Why do we need wet markets? An anthropologist's field observations

When the epidemic was at its worst in the first half of last year, calls for a complete shutdown of Chinese wet markets continued to emerge internationally. Callers included the Wall Street Journal, Fox News and other media. They believe that wet markets are breeding grounds for viruses, and frequent contact between humans and animals means a huge risk of infectious diseases.

These media obviously don’t understand China’s national conditions and what China’s wet markets really look like. There are thousands of important reasons why China's wet markets cannot be closed.

1. Western wet markets

In the United States, more than 80% of fresh food transactions are controlled by supermarket giants such as Walmart. Many Americans are used to going to the supermarket once a week, picking out items to fill their refrigerators in neat, bright, standardized shelves. Every time I tell Americans that my parents like to eat "fresh" and go to the vegetable market to buy vegetables every day, the expression of a subway grandpa appears on their faces.

It is not that there are no wet markets in the United States. There are even live birds for sale at the Rochester, New York, public market. However, these traditional markets have also been impacted by supermarkets and e-commerce over the past thirty years and have gradually declined. Photo: Food News Agency

In fact, it is not that there are no wet markets in the West. The most famous ones are of course the tourist attractions that have become the city’s calling card.

For example, London's Borough Market, known as the "World's Dinner Plate", Barcelona's Mercat de la Boqueria, which has the world's most comprehensive range of Spanish hams, and Toronto's colorful performances St Lawrence Market, and Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, which just moved two years ago and is famous for its tuna auctions and delicious Japanese restaurants nearby, etc.

Tokyo’s Tsukiji Market before it was demolished in 2017. It is not only an important aquatic product market, but also a gourmet destination that tourists flock to. Photo: Food News Agency

These wet markets are not so much places where locals spend their daily lives, but rather are pearls found in the wave of global retail concentration. A market is a piece of urban development history. It basically concentrates the best quality ingredients available in the area. It is actually a "high-end" food exhibition hall that is beyond the daily reach of ordinary people.

2. Very different Chinese wet markets

In comparison, Chinese wet markets are difficult to classify in Westerners' daily cognition.

Anthropologist Mary Douglas said, “Dirt is something misplaced.” China's wet markets are noisy, humid, and disorderly, with a mixture of complex smells; vendors creatively and openly display non-standardized fresh food; raw meat, live fish, and cooked food are close to each other. Compared with the neat and standardized supermarkets that Westerners are familiar with, wet markets in China and Asia are a completely different shopping environment.

If wet markets are placed in the food system dominated by Western supermarkets, they are undoubtedly the shoes on the table, glaring "dirt", disrupting Westerners' original cognitive order, dirty and dangerous. This is why some western media who do not understand the actual situation call wet markets "something from the Middle Ages".

When the West gradually updates "medieval things" into supermarkets, wet markets are still very popular in Chinese cities where the degree of modernization is not inferior to that of the West.

There are more than 800 wet markets registered in Shanghai, and there are 584 wet markets in Guangzhou. Due to some well-known reasons, the number of wet markets in Beijing has been gradually decreasing, but according to statistics, by 2015, there were still about 160 in Beijing's third ring road.

Relevant research also shows that in cities such as Nanjing and Guangzhou, wet markets have surpassed supermarkets and become the main source of fresh food for the masses. The tenacious existence of wet markets in China actually has deep historical roots.

3. The historical roots of the wet market

The vegetable markets in Chinese cities can be traced back to the "market" in the Song Dynasty. Many cities in the north still retain morning markets with stalls set up in the open air every few days according to the lunar calendar. Some cities in the south also have markets, which have become a popular place for people who love ancient morning and local flavors. repertoire.

The earliest "modern" indoor vegetable market in China was the vegetable market established in the French Concession in Shanghai in 1891. It was established to facilitate the life of foreigners in the concession. During the Republic of China, municipal governments in Guangzhou and other places began to build vegetable markets for residents. The famous Dongdan Market in Beijing was also built during this period. However, due to the financial constraints of the authorities and the turbulent current situation, not many new wet markets have been built.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, wet markets became the hub of the city's food distribution system, with their number increasing and flourishing.

In the era of unified purchasing and marketing, municipal commerce bureaus controlled the distribution of fresh food such as meat and vegetables. In each district, the vegetable market is the core site responsible for distribution. Each vegetable market is also attached to several small vegetable shops that penetrate into residential areas.

