To learn about the city of Guangzhou, you may consider visiting its iconic tourist sites, museums or parks. But to truly experience the city's vitality and gain insight into the lives of local residents, you can't miss the food markets.
Various kinds of fresh food products are offered in the markets. [Photo/dayoo]
Food markets are scattered around residential areas in Guangzhou, serving thousands of the city's dwellers every day. The people, the sounds, the smells and the products together give a vivid portrait of the city's food culture.
When the sun begins to burn off the morning mist, the markets welcome their first customers, sending greetings with arrays of colorful farm produce, such as tomatoes, pumpkins, onions and leafy green vegetables. Fish and prawns are alive and kicking in water tanks. Vendors are yelling. People are talking. Butchers are sharpening their knives and chopping meat with a swish and clang. The city becomes astir.
Food markets in Guangzhou are bustling with people every day. [Photo/dayoo]
"Food is everything." Guangzhou locals offer an ideal example of this old Chinese saying, as they have a strong fascination with food shopping. In pursuit of the utmost freshness, they don't mind getting up very early to buy food that has just been put on the vendors' shelves and tables.
When you're on a bus or the metro during the morning rush hours, it's easy to spot, among a crowd of young commuters, an elderly person heading home in triumph with a trolley full of well-selected food items from the market.
A stall keeper is sorting out chilies and expecting the next customer. [Photo/dayoo]
Some locals go to markets at least twice a day, before lunch and dinner. Upon getting everything they need, they rush home as fast as possible to cook when the materials are still fresh and most nutritious.
While people in North China prefer to buy food in bulk, which can last for months, their counterparts in Guangzhou and other southern areas are keener to shop just for a single day's consumption, as freshness always comes first.
A place for socializing
Food market is important for the social life of Guangzhou citizens. People come across their neighbors and friends and make new contacts here. It's often common to hear shoppers exchange exclusive tips on food selection and cooking.
A food vendor is talking and laughing with one of her customers while giving back the change. [Photo/dayoo]
Some customers develop a good relationship with food retailers, getting secret discounts and access to the best items. They can also get to know about this year's harvest and price changes through communication with the stallholders.
People from all walks of life and of all ages gather together in the stall-packed market, only identified as buyers and sellers. Men and women, babies and the old, migrant workers and local residents, vendors in stained clothing and white-collar workers in decent and fancy outfits, meet and chat in harmony with the same basic desire to enjoy a life with good, tasty food.
A vegetable seller shows her rough palms that mark her hard work in serving fresh produce for the local community.[Photo/Guangzhou Daily]
Although it is more convenient today to order food online and get it delivered fresh at your doorstep, taking a shopping trip to the food market still carries weight with Guangzhou locals. The markets preserve food in its rawest and the most basic state and integrate special culinary arts from different families that are unavailable elsewhere. They serve as a window into the city's life and show the open and inclusive culture of Guangzhou.
Author: Pauline Tai
Editor: Becky Lin