Creative markets blossom in cool of night

Moon River

Each evening, Moon River Leisure Art Town in Tongzhou district fills with visitors, its food, creative and leisure areas drawing different groups into the same nighttime space.

In the food area, vendors serve grilled cold noodles, grilled chicken frames, fermented tofu, and other delicacies.

In the creative area, stalls selling books, handicrafts, trendy collectibles, vintage clothing and illustrations light up as night falls.

In the leisure area, children gather around a giant red rabbit sculpture. Music, outdoor cinema, children's activities and a charity section give families and young visitors reasons to stay longer. At busy stalls, customers can order through a mini-program, negating the need to wait in line.

The market screens vendors and limits overlapping categories. It monitors hygiene, pricing and product quality, adjusting the stall mix according to customer feedback and business performance.

Creative stalls outnumber food stalls, giving the market its "half food, half art" character. Daily, weekly and monthly rental options allow vendors to test products and build a customer base without committing to a long-term lease or investing in a permanent shop.

Tian Duoduo, 29, runs online stores on Taobao, Xiaohongshu and Douyin selling pet snacks. She started making pet food because her own dog was a picky eater.

At Moon River, she pays around 20 to 30 yuan a day for a stall. The position can be changed, and if the weather is bad, she does not have to come.

"How much I sell at the market isn't the most important thing. What matters most is whether I can get repeat customers," she said.

Pet owners can ask about ingredients and production methods, then continue buying products through her online stores.

In the food area, cocktail vendor Chen Xiuping is on her second day at the market. She and her husband had waited six months for a stall.

Chen works in sales during the day. In the evening, she and her husband run their small cocktail stand.

"My husband usually comes first," said the 39-year-old. "He gets here after 4 pm to set everything up, and I come after work, around 5 pm, to start mixing the drinks." They usually stay until 11 pm.

The drink recipes came from a friend who runs a cocktail bar. Chen focuses on preparing the drinks and keeping the stall clean, while her husband handles the accounts, apps and logistics. "I'm mainly responsible for the drinks," she said. "He takes care of the other things, so the division of work is quite clear."

She has noticed that while many vendors sell beverages at night markets, relatively few offer alcoholic cocktails. "There aren't that many stalls selling drinks with alcohol," Chen said. "So we thought we could try this and see what kind of response we get."

Chen's son is a senior high school student. "We work during the day, then come here in the evening. It's tiring, but it's another way to earn some money," she said.