The Semi-Formalization of Wet Markets in Urban China: A Hybrid Social Infrastructure for Urban Resilience and Food Security

Wet markets remain a cornerstone of fresh food retail in Chinese cities, continuously evolving alongside urbanization. However, the drivers and implications of their transformation at the city level remain underexplored. Drawing on government documents and survey data from Nanjing and Suzhou, this study reveals that China’s wet market evolution is characterized by incremental semi-formalization and upgrading, preserving their essential role in the food supply chain without displacing other retail formats. This transformation reflects shifting government attitudes, strategic urban planning for food security, and the effective integration of public and private interests. The hybrid governance model, which combines public oversight with private operation, has enhanced wet markets’ resilience, ensuring affordability, freshness, and social interaction. Their adaptability underscores a broader lesson: inclusive urban food systems require soft–hard infrastructure synergy, where physical upgrades coexist with social functions. In this paper, we argue that wet markets exemplify social infrastructure: they are not merely food hubs but spaces fostering civic life, cultural continuity, and equitable access. Their co-evolution with supermarkets and e-commerce challenges the “supermarketization” thesis, highlighting the importance of policy flexibility and localized governance. Our findings offer insights for Global South cities grappling with food system transitions, emphasizing the need to balance modernization with the preservation of informal economies’ social fabric.