8 Farmers Market Tours in China Worth the Early Start

1.Half-Day Chengdu Cooking Class with a Local Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 465 reviews · from $90Our pick

Meet at Chilli Cool’s Kitchen in Chengdu for a guided walk through Liangjiaxiang market with English-speaking hosts such as Lance or Jerry. Learn about Sichuan spices, sample local foods, make dumplings or wontons, then cook several regional dishes with a chef before sitting down to eat. Ingredients, drinks, recipes, and refreshments are included.

“We spent a great day with the Chili Cool team 🌶️🌶️🌶️! Jerry picked us up from the hotel and we had an amazing market tour where he patiently answered all of our questions. Communication in English was very easy and the food was very tasty! They even offered a vegetarian version for us. We can recommend the class 💯. Thank you so much for the great time!”

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2.Half-Day steamed Buns Cooking Class with a Local Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 26 reviews · from $80

Spend about four hours with an English-speaking guide visiting a Chengdu spice market, learning about Sichuan ingredients, and making filled baozi in a traditional courtyard kitchen. Guides such as Lance and Jerry add language help and local context. You finish with your own buns, tea, and drinks.

“Wat een geweldige ervaring! Daarbij had ik het goed getroffen met Jerry! Wat een leuke gids was dat! Eerst gingen we de markt bezoeken. Geduldig legde hij alles uit wat ik wilde weten: (voor mij) onbekende groentes vertaalde hij, liet hij ruiRead more”

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3.Half-Day Professional Mapo Tofu Cooking with a Local Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 19 reviews · from $69

Spend about four hours with a professional chef and a group of no more than 10. Visit Chilli Cool China’s local market, learn about Sichuan spices, then cook mapo tofu at Chilli Cool’s Kitchen. Jerry may help with the market visit and class details. Tea, drinks, food, recipes, and a souvenir are included.

“100% Recommend this class. We were met at the station by Jerry and taken to a local food market. The food Market was an experience in its self and we ended up picking up some spices to take back home with us. After the Market Jerry tooRead more”

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4.Old Guangzhou Backstreet Alley Local Market Walking Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 18 reviews · from $180

Walk old Guangzhou with a private English-speaking guide, visiting Yong Qing Fang, Qilou lanes, Lychee Bay, Cantonese Opera Art Museum, Shangxiajiu Street, and Qingping Market. Guide Damon is praised for shaping the day around your interests. Hotel pickup and public transport are included, while food and museum tickets cost extra.

“Damon is a wonderful guide! He tailored the activities to my interests and added colorful details throughout the day. I learned so much more about the city and China by spending time with him!”

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5.Half-day Dandan Noodles Cooking Class with a Local Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · from $100

Spend about four hours with Chilli Cool China exploring a local spice market, completing a playful ingredient hunt, and cooking Dan Dan noodles in a professional kitchen. Guides such as Lance, Ocean, and Amy help explain the ingredients, while a local chef leads the hands-on class. Tea, beer, lunch or dinner, recipes, and hotel transport within Chengdu’s second ring road are included.

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6.Beijing: Vegan Home Cooking & Local Market Tour with Sanxia

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 4 reviews · 4 hours · from $47

Join Sanxia, also known as Rabbit, near Linheli in Tongzhou for a private market visit and home cooking class. Choose seasonal produce, make dumplings, noodles, steamed buns, and other vegan dishes, then eat together over Chinese tea. English and Chinese sessions run daily for one to eight people.

“This was amazing! I did this cooking class back in September and it was such a great experience! I was the only person booking it that day, so we met a little earlier, went to the market together and bought all the vegetables fresh from there! Then, we went to Sanxia‘s apartment and cooked a lot of different dishes! It was really fun!! We all ate together and talked a lot. I actually ended up spending my whole day with Sanxia, her boyfriend Jürgen and their friends. It was my favorite day of my whole solo trip to Beijing, China ^^”

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7.Local Market Shopping Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 4 reviews · from $36Best value

Join Ada Shopping Guide for four hours of market shopping in Shanghai. Your small group visits local shopping areas such as AP Plaza and pearl markets, with help choosing items, bargaining, and finding reasonable prices. The tour includes an English or Swedish guide, bottled water, and negotiation support.

“Fantastic guide and support to find cool things and negotiate reasonable prices 🫶”

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8.Dumpling Cooking Class and Local Market Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $80

Spend four hours exploring a fresh market near Beijing’s hutongs, choosing ingredients before making dumplings from scratch in a traditional courtyard. Your English-speaking guide leads a small group of up to eight, with several fillings available, including vegan-friendly choices. The tour begins and ends at Zhaojunsheng Vegetable Market.

“Super fun experience! 2 young girls from Beijing with excellent English. We went to a local market together to get groceries and made the Dumplings from scratch. Beautiful building that we prepped and cooked in.”

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