Wangfujing and the Donghuamen Night Market 王府井和东华门

Ok, so I will begin by saying that Wangfujing snack street is not the same thing as the night market, or more properly, the Donghuamen night market. I would like to begin with this disclaimer as it seems the not even many Beijingers know the difference between these places and they are often referred to as one in the same.

Wangfujing snack street is located in that maze of stall off of Wangfujing street itself (you know, the one where they try to sell unwary tourists t-shirts for 300 RMB a piece?). Wangfujing snack street is ok, but it isn’t even close to Donghuamen (in terms of food items, that is; they are actually physically quite close). Donghuamen night market is the touristy night market located at the northern of end of Wangfujing street on Donghuamen street which runs perpendicular into the north end of Wanfujing. Less confused now? Me neither, so let’s just dive in.

Wangfujing street, located a few blocks east of Tian’anmen Square, is known for its extravagant stores that no one can afford to shop in. A great example of China’s deserted mega malls, Wangfujing is lined with pricey name-brand stores that would make any boyfriend/husband’s anus shrink in fear. But once inside these malls, you will see for yourself that they are empty; even though Wangfujing itself is always hustling and bustling at all hours, no one is shopping in these ridiculous malls, which is really nice actually, because they can offer you quite, air-conditioned respite from the often noisy and polluted streets of Beijing.

I can’t be sure, but I think Wangfujing and Donghuamen were my first touristy spots that I traveled to in Beijing, and I loved them! Wangfujing was a great introduction to the city, there are is beautifully done and makes it seems like Beijing is a city were the rich come to play, like some sort of communist Monaco. But Donghuamen is were all of the fun is at.

Donghuamen is one long orgy of smells oozing out of stalls were vendors shout there wares at the drunken tourists stumbling by. The city air is lit by incandescent bulbs shinning over food that no ever thought to call, well, food.  There is normal fare there: Beijing sandwiches and doughnuts, ice cream and puddings. But for the more adventurous, or more inebriated, the whole animal kingdom is at your lips. Scorpions and spiders, starfish (how do you eat a starfish?), giant centipedes, lots of penis, flying lizards, sharks and of course, cat and dog; you name it, they cook it.

It’s a lot of fun to go there and watched unwitting tourists eat things that they think are authentic local food while the vendors themselves wonder what the hell are wrong with all these foreigners. Because remember, while once upon a time Chinese people may have eaten these things, you would eat centipede too if you were a poor farmer whose crops failed and pigs dies this past season. But just because people may have eaten this stuff, doesn’t mean they do now, and eating these items won’t impress your Chinese friends, they will only think of you as an even bigger foreign idiot.

The following pics are of the Donghuamen night market and the Wangfujing market street were I often wonder: "What the hell is wrong with tourists?".