You Haven’t Really Been to Northeast China Without Visiting a Morning Market

A northeastern child's morning is likely to be awakened by the sound of a slamming door. Mom carries plastic bags of all sizes, dropping them with a clatter. You roll over, bleary-eyed, but warmth rises in your heart: No need to ask—she’s back from the morning market.

The morning market, a condensed showcase of northeastern life, a bountiful paradise just out of reach for the young, a dreamlike trading hub that scoffs at the rest of the country with its jaw-dropping low prices. As a native northeasterner, I’ll say it straight: If you visit the Northeast without experiencing the morning market, you might as well not have come.

Enough talk—let’s dive headfirst into the steaming bustle of the northeastern morning market and start exploring!

From north to south, from mountains to sea

In the northeastern morning market, witness the region’s boundless abundance

The vibrant Liaoning morning market offers every local fruit and vegetable imaginable.

Finally, as the most unique and pleasant city in the Northeast, Dandong’s morning market is a must-mention.

Dandong borders both a river and the sea and is the largest trade port on the China-North Korea border. It’s not only famous nationwide for its strawberries and other fruits but also a hub for seafood. With the crisp autumn breeze now blowing, Dandong’s yellow clams are about to flood the morning market—piles of them, golden, plump, sweet, and tender. If you’re too lazy to cook at home, there are also pre-shelled, cooked clam meats sold in plastic containers. Stuffing a big spoonful of shelled yellow clam meat into your mouth at once is one of the happiest moments I’ve experienced in the Northeast.

What makes it "morning"? What makes it a "market"?

In the morning market, see a microcosm of northeastern society

Just how cheap is the northeastern morning market? Put it this way: If you’re just here to eat, bring five yuan—it’ll fill you up. Ten yuan? You’ll eat like a king. Any more than that, and you’ll have to take responsibility for your reckless decision—after all, waste isn’t a virtue.