Online fresh food trend sweeps farmers' markets

Zhang Xiuping, a housewife living in Beijing's Chaoyang district, often complains that her husband, who loves buying fresh produce from a Tencent-backed platform Miss Fresh, orders too much for their needs, causing food in their fridge to go bad.

"I am not a fan of buying groceries online. Those products are not as fresh as those I buy from local farmers' markets," Zhang said.

Zhang's go-to place every day is Sanyuanli Market, an iconic farmers' market located in the embassy area in Chaoyang district, renowned for providing fresh meat, fruit and seasonings from all over the world for the local expat community and nearby five-star hotels.

Interestingly, it is also a traditional market that seems to have remained unharmed as fresh food e-commerce marches ahead.

"If you live in Beijing and love to cook, you must know Sanyuanli. It has stayed in the game despite the popularity of online shopping, and has even become a hit market in China," said Tian Yanfeng, who is in charge of Sanyuanli Market.

Brittany, from Detroit, the United States, was invited by her Chinese friend to tour around Sanyuanli during her trip to Beijing. "It's such a high-end place with everything fresh. I took pictures and will post them on my Instagram," Brittany said.

Exotic fruits and vegetables like star fruit, lemongrass, porcini, fresh seafood, cheeses, rosemary and bulk chocolates are all available in the market, sometimes at rock-bottom prices.

According to Tian, more than three decades of experience have imbued the 144 stall owners with knowledge of how to source all manner of products to meet the most diversified consumer requests.

"That's the secret. And we are doing everything we can to make the market a hangout, even a tourist spot," she said.

Adapting to the trend of shopping online for fresh food, Sanyuanli is also going online.

"Many consumers are ordering fresh produce through acquainted vendors, paying via WeChat and using 'Shansong,' an intra-city delivery service that guarantees on-time delivery," Tian said.