked at Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market for nearly 10 years, is the market and farming partners’ group favourite, and is a newly minted mum.

Tianle

Convener of Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market and founding editor of Foodthink. An international journalism major and originally a journalist, they have twice left the profession, spent several years selling vegetables full-time, and, after twists and turns, returned to media as an editor.

Online livestream

No sign-up is required; you can book directly on the Foodthink video account and join the livestream at the start of the sharing session.

XVI. 00–17:00

  A Pro Foodie’s Veg Shop Tour  

— Unconventional Livestream Shopping: Lunar New Year Goods Special, One Day Only!

Although we are taking over a brick-and-mortar shop, in response to countless messages asking us to “drop the links”, Foodthink’s first livestream shopping event is here!

With the year drawing to a close, “what Lunar New Year goods to buy” has become a top priority. Throughout the year, we have cooked more than 90 meals in the office, with 95% of the ingredients coming from Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market. When it comes to eating here, we have an absolute say. Whether you want something nice for your own table or want to give a gift to friends, relatives or bosses, organic ingredients from an ecological farm are definitely the best choice for something substantial and presentable.

This time, Tianle and Kairui, two “veteran foodies”, will take everyone on a virtual tour of Jishi and share Foodthink’s private Lunar New Year goods:

●Showstopping dishes: Which “main dishes” are a must on a Lunar New Year table? How should yak meat be cooked?●Top gift choice: Which ingredient pairings are both healthy and presentable, and show discerning taste?

●Hidden gems: What other items look unassuming but are actually stunning hidden gems?

This is an “unconventional” livestream shopping event, as well as a “virtual shop tour” gathering. On the day of the livestream, Beijing readers receive direct flash delivery, while readers outside Beijing can use courier delivery. Book the livestream on the Foodthink video account and get your Lunar New Year goods sorted!

XVIII. 30–20:00

In-Person Screening of “Whose Table? Whose Pasture?” & Lamb Soup Dinner

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

At dinner time, we have prepared a special dinner. We will be screening the 2024 Lianhe Creation Project-supported documentary “Whose Table? Whose Pasture?”. The film delves into the pastoral region around Qinghai Lake, revealing how, under globalised supply chains, large volumes of imported frozen meat have undermined local pastoralists’ livelihoods through low prices. In this cheap-meat frenzy, who exactly is enjoying the low prices? And who is bearing the cost?

This documentary about the pastoral region calls for a bowl of honest, hearty lamb soup. After learning the cost behind the food, we hope you can taste the true flavour of the grassland on site. Two lamb chops from Inner Mongolia’s Wuzhumuqin ecological ranch, served with broth-soaked radishes and silky rice noodles. This is more than just a dinner; it is an act of voting with your tongue —in an age when the real and the fake are hard to tell apart, we still choose to pay for real food.

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

Successful payment confirms your registration.

<em>This event does not feature an online livestream</em>

 Special Perks for Foodthink Readers 

Since this is a year-end party, it would be incomplete without some lovely gifts:

🐴 Perk 1: Collect a “food voucher” in the store

On 7 February, all readers who drop into Jishi can collect one Jishi-exclusive “food voucher” and take part in spend-and-save offers on site.

🐴 Perk 2: No more bosses’ empty promises — just horse biscuits for New Year

Had enough of the “big cakes” served up at work? How about a biscuit hand-made by our own members!

We’ve prepared limited-edition little horse biscuits for the Year of the Horse 🐴🍪. Wishing you full power in the New Year!

🐴 Perk 3: Discounts depend on the mood! Buy-and-get offers come with surprises!

Since we’re taking over Jishi, we get to set the prices, too. During the day, we’ll be rolling out surprise discounts and value bundles at random times — with money off and free gifts — so you can stock up on Lunar New Year goods to your heart’s content!

Now, we pass the microphone to you, our readers! Please leave a comment in the comments section to chat about:

❶ What would you most like to ask the editorial team and the market team? Or which specific food or phenomenon would you like to hear them discuss? ❷ What good stuff would you like Foodthink to introduce? (💡 Tip: why not browse our Moments? The details are hidden in our weekly work meals!)

❸ What details did you spot in the poster?

We’ll pick five sincere readers from the comments section and give them:

📖 A curated selection of Foodthink’s Lunar New Year goods

or

🎟️ One Jishi spend-and-save voucher

📢 One last thing — an important heads-up!

Think you didn’t shop enough on Saturday?

Don’t rush, the best is yet to come! Once our bunch of vegetable-selling trainees pull out, Jishi’s real owner will make a triumphant return.

8 February (Sunday) 10:00–14:00, still at Sanyuanqiao, still at Jishi —“Eating as a Method” ✖️ Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market Lunar New Year Goods Festival

More sustainable Lunar New Year goods, tastings, face-to-face time with farming friends, and traditional New Year activities — all at the Lunar New Year Goods Festival!

*Note: Some parts of the trainee poster were created using AI, drawing inspiration from Stardew Valley

Copy: Li Ye

Editor: Tianle

Poster: ZX Li Ye