A Bizarre Bazaar: Beijing’s Wangfujing Night Market

I was attracted to Wangfujing Night Market almost instantly because it was unlike any other place in the world. 

Beijing’s Wangfujing Night Market is a mecca for adventurous eaters. This street food market is known to host a notoriously vast assortment of abnormal, yet delectable dishes. However, I am far from being an adventurous eater. For my entire life, family and friends have marveled over the fact that I electively choose not to eat fish, eggs, or anything exceptionally spicy, simply because I do not enjoy the taste. So how I ended up at one of the most famous street food markets in Beijing will forever remain a mystery to them.

Nevertheless, I was attracted to Wangfujing Night Market almost instantly because it was unlike any other place in the world.  Located on Wangfujing Street and only a brisk walk from the Metro, the Wangfujing Night Market is comprised of a tiny alleyway filled with a bright and bustling crowd. The long alley, which is hard to miss, has vendors on both sides of the walkway. A distinct and potent aroma of fried dishes always fills the atmosphere.  And even though I journeyed to the marketplace in the dead of winter, the area was packed and alive with curious onlookers hankering to purchase a one of a kind snack.

Just as I started to meander through the alley, I saw fried scorpions sitting on a wooden stick ready to be devoured by any willing consumer. Fried starfish were just adjacent to this most interesting spectacle, and some intrepid individuals were deciding whether or not to buy these fascinating dishes. I then turned to my left and gazed at tiny glazed candied apples on a stick. The apples were about the size of a cutie orange and coated with hardened sugar. Now that was more of my type of snack. Apparently, the apples used to be full size, but they shrank in the cooking process. There were also strawberries and what I believed to be melons covered in generous amounts of sugar.  I bought one of the apple sticks and took a surprisingly tart yet syrupy bite.

I continued into the alleyway, passing mystery meat, hot tea, Chinese candy, fried squid, fried cockroaches, fried noodles, and dim sum. The night market was a conglomeration of terribly fascinating food that was both exceedingly peculiar and common. There was fried snake and fried ice cream, along with other unknown delicacies. I felt like I had been transported to an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s travel show No Reservations, and the feeling was incredible. One of the most popular eats was a jar that had a warm mixture of yogurt and honey inside. This was ingested through a straw. I did not personally try this snack, but my brother said it was excellent. There were also many shops where tourists were able to buy various trinkets, and the food along with the people warmed up the market area substantially.

I did not have to eat all of the rare food at the market to gain an exciting experience on a particularly cold night in Beijing.  Although the Wangfujing Night Market attracts a crowd of, shall I say, courageous foodies, I utterly enjoyed the eccentric and truly bizarre atmosphere surrounding the bazaar.

Amanda Purcell

Amanda has traveled throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas. Her secret travel tip: visit places during off season. She loves walking around cities that she's never been to before, especially if she can't speak the local language.