Creative markets blossom in cool of night

Organic growth

Cultural access is only one part of the change. Another is how markets are beginning to think about their customers.

Compared with night markets filled with queues and constant noise, the Funstown organic market, held periodically in Beijing's Chaoyang district, is noticeably quieter.

During the summer months the market blossomed. After 5 pm, the temperature dropped and visitor numbers climbed.

"The heat during summer days often drove visitors away quickly; however, in the evening they were more willing to slow down, listen, and linger at different stalls," said farmer Huang Lili.

In the complex's Hey Town Plaza on a market day, seasonal farm produce, bread, desserts, tea and coffee, handmade objects, and pet products are arranged in rows. There are also secondhand goods exchanges, book-sharing activities, talks, a weekend communal table and pet adoption events.

Many visitors leave with a purchase. Some buy bread or vegetables; others stop to hear vendors explain how food is made or ask farmers about their growing methods.

Cai Jiaxi, who organizes the market, said it is part of Funstown's transition to full commercial operations and an attempt to develop its own brand.

"We felt that the park needed an event of its own," she said. "A market was a natural choice, but we wanted it to begin with things people genuinely use in everyday life — vegetables, food and household objects."

Vendors sell natural products, home cooking and lifestyle items and ideas, with about 50 to 60 stalls. Around 40 percent of the vendors have participated in all three organic markets held so far. Many farmers know their products well but have little marketing experience, so the organizers provide promotion and coordination.

"The farmers are usually in the fields or on the farms, and most of them are not good at marketing," Cai said. "What we can do is bring them here and help them meet the people who are interested in what they grow and make."

The organizers pay particular attention to whether visitors actually leave with purchases. "A market may not look crowded, but that doesn't mean it has no value," Cai said. "For us, what matters is how many people are willing to buy something and take it home."