Cornering the market

A Beijing food emporium is a relaxed retail space modeled along European lines that offers up a little bit of everything necessary for daily life, Li Yingxue reports.

It seems that the world's most livable cities all have their own iconic markets - from London's Borough Market, Barcelona's Mercat de La Boqueria, to Melbourne's Queen Victoria Market. These places often reflect the true spirit of urban life with their down-to-earth hustle and bustle.

Liu Xiangheng views a market as a kind of gift box: No matter what's inside, there's always something new and surprising. Liu has spent the past five years visiting hundreds of markets around the world, big and small, seeking inspiration before setting up one of his own in Beijing.