Chen Laidi, a Hangzhou native, gathers lotus leaves and heads at the West Lake. Photo by Gao Erqiang / China Daily

It has no address, no signs, no exact opening hours, or even any salespeople, and sells just two things-tablecloth-sized lotus leaves and lotus heads filled with the plant's edible seeds, all handpicked from West Lake by its maintenance team.

The market revolves around the working schedule of the maintenance workers, and it handles the lotus harvest they reap from the lake, which is usually sufficient for the purchases of 30 people on any day.

Having been around for almost as long as Taobao, which launched in 2002, the market remains mostly a secret among locals.

Those who know about it are prepared to get up as early as 3am and travel for an hour across the city to visit the market. The attraction, they say, is the "magic" of the West Lake water, which nurtures what they believe are the best lotus leaves and seeds you can find.

Zhou, who has been coming to the market for more than five years, said, "It's even better than organic food." A native of Hangzhou, the retired accountant first heard about the market from her friend, who lives within cycling distance of the lake.

"Old people need little sleep. This is not some everyday commute－more like getting up to catch an early-morning flight for leisure. Besides, it's not really like standing and waiting ... like young people do for milk tea. We can go for morning exercise or grocery shopping after we get a ticket," Zhou added.

The tickets, made from torn notebook paper with handwritten numbers ranging from one to 30, are given out by a handful of veteran market patrons.