The wet market was an important part of the state-owned economy at that time, and the vendors in the wet market were employees of state-owned enterprises. Vendors who were in charge of the sales of scarce products such as meat were a highly sought-after position at that time. During the "Industrial Learning from Daqing" period, in order to meet the living needs of workers who worked three shifts, there was also a 24-hour vegetable market. At that time, the wet market had already been integrated into people's daily life.

The "Vegetable Basket Project" started in the 1980s pushed the construction of vegetable markets to a new climax. At that time, some urban planning regulations stipulated that in residential areas with a population of 100,000, at least one vegetable market must be set up within a ten-minute walking radius.

Most of the vegetable markets we see today were built during this period. In other words, before the emergence of supermarkets, vegetable markets had a monopoly in the vegetable selling industry.

Beginning in the 1990s, with the economic reforms, the privatization of property rights in wet markets became more complicated. Local governments only retained ownership of a few wet markets, which meant that wet markets were no longer a necessary part of the government's public services, but instead joined the dynamic market competition.

In the late 1990s, supermarkets emerged; in the 2010s, community vegetable stores and online shopping emerged; in the 2020s, community group buying based on e-commerce platforms blossomed everywhere. In the rounds of brutal market competition, many wet markets have indeed been eliminated, but many wet markets have survived and maintained strong vitality. For many people, visiting the vegetable market has become a habit and an indispensable part of their lives.

4. The ecosystem behind the fresh vegetable market

In Guangzhou, the wet market is synonymous with "flat, beautiful and upright".

Lao Guang pays attention to the freshness of ingredients. "Freshness" can be understood as the countdown of food from fresh to the table, even measured in minutes and seconds. In more than 300 consumer questionnaires I collected, more than 90% of people believe that the "freshness" of food is the most important consideration.

Food science emphasizes that meat releases acid after being slaughtered and has a better flavor after being placed in the freezer for a period of time. But the freshness of the vegetable market is simple and rough. It is pork that is still warm and lively fish and shrimp. It is on the table before it starts to drain away the acid.

Hainan's vegetable markets are always busiest at six or seven in the morning, and there are already long lines of people waiting in front of the freshly arrived black pig stalls.

What supports this "freshness" is the unique ecosystem that the wet market relies on.

Stall owners in vegetable markets in big cities are usually immigrants from surrounding rural areas. A survey at a vegetable market in Wangjing, Beijing, found that 76% of the vendors were rural immigrants. Doing business in the wet market has low entry barriers and good income. It is a popular career choice for rural immigrants, and it also carries their hope of taking root in the city.

But the hard work of this job can also be imagined. I conducted a detailed survey of more than a hundred street vendors in Hainan. They work an average of more than twelve hours a day, almost all year round. A small stall where the whole family lives.

I accompany the fishmonger Sister Hong to the pier to purchase goods. Every time I set off at one or two o'clock in the middle of the night, I pick out the goods in the crowds of people at the pier. At five or six in the morning, the catch is delivered to the stall and handed over to my sister-in-law who is looking after the stall. Lou Xiaoli. Sister Fang went home to rest for a while, and then came over to help sell fish until she closed the stall at seven or eight o'clock in the evening, every day.

In order to conduct research, I also helped sell mackerel in the wet market for several months. Although I only went there for half a day every day, I already felt the tiredness, and I also deeply understood that the freshness of the market is given by the hard work of the vendors .

The vegetable market has various purchasing channels, which also ensures freshness. There are 210 million small farmers in China. The products of these small family farms are not standardized and unstable, and they often cannot enter supermarkets and other channels. These scattered products rely on vegetable markets for sale, and this effect is particularly obvious in the urban-rural fringe areas.

The Shayuan Market in Guangzhou is bustling with people every day. The vendors inside are all business wizards, selling the most seasonal fruits and vegetables at prices that are so affordable that you would be embarrassed not to buy them. Small profits but quick turnover are mutually beneficial.

At Aunt Fang's vegetable stall in Sanya, Hainan, tomatoes are purchased from a Shandong boss in the wholesale market, and carrots are purchased from a large wholesaler in Northeast China. Local seasonal dishes such as chives, green beans, revolutionary vegetables, etc. are purchased one by one from small wholesalers from the rural areas surrounding the city. There are also products that are not common in the local area, such as iced vegetables and fresh lotus seeds. She requested the goods from a business partner in Guangzhou and had them delivered directly by courier.

Seafood catches are more unstable, so most seafood vendors have relatives who drive boats, so they have first-hand information on catches on the pier and get fresh supplies. The vendors' diverse business strategies and long-term social networks determine the unparalleled variety and freshness of the wet market.

5. Delicious vegetable market

If the wet market is wiped off the city map, thousands of snack bars, fast food restaurants, and night snack stalls may also disappear. The wet market connects not only household consumers, but also a large number of informal catering economies. .

According to my research, in a market in Hainan, 61% of vendors and catering practitioners maintain a relatively stable cooperative relationship. They make more money every day selling goods to the owners of nearby snack bars and fast food restaurants than from casual customers. Small restaurant owners are attracted by the variety of choices, cheap prices and flexible and efficient delivery services at wet markets. Down-to-earth food stalls also like to use local seasonal ingredients from the wet market. It can be said that the wet market is the heart of non-chain small restaurants, providing a continuous supply of fresh ingredients.

As all gourmets know, the wet market is a hidden corner where delicious food gathers.

In the 1980s, the wet market was planned in a residential area with a superior geographical location and rich surrounding businesses. There are many old markets. In the past, vegetables were sold on the first floor and clothes were sold on the second floor. The surrounding areas include shoe repair and clothing, flowers, birds, fish, insects, and home furnishings.

Around the most popular old market, you can definitely find the most authentic breakfast shops, delicious delicacies, and pastry stalls, just like stars.

Recently, I have seen that many food public accounts have begun to explore the food around the old market. Those restaurants that neighbors have been patronizing for decades have also become famous on the Internet.

6. A fun market to visit

There is a hot topic on Douban called "Visiting the Wet Market". A friend with depression shared that when he was most uncomfortable, he forced himself to go out and go to a nearby vegetable market to feel a burst of vitality, which made him feel much better.

The wet market is a spatial correction to over-urbanization, where people of different social statuses and backgrounds meet and communicate. For "elderly migratory birds" who come from the Northeast to spend the winter in Sanya, the most important daily entertainment activity is visiting the vegetable market, because they feel energetic and busy there.

Erma Yang from Guangzhou and several partners launched a public welfare project called "Wet Market Economics", which opened my eyes to the fact that wet markets can be such fun!

The project allows teachers to take parents and children to visit the vegetable market, and stimulate children's curiosity and ability to observe life through "assignments" such as telling picture books, assigning unseen ingredients, designing recipes, and paying attention to the busy people in the vegetable market. . Since the launch of the project, every event has been full and received rave reviews. This year, it has expanded from Guangzhou to Zhongshan, Jiangmen and other cities. Projects like this are precious, and there is probably no place more suitable for learning how to be a householder than a vegetable market.

7. Sustainable wet markets

Not only are Chinese people inseparable from wet markets on a daily basis, but in a global food system where power is increasingly concentrated, the existence of wet markets has unique value.

When the food supply in the West is controlled by big capital forces such as supermarkets, the emerging alternative food network has high hopes for its function of reconnecting consumers and producers and protecting nature, but whether it is farmers' markets where farmers sell directly , or various farm home delivery, the scope of influence is limited.

Some scholars emphasize that traditional markets "can become sites for the reproduction of alternative social and economic practices that transcend consumerist values ​​and practices." Although wet markets usually do not supply food with sustainable labels such as organic, they purchase local seasonal food, have highly embedded social relationships, and provide consumers with diverse choices beyond homogeneous supermarkets.

If more small-scale farmers can transition to sustainable production models, wet markets that are closely connected to small-scale farmers will become a promising way to promote the sustainable development of Chinese food.

The 2021 United Nations Food System Summit proposed a strategy for the sustainable transformation of the global food system. The wet market can play an indispensable part in this. Chinese wet markets have the economic value of linking small urban catering businesses, the social value of residents’ social leisure, and the cultural value of preserving local food traditions.

In a global food system with intensive discourse power, China's wet markets are highly integrated with local consumer demands, and have retained a place in the ruthless fresh food retail landscape with fresh, affordable, diversified supplies, and a unique cultural atmosphere.

The significance of wet markets to China lies not only in food supply, but also in its social and cultural significance. We also have good reasons to believe that Chinese wet markets will help explore more possibilities for sustainable food systems around the world.

〇The author and colleagues recently published two papers on Chinese wet markets in international academic journals. Interested readers can download and read:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10460-019-09987-2

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/00420980211028115

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