Back peddling

The government once abhorred hawkers. It is having second thoughts

第一段

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 Shuijin, an old lady pedalling a wooden cart laden eith 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. Whether the country needs her on the streets has become a matter for debate.

重点词汇

• hawkers

  • someone who sells goods informally in public places

    • Others became hawkers of the locality in cheap goods, mainly glass and brassware.
    • Not surprisingly, many hawkers of information took their trade with them when they set out for the new world where some met an ignominious end
    • A customer walks up to a hawker selling fruit.

• pedalling

  • a small part of a machine or vehicle that you can press down with your foot to operate the machine or make the vehicle move:

    • bicycle pedals
    • You have to press down hard on the gas pedal to get this car up hills.
    • If you stop pedalling, the bicycle will come to a halt.

• cart

  • a vehicle with either two or four wheels, pulled by a horse and used for carrying goods:

    • Your cart is currently empty.
    • Click to add this to your cart.

• apricot

  • a small, round, soft fruit with a pale orange, furry skin

    • The definition of soft fruit, however, includes plums, but not pears; apricots, but not apples.
    • There has been too much of the "to-morrow apricots" about this scheme.

• spotlight

  • (of a person) receiving a lot of public attention:

    • The senator has been in the spotlight recently since the revelation of his tax frauds.

• slump

  • (of prices, values, or sales) to fall suddenly:

    • The value of property has slumped.
    • Car sales have slumped dramatically over the past year.

• scrape

  • to succeed in getting or achieving something, but with difficulty or by a very small amount:

    • Her grades weren't great, but she scraped into