The 8 Local Market Tours in China That Earn Their Price

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

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

Meet guides such as Lance or Jerry at Liangjiaxiang market, learn about Sichuan spices, taste local snacks, then cook dishes such as mapo tofu, kung pao chicken, dumplings, and stir-fried vegetables with a local chef at Chilli Cool’s Kitchen.

“Really interesting walk around a tucked away local wet market and cooking together in the beautiful and homely kitchen space. Really recommend- you’ll learn so much!”

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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 in Chengdu visiting a local market, learning about Sichuan spices, and making baozi in a traditional courtyard kitchen. An English-speaking guide such as Lance or Jerry leads the experience, which includes ingredients, tea, drinks, and the meal you prepare.

“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

Meet in Chengdu’s Jinniu District for a market visit and hands-on mapo tofu lesson at Chilli Cool’s Kitchen. Guide Jerry helps with the market and chef-led cooking, while your $69.24 booking includes ingredients, tea, drinks, a meal, recipes, and a souvenir.

“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, the Cantonese Opera Art Museum, Shangxiajiu Street, and Qingping Medicine Market. Damon is a named guide praised for tailoring routes to personal interests. Public transport, hotel pickup, and full escort are included.

“Damon was a fantastic tour guide. Communication was very easy and he tailored our tour to exactly what we were looking for. Although it was just me and my friend, he also has experience guiding larger groups. Would definitely use him again if Im looking for a tour guide in Guangzhou.”

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

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · from $100

Spend four hours with Chilli Cool China exploring a Chengdu spice market, then cook Dan Dan noodles in a professional kitchen. Guides such as Lance, Ocean, and Amy have led the market visit, ingredient hunt, and hands-on class. Hotel pickup is included within Chengdu’s second ring road.

“I offered this cooking class to my girlfriend as a birthday present, and it was beyond what I hoped for! Everything was perfect. The market visit was super interesting, and Lance took the time to explain everything, answer all our (numerous) Read more”

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6.Vegan Home Cooking & Local Market Tour with Sanxia

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

Join Sanxia and Rabbit for a private 4 to 6 hour Beijing food experience in Tongzhou. Shop for seasonal produce, make dumplings, noodles, buns, and other vegan dishes, then eat together over Chinese tea. English and Chinese sessions suit 1 to 8 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 a four-hour, small-group shopping tour through Shanghai markets. You’ll visit places such as AP Plaza, Pearl Market, Hongqiao New World Pearl Market, and Taobao Market, with English or Swedish guidance, bargaining help, and bottled water included.

“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 near Beijing’s Hutong neighborhood shopping for fresh ingredients at Zhaojunsheng Vegetable Market, then prepare and cook dumplings from scratch in a traditional courtyard. You choose from several fillings, including vegan options, with an English-speaking guide and a maximum of eight people.

“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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