REVITALIZATION OF THE MARKETPLACE TABLE 5. I Distance of Nanjing Residences from Nearest Food Market, 1996 Distance(in meters Percent 100 or less l0l-250 25l-500 50l-l,000 >1,000 053 NOUKGE: Authors surve feature a wide variety of vegetables, pork, and fish year round. The bigger Nanjing food markets can easily rival large Western gourmet supermarkets in variety and breadth Increasingly, semiprocessed convenience items are appearing in many of these food markets. Jiaozi pi(dumpling wrappers). ground pork, and fish balls are common In distinct departure from the past, some Nanjing food markets are known for their specialties, such as exotic seafood or gourmet tofu, and for special occasions shoppers will go consid- erable distance to procure these treats. The food markets also often feature food that has been cooked and prepared, most frequently baozi, mantou, youtiao, and shaobing. Many food markets incorporate (or at least tolerate) vendors selling complementary itens such as sewing notions, housewares, and clothing. The food markets tend to attract other businesses in proxim- ity, particularly restaurants, pharmacies, and general stores Most food markets open at about 6: 00 in the morning and remain open until about 6: o in the evening, or until the final food shoppers have returned home to prepare their meals. The vendors usually procure their produce from wholesale markets the preceding evening in preparation for the fol- lowing day or very early in the morning before the market opens. The p times for shopping are at 7: 00 A M. before the workday begins, at 11: Oo AM before lunch, and starting about 4: o P. M. when people begin to leave work. Still, except for a slow period from about 12: o to 2: 00 P. M. when any ven- dors and consumers nap, the markets remain active all day long. Retirees shop at all times of day, factory workers have diverse work schedules, and some state workers take breaks from their jobs to do their daily shopping Except for the ceiling prices for specific types of produce that are set by the state, few venues of economic activity anywhere in the world come as close to a model of perfect competition as these food markets. All major food items are offered by multiple vendors within each market, so consumers have a 8. Banzi are steamed stuffed buns: mantou is steamed bread; youtinn is deep-fried dough ndung is baked bread