Chapter 12: Indoor Markets in Beijing, Page 2

At the busy intersection of Chongwenmen Avenue and Qian Men Avenue in downtown Beijing is an old-fashioned government-run "supermarket". Before free markets emerged in 1985, places like this were the only place to buy food, providing one-stop shopping -- meats, poultry, preserved vegetables, sausages, cookies, cakes, fresh fruit and vegetables. The quality of the fresh produce was notoriously poor.

There has been dramatic improvement in quality and prices of fresh produce available to consumers since the emergence of free markets in 1985. But the quality in government-run stores still remains surprisingly poor.

One of Beijing's largest government-run markets.

Sales staff provide better
service than before.

But selection is poor compared
to the free markets.