This study examines international tourists’ experiences in Beijing’s Silk Market, one of the China’s most
well-known tourist markets. Tourists’ spontaneous reviews on TripAdvisor were analyzed through
Leximancer, a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software. The study confirms that markets can
be major tourism attractions and can provide important experiences for international tourists. Most
international tourists were impressed with their Silk Market trip. The dominant narratives of their experiences
were the “price” of the items they “bought”, the “fun” of “bargaining”, and the “fake” quality of
the products. Further analyses show that different satisfaction groups used somewhat different narratives
to represent their shopping experiences and that male international tourists enjoyed the Silk
Market experiences more than their female counterparts.