Beijing markets

Instead of heading to Beijing's markets on a shopping mission, go to the more quirky ones and just enjoy the atmosphere. It's a guaranteed good day out

Exploring big, bustley foreign markets can be a colourful experience, and is the best way to find out what happens behind the scenes in a city. Shopping can be fun, but these markets are best experienced when you can limit yourself purely to people watching, retaining your ability to move swiftly through the throngs, with your purse deep in your pocket and your hands empty of shopping bags.

Beijing's wholesale fruit and veg markets are located on the city's periphery. Xinfadi, just south of the fourth southern ring road is one of the biggest and can be found awash with watermelons, produce from neighbouring suburb Daxing. Arrive early to see grocery owners and restauranteers arriving on their small bicycle trucks to get their hands on the pick of the produce for the day ahead. Dazhongsi and Xibahe also have similarly large agricultural produce markets and a stroll around makes you feel as if you are in somewhere altogether more rural than China's cosmopolitan capital.If you don't fancy a trek out of town, Dongjiao wholesale market is gigantic and boasts a central location five minutes walk from Dawanglu metro station. This market dominates both sides of the road. In the western section you'll find a fantastic outdoors fruit and veg market and an indoor plants and aquarium one; across the flyover bridge, it evolves from boutique-style stalls selling clothes and knick-knacks, through to ones selling rather tired-looking road-side terrapins and rabbits, and jumpy little squirrels trying to escape, and finally into household goods and hardware. The highlight of Dongjiao is probably its huge kitchenware section, housed in a separate building – yielding pots, pans and woks galore, tree trunk cutting boards and the largest number of meat cleavers you're likely to have ever seen.If you're more into nipping and tucking than chopping and slicing, head to Muxiyuan, the city's biggest textile market. 'Sprawl' is a more appropriate term to 'market' in the context of Muxiyuan and you'll need a little time and patience to suss out where the real finds are. Avoid the numerous multi-storey buildings set on the third ring road selling curtain and bedding material, and head instead to Dahongmen Jie, located directly behind them. Individual shops along this street sell selections of materials and trimmings. Jingdu Qingfang Cheng, a market off this street has more of the same, plus an exciting button market. It is worth having a poke down the surrounding side-streets and alleys, as there are some interesting little workshops and storerooms – watch how computer-generated embroideries are pulled out, tens of the same pattern being created at a single time and see where sacks upon sacks of duck feathers are kept, waiting to be stuffed into jackets for the winter.China's textile industry relies on mannequins to sell these goods, but before they hit the dress shops, these guys enjoy a good little time of nude communing in a shop near to Dongcheng district's Shatan Park. Feel free to crash their party - not only will you find a selection of glamorous models from around the world, you'll also see some geographically more distinct ones - escapee Terracotta Warriors and a set of display busts depicting the five Friendlies, Beijing's prized Olympic Mascots.The Markets

Textiles market Muxiyuan Dahongmen Jiedao, Fengtai district 木樨园丰台区大红门街道

Jingdu Qingfang Cheng (button market) Muxiyuan zone D, Fengtai district 京都轻纺城 丰台区木樨园永外高庄甲128号

Dongjiao wholesale market A12 Xi Dawang Lu, Chaoyang district (tel 6773 9592) 东郊批发市场 朝阳区西大望路甲12号

Nanyang (Mannequin shop) 81 Beiheyan Da Jie, Dongcheng district (tel 6524 2427). 南洋模特儿衣架有限公司 东城区北河沿大街81号

Xinfadi agricultural produce wholesale market West side of Xinfadi Bridge, Hua Xiang, Fengtai district (tel 8372 2689). 新发地农产品市场丰台区花乡新发地桥西侧

Poppy Toland