China’s street stall economy handed lifeline as curbs lifted in boost for jobs, scared hawkers
- For years, municipal officials pushed out hawkers in an effort to clean up the street stalls that once characterised many of China’s cities
- Shenzhen, though, will allow street vendors to operate from the start of September in designated areas within the city
During lunchtime in China’s tech hub of Shenzhen, workers regularly line up to buy steamed dumplings and frozen desserts from carts, but at any time, the hawkers could abruptly take off to avoid getting caught by local enforcement officials.
“I am very scared of getting caught,” said a vendor who only gave their surname as Yao, who typically operates in Baoan, a district famous for its electronics factories.
Yao can face a fine of thousands of yuan and have her cart confiscated if she is caught by city management officers, known as chengguan, selling bingfen, an ice jelly that is a popular Chinese dessert.
For years, municipal officials pushed out hawkers in an effort to clean up the street stalls that once characterised many of China’s cities, but whether individuals like Yao should be allowed to operate remains a matter of debate within policymakers.
