At an open-air market in Changping's Nanqijia village, Liu needs to pay only 30 yuan a day to rent a stall, so there is much less pressure on him to run his business.

"Also, I really enjoy the lively atmosphere at these markets. You can tell that the ambience is lifting people's moods as they walk around, or browse products. People are much nicer to each other," Liu said, taking a bun out of the oven for a customer, who in turn offered him one of the oranges she had just bought from another vendor.

"Maybe I will open a restaurant again someday after I am able to save up enough money, but I will definitely miss my time at these markets, which have cast a magical spell," he added.