浅谈地摊经济：你出摊了吗
“地摊经济”火了，火的堂而皇之，光明正大，国家发声，总理点赞；谁能想到，曾经需要和城管斗智斗勇，时常在街边上演“猫捉老鼠”经典镜头的小商小贩，如今却可持证上岗，合法经营。而国家放开和推进“地摊经济”的健康良好发展，又能为人民生活，对社会发展带来什么呢？
原文
China tuned to once -spurned hawkers to revive its virus-hit economy In a country of high-tech factories and giant state-owned firms, you might not expect street hawkers to attract much attention. But in China these days, people like Shui Jin, an old lady pedalling a wooden cart laden with apricots and cherries through the narrow lanes of Suzhou, an eastern city, are in the spotlight. Both of her daughters-in-law recently lost their jobs, among the tens of millions in China hurt by the coronavirus slump. Her family needs the money she can scrape together.
在一个高科技工厂和大型国企林立的国家，你或许很难想象，街头小贩也会引起广泛关注。但如今在中国，像水瑾（中国东部城市苏州一条窄巷中踏着木制小车一路兜售杏子和樱桃的一名老妪）这样的人也成为了人们关注的焦点。如同中国受新冠肺炎疫情影响的千百万人那样，她的两个儿媳妇最近都丢了工作。家里需要她出来挣钱。
For years, municipal officials pushed out hawkers, trying to tidy up the colourful hubbub that once characterised China’s cities. In the name of “civilising” urban life, they wanted to see steamed dumplings and plastic toys sold inside shopping malls, not from the back of carts. On June 1st, the country seemed to signal a change, declaring that street vendors were vital to the economy. “Only when the people are in good shape can the nation be in good shape,” the official said.
多年来，城管一直在驱赶街头小贩，试图清理曾经作为中国城市特色的那份五彩缤纷的喧嚣。他们以建设“文明”城市为名义，希望看到蒸饺摊和玩具摊能够出现在商场里，而非街边的手推车上。6月1日，国家似乎发出了改变的信号，宣称街头小贩对经济也是至关重要的。官员称：“只有人民好了，国家才能好。”
That generated much buzz about the revival of China’s “street-stall economy”, as it has been called. At least 27 provinces and cities said they would welcome hawkers. Chengdu, a bustling city in Sichuan province in the south-west, was seen as a shining example.
这引发了人们对中国“地摊经济”兴起的热烈讨论。至少有27个省市表达了对街头小贩的欢迎。成都（位于中国西南部四川省的一座繁华都市）则成为了一个典范。
Firms there started setting up street stalls in March, creating more than 100,000 jobs, the local government says. China certainly needs to boost employment. Between 60m and 100m people—perhaps as many as 20% of non-farm workers—were out of work in April, according to Ernan Cui of Gavekal, a research firm.
当地政府称，那里的人们在今年3月便开始在街头摆摊，由此创造了超过10万个就业机会。中国确实需要促进就业。据研究公司龙洲经讯的崔尔南称，今年4月，中国失业人口或达6千万至1亿，占非农业劳动人口的20%。
Can the stalls, such as they are, really help the economy? Some investors see a business opportunity. The price of shares in Wuling Motors, which makes a new van that can double as a mobile kiosk, has doubled since Mr Li’s comments. Other firms that might benefit, including Yindu Kitchen, which makes portable cooking equipment, also saw their shares surge.
但摆地摊真的能够促进经济振兴吗？一些投资者看到了商机。自地摊经济被点赞以来，五菱汽车的股价已经翻了一番。五菱汽车生产的一款新型厢式货车可以直接变身为移动货摊。而包括生产便携式烹饪设备的银都厨房在内的其他一些相关企业的股价也在飙升。
The direct impact on job creation, alas, is unlikely to be so spectacular. The demise of street stalls in recent years is only partially the result of government restrictions. It also reflects the rise of e-commerce platforms, where products are often both better and cheaper.
但就促进就业而言，地摊经济可能不会产生太过显著的直接影响。政府的管控只是近年来街头摊贩逐渐消失的原因之一。电子商务平台的崛起也起到了一定的作用，这些平台上售卖的商品往往价廉物美。
Whether online or on the street, the main concern for vendors now is weak demand. On one historic street in Suzhou, a 62-year-old woman walks back and forth with flashing glow-sticks for sale. With few tourists, there are few buyers. She has cut her asking price from ten yuan ($1.40) to five.
但无论线上还是线下，商贩们最担心的是人们需求疲软。在苏州一条历史悠久的古巷里，一名62岁的老妪来回走动，售卖着手中挥舞的荧光棒。游客越来越少了，买的人也越来越少了。她已将售价从10元（约合1.4美元）降至5元。
But the street stalls do dovetail with a separate policy, launched last year, to develop China’s night-time economy. Suzhou and Shanghai, among other cities, have recently opened glitzy outdoor night markets. Though far more orderly and corporate than the hawkers’ free-for-all of old, they are lively.
但这些街头小贩确实与中国去年推出的一项发展夜市经济的政策相吻合。苏州、上海和其他一些城市最近都开放了大型夜市。相比从前那些街头小贩，这些夜市更具秩序和组织性，但同样热闹非凡。
Late one recent evening in Suzhou, thousands of people flocked to its official night market. Most were not wearing face masks, a sight unthinkable just a month ago. “I was cooped up at home for a long time,” says Cao Yunqiang, 19, visiting from Henan province, further inland. “Things aren’t fully back to normal, but it’s the right time to come out and have some fun.”
在最近的一个傍晚，成千上万人涌向了苏州的一个官方夜市。大多数人都没有佩戴口罩，这一场面放在一个月前是不敢想象的。19岁的曹云强来自中国内陆的河南省，他说：“我呆在家中很长一段时间了，虽然生活还没有完全恢复正常，但现在是时候出来找点乐子了。”
题目
turn to sb ：求助于某人
hawker ：street vendor街边小贩
spurn 这个词放在这里颇有用意，它和前面的turn to形成对比，体现出政府前后态度鲜明的反差，使故事多了一种戏剧性的转变。
在《每日电讯报》中也有类似报道：
After years of cracking down on street vendors, China is now allowing them back to give its Covid-ravaged economy a boost.
政府打压街边小贩已有多年，而如今允许他们回来摆摊，以刺激受到新冠疫情影响的经济。
正文
文章开头写的非常有趣，第一句是吐槽政府之前对街边小贩的打压：
作者先从“大视角”着笔，点明中国发展的着力点：high-tech ambitions and giant state-owned firms 高科技的抱负以及国企巨头。
然后转而叙述小人物的命运：the plight of street hawkers may seem insignificant 街边小贩的困境似乎无足轻重。（plight指 a difficult situation 苦难、困境。）
这句话就像是两组电影镜头，作者先用大镜头记录了国家层面的发展；随即又切换成小镜头，记录了在这时代大背景下，底层百姓生活的艰辛。一大一小、一喜一悲、宏观与微观间的切换，给读者带来了强烈的视觉冲击。
第二句的but给人一种“柳暗花明又一村”的感觉，街边小贩的命运似乎迎来了转机
这段描述充满了烟火气，和上文 high-tech ambitions and giant state-owned firms 的现代化形成强烈的视觉冲击，也映衬了前面的plight。
词语解析
有趣的语句
1、For years, municipal officials pushed out hawkers, trying to tidy up the colourful hubbub that once characterised China’s cities. 清理曾经作为中国城市特色的那份五彩缤纷的喧嚣。
2、Only when the people are in good shape can the nation be in good shape只有人民好了，国家才能好。
