Village markets journey from trade to experience

For generations, market day in rural China was largely about necessity. Villagers arrived with woven baskets and shopping lists, searching for essentials like cooking oil, rice, salt, farm tools and kitchenware, while always hoping to secure a good bargain.

But at a recent fair in Zhuqiao township, East China's Shandong province, the familiar rhythms of village commerce carried a new tune.