If you are going to Beijing and you have a free evening, you must go to the Dong Hua Men Night Market (address: Dong Hua Men Avenue, West of Wang Fu Jing Avenue, Beijing 100005, China). The stalls open from 5pm to about 11pm. The market has about a hundred food stalls that offer everything from rice and noodles to cupcakes to deep-fried starfish, grasshoppers and snakes on sticks. Locals and toursists walk around to watch other brave people devour some of the most un-imaginable food items in this market.
I went there one evening a couple of weeks ago with my parents and sister. We were all curious to see whether this place can live up to the hype built by the media and other tourists who have been here before.
I was so excited when we arrived:
We arrived just as the owners were opening their stalls so we were among the first few people they enticed to try everything. The first few items were not so bad.
Then, as we carried on walking, the items on sale became weirder…
…and weirder…
…and weirder…
But hey, some people tried them. Here’s a picture of a man who is a lot braver than I was:
We have had an amazing night people-watching. I definitely would recommend this place to anyone who comes to Beijing. If you feel brave, try any of their food, take a picture and post it on your blog and let me know!
Despite having a rather interesting and fun night, I went back to my hotel wearing this expression on my face:
Understanding and Embracing Diversity 