CHAPTE.R 5 The revitalization of the marketplace Food Markets of Nanjing Ann veeck Arnong the more visible and colorful outcomes of the reforms of the ig8os and 1ggos in urban China are the lively food markets. Though some schol ars have implied that the term"socialist market economy"is an oxymoron skeptics need look no further than these markets to see miniature socialist market economies functioning in full, vibrant health. A complex blend of state management and entrepreneurship, the markets are a vivid contrast to the prereform state food stores. People still recall standing in line to buy pro- ME DEVIxj duce of low quality and limited variety and being treated in a surly manner i alfe to boot. Privatization of the agriculture sector improved distribution systems, technological innovations, the liberalization of trade regulations, and com- petition among food retailers has resulted in active commercial areas, where wholesalers, retailers, farmers, consumers, and the state mix to engage in economic actvity. Beyond being some of the more visually conspicuous centers of commer- cial pursuit, food markets also provide a public fc orum In which to explore how the reform era has transformed the private lives of individuals in urban China Food has long been recognized as a central vehicle for analyzing iden tities, roles, relationships, rituals, ceremonies-in short, all that is important in human lives. Through activities relating to the acquisition, preparation and distribution of food individuals communicate the nature of their rela tionships with others. During the Mao era of food rationing and communal agriculture, choices related to food consumption were quite limited, stifling this fundamental form of communication. In urban China in the 1 ggos, the new abundance of food choice reaffirmed a leading role for food con- sumption behavior in the establishment and maintenance of relationships 1.Douglas 1g84 and 1975