[Communities] Jiashan Market Reopens in SH This Weekend!

Welcome to Shanghai: the city where you can trip over three yoga studios, a crypto meet-up, and a Dungeons & Dragons guild on your way to buy imported cheese. This series, Communities, is our humble attempt to map the social undercurrent of this town, the clubs, cliques and curious collectives that make Shanghai less of a sprawl and more of a pulse. From vegan potlucks, to runners guilds, to board game nights, to small meetsups up to large WeChat groups, we're seeing what's on offer. If you're looking for a place to start, this is it.

So... Jiashan Market? What is it? There are loads of new expats in Shanghai. A totally fresh group who couldn't tell you what Element Fresh was. As such, we need content like this to introduce some of the pulsating organs that make Shanghai such a fun place for expats. Enter Jiashan Market, a seasonal, monthly market featuring expat and local artisans and their wares.

Jiashan Market Has a Vibe For Sure

Jiashan Market is one of those places in Shanghai where you go on a Saturday, intending to pick up a few homemade peanut butter brownies and end up considering giving up your job in tech to become a full-time kombucha artisan. It's just got that vibe.

Quietly hiding out in the tree-lined city center, tucked down Lane 550 off Shaanxi Rd S., this revamped industrial compound has somehow resisted becoming a NIO showroom or an Oatly concept store.

Instead, it has become a low-key haven for makers, bakers, dog walkers, and mildly lost expats, with a weekend market that feels more like a community potluck than anything particularly commercial.

So What Is This Place?

Back in the day – like pre-'gram era – Jiashan was a textile factory. Then, for a while, it was a wet market, where old ladies would yell at you for touching the tomatoes wrong. In an increasingly move of urban planning, Shanghai opted to designate this area for urban revitalization development. They began leasing the spaces to businesses with an urban renewal mindset, and it slowly evolved into this repurposed creative hub.

Somewhere around 2009, the Australian-led architecture firm BAU (Brearley Architects + Urbanists) came in and gave the place its now-familiar bones: six old industrial buildings turned into lofts, studios, and the occasional espresso-scented chef-owned Australian bistro.

The concrete is still cracking in the right places, the plants are aggressively photogenic, and the buildings look like someone once tried to shoot a Wes Anderson movie here but gave up halfway.

Saturday Market: The Main Event

Recently, Jiashan Market has changed hands and is now being headed up by the infamous Dustin Doyle, educator, candle maker, all-around activist and organizer. Great guy. He also works with co-organizers Suki who owns Semi-Sugar bakery and Zhennai (Zhenhai) who is part owner of the famous Jonas Emil Coffee.

This weekend kicks off the 4th quarter season of Jiashan Market. They are also doing a city-wide call for vendors, which you can scan the QR code below to apply. For the rest of us, find the full date list of this season of Jiashan Market's weekend dates:

A Preview: 7 Vendors

So, we're not doing this to promote the vendors, nor do we get kickbacks or anything from Jiashan Market. We're writing about JS Market, because a lot of markets in Shanghai... they aren't great. At all.

Many of them will have the meat stick vendors selling the same things side by side, lots of cheap gimmicky jewelry probably manufactured in some factory not too far away, and many lack the artisanal feel of original and vendor-made goods.

Note, vendors change and rotate each month. The vendors below are just a few examples of what to expect, and might not be there on the weekend you choose to go.

Vendor 1: T'oBeray Ice Cream

While Dustin was walking me over to this vendor, he said "Oh these guys are super popular. In this weather (it was really flipping hot), they are def a crowd pleaser.

And indeed they were! T'oBeray is that rare kind of vendor story Shanghai diners love – the artisanal ice cream maker that went from niche indulgence to the big leagues. Founded in 2009 by Ken Milne, a former president of the New Zealand Ice Cream Association, the brand built its reputation on high-quality milk from New Zealand's Gold Coast ranch and a meticulous approach to flavor – 14 percent milk fat for richness, less sugar for lightness, and global raw materials for authenticity.

They've won awards and are now the ice cream suppliers for big names like Marriott, Accor and Hilton. So if you go, and you need to cool off, hit these guys up!

They serve up vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, and classic milk.

Vendor 2: Eat Dumpling

Starting us off, we have Eat Dumpling headed up by Mama Wu, and her brother. They do do some REALLY GREAT Chinese dumplings and snacks. What makes them stand out? Quite a few of their options are VEGAN! Great to eat there onsite. The cabbage and pork ones are super, but if you like the meatless variety, all three were good.Their meat skewers put other vendors to shame. Worth a try.

Vendor 3: Levi's Stroopwafel

Levi's Stroopwafels (Stroopwafels) is one of those expat hustle stories Shanghai eats up. A Dutch-Chinese couple that made a sweet dream come true. So... what do they sell? Stroopwafels. These little treats are a traditional Dutch sweet snack: two thin, crispy waffle

You can get stroopwafel's freshly made:

Or you can get some of their fancy, decorated pre-made sets. An average stroopwafel goes for around 35 yuan. Small ones go for 12-20 yuan, and whole birthday boxes go upwards of 340 yuan which is good for about 20 celebrants.

Owned by Roland and Chelsea, you wonder where does the name "Levi" come from? I asked Chelsea.... "Levi is our son's name. We started baking the first stroopwafel for Levi's first birthday so named it after him."

Vendor 4 Geaux Scents

You can't have a market with a candle maker. You just can't. Enter, the one and only, Dustin Doyle! Dustin has been making candles since 2023, which started as a hobby, and now he's making the rounds, clearly earning several thousand RMB per weekend due to their popularity.

Some of his most popular scents?

Caramel popcorn, Dry gin and Cypress, Coconut Lime Verbena, Peppermint Mocha. These bad boys cost 120 yuan for 150ml, and 160 yuan for 220ml, which can come in bamboo holders or frosted jars.

Oh... but candles are toxic. For sure, if you're dealing with industrial goop products. Dustin, you'll be pleasantly delighted to know, uses soy and coconut-based wax, with wood wicks (for white noise and even burn) plus natural essential oils. Pet-friendly, non-toxic. They also donate 10 percent of their profits each month to an animal shelter.

Go stock up on gifts!

Vendor 5: Aya-Sulu Jewelry (Pearls!)

Xiao Ya is Xinjiang-born artisan who discovered her passion for natural pearls, this brand has evolved from artisanal pearl-making into a thriving career. Over the years, the team has dedicated themselves to developing innovative jewelry designs, participating in national markets, and building a loyal community of enthusiasts.

We say gorgeous, because seriously, we've seen other vendors at other markets, and they are nowhere near worth buying compared to what Xiao Ya does.She makes a few pieces on site to sell directly to customers, and can do a few customized offerings as well. The Damage? Bracelets sell for in the range of 168 yuan, while necklaces start at around 328 yuan. Extremely reasonable.

Vendor 6: Prayer House (Little God)

Prayer House is an original IP built around Chinese immortal culture, but with a softer, sweeter twist. The series features adorably chubby little Buddhas doing regular people things – working, chilling, meditating with a bubble tea – all rendered in super warm, cozy illustrations that kinda make your heart go "aww." You might see one of the co-founders, Bob, there. Sweet guy.

It's about healing through intention – blending traditional values with cute, modern vibes. The idea is that through small, beautiful moments, you can reconnect with the right path, the right mindset, and the right method.

The creators behind Prayer House are big on sharing that gentle "wisdom energy" – hoping that whoever picks up one of their prints or stickers or whatever, leaves feeling just a little more balanced. A little more okay.

Like a tiny shrine, but it fits in your tote bag.

Vendor 7: coco&ray Clothes / Accessories

Coco & Ray is run by a German lady named Barbara, who first moved to Shenyang with her husband. She couldn't transfer over with her German company, so as part of agreeing to move to China, she told her husband "I'm starting my own fashion brand. If ok, then we go!".

She's a mother of three, and it was motherhood that got her into the fashion space, first wanting to design clothes for her first baby boy, because "most clothes were ugly."

We got a quote from Barbara:

"I opened my business in 2017 and since then, I have been creating one textile miracle after another. Since 2021, I have also participated in Shanghai's Fashion Week/kidswear. My main focus is quality, hand-crafting and unique designs – creating something special for your beloved ones and the new style of childhood, so that kids can become strong, independent & self-confident."

At Jiashan market, she brings a lot of textile-based products other than clothes... because...selling clothes at a market's kind of a pain – you gotta deal with sizes, try-ons, people asking if you have it in black, etc. So instead, she just makes a bunch of stuff out of leftover fabric and brings that.

We're talking bags, scarves, handkerchiefs, stuffed animals, little pouches, odds and ends, stuff that would probably do well in a gift shop in Berlin. It's cute, it's well-made, and it's all stitched together with remnants from actual clothing production. So: sustainable-ish.

Lots of fun stuff to dig through. Good stall if you're looking for a gift or just want something that feels handmade and not mass-produced in a glowing robot warehouse.