In supermarkets, shoppers may find that fruit and vegetables are almost uniform in size and neatly arranged on the shelves according to the requirements of the supermarkets.

However, at a vibrant outdoor bazaar in Feixian county, Linyi, Shandong province, the aspect of vegetables that attracts many shoppers is their unique shapes, such as thin, "snakelike" melons, "multi-legged" radishes, eggplants that appear to wave hello and potatoes that look like ducks.

One of the vendors, Cui Jingyu elaborates on selling his oddly shaped, peculiar-looking melons. "These are first-harvest melons. Due to their nonstandard shapes, supermarkets don't accept them, but they taste really good. Let me open one up so you can try it," Cui yells to buyers.

His melons quickly sell out, with many customers asking for more.

With great care, Cui meticulously wipes the dust off each melon displayed on the ground. "My life revolves around these melons. They are my treasures," he says with a smile.

Cui's story is featured in the newly released documentary series Market's Legends currently airing on Tencent Video, Fujian Straits satellite TV and Southeast TV. This six-episode series provides an immersive exploration of six periodic markets in China, highlighting authentic local cuisine, fresh vegetables and the vibrant tapestry of everyday life.

Periodic bazaars, many first formed in rural areas, unlike regular markets, are expansive and only operate on specific days each month, for example, the first or 15th day of the Chinese lunar calendar months. On the monthly open market day, the atmosphere is electric.

The dynamic environment captured the attention of general director Wang Shengzhi and executive director Yang Yan, prompting them to embark on this fascinating filming journey.

While exploring and filming these outdoor markets, Wang experienced a profound sense of nostalgia. Time seems to stand still, with goods and food remaining almost unchanged from decades ago, reflecting a timeless simplicity in the hearts of the vendors.

"The markets are still thriving, untouched by trendy internet-famous snacks and other novelties," Wang says.

"Each bazaar offers products unique to the local area. And when vendors gather, they are like old friends chatting a lot, with few using their phones to kill time."

Wang says that the documentary series' market selection is based on one criterion: authenticity. These bazaars have evolved and are not as organized as commodity exchange centers or standardized vegetable markets. There are no uniform processes for stocking or selling; the items, mostly grown by farmers, escape the confines of industrialized production and do not undergo meticulous selection for display shelves at indoor supermarkets.

"We're filming nonstandardized bazaars and nonstandardized lives to remind everyone that people need to live among others and be in relationships, even if it's just the transactional relationships found in markets," Wang says. "I believe people should go out, meet others and experience love."

Market's Legends explores six vibrant bazaars across China: Feixian county, Linyi in Shandong province; Jiaodai town in Xi'an, Shaanxi province; Xinglong town in Wanning, Hainan province; Zaohua town in Shenyang, Liaoning province; Lancang county in Pu'er, Yunnan province; and Niufo town in Zigong, Sichuan province.

The documentary tries to highlight each market's unique blend of local characteristics, such as Shaanxi's carb-heavy delights, Hainan's fruit paradise and Sichuan's ancient town charm.

The production team also tries to find touching life stories that simultaneously happen among the vendors. Most of the stories recorded in the documentaries are said to be "impromptu scenarios".

The documentary also tells the story of online influencers, such as Geng Rongpei, who reports on the market's most eye-catching events and personalities, leveraging his online presence to highlight the lively market scene on his social media accounts. Despite his flair for generating buzz, Geng shows a compassionate side, like featuring a mute cook and buying apricots from a vendor who's 80 years old. "Even though my own life may seem chaotic, I can't bear to see others suffer," he explains in the documentary.

Author Wang Kai, known for his book Adventure With Food, described the series as a visual equivalent to Along the River During the Qingming Festival, a revered painting that depicts daily life during the 11th and 12th centuries.

"True emotions emerge behind the scenes of the bustling crowd. The series captures the essence of life's deeper stories, beyond the surface of everyday scenes," comments Wang on the documentary.

Yang, the executive director of the documentary, observed that each bazaar is extensive and features a diverse range of goods, predominantly homemade or homegrown. There are many unpredictable situations, just like fresh plots; for example, vendors might offer vegetables today and switch to sweet potatoes next time when the bazaar is on.

"A bazaar is akin to a large social gathering," Yang says. "Shoppers engage in conversation with vendors and vendors chat among themselves like old friends. Some participants come not just for transactions but to spend some quality time."

Food is a cornerstone of the markets and the Jiaodai bazaar in Shaanxi exemplifies this with its diverse offerings. A table laden with delicacies — potato cakes, tofu pudding, cold noodles, pulled noodles, scallion pancakes, pickled fish-shape noodles and many others — all cost just 48 yuan ($6.62) at the bazaar.

Many visitors prefer to enjoy their breakfast at these lively stalls, according to Yang. "Seeing a line makes people curious and eager to line up also and try the food," Yang says. "The communal atmosphere enhances the taste and chatting with vendors adds a personal touch that goes beyond the food itself."

Wang Shengzhi believes that the finest foods are those that remain true to their origins. Unaffected by trendy food fads and geographical constraints, local cuisines maintain their unique characteristics, including their imperfections. "I'm drawn to food with 'flaws' — those authentic county and town specialties. Such foods are what I am keen to feature in future projects."

He has produced the documentary series Breakfast in China, known for its distinctive personal style. With a lighthearted and lively tone, the series explores breakfast foods nationwide, but on a deeper level, it reveals the everyday joys and sorrows of ordinary people.

In contrast to Breakfast in China, where each episode runs for about six or seven minutes, Market's Legends features 30-minute episodes focusing on five different stories that take place within the same market, with fresh impromptu plots.

"The market is a mosaic of stalls, each with its own unfolding story. ...These stories coexist on the same plane. It may lack a traditional narrative arc or continuous character relationships. Everything happens in fleeting moments," Wang Shengzhi explains.

Viewers of the documentary series may have the impression that it prominently features smiles. Wang Shengzhi recalls the time while filming in Yunnan, when he cracked a simple joke. Despite it being simple, a male avocado vendor laughed heartily, demonstrating the genuine, unrestrained joy found at the market.

"I hadn't seen people laugh so freely in a long time. At the market, the most valuable thing I encountered was the authentic range of smiles," says the director.

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