Night Markets Spread From Asia To America

Ann Arbor’s first one drew a crowd

If you visit major Asian cities, and even smaller ones, you quickly become aware of night time culture. People are out well into the evening, walking, attending concerts and plays, drinking and dining.

In the middle of commercial areas, you will frequently find night markets. They go back farther than you might realize.

Asian night markets originated in China during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD). They were initially designed so that commerce could take place in the cooler evening hours. They eventually evolved to include entertainment and a wider variety of goods and food.

If you watched the movie Crazy Rich Asians, its central characters get off a plane from New York and head to the Newton Food Centre night market in Singapore. Soon, their table is covered in food and there is hustle and bustle around them. The same is true if you visit Seoul and Tokyo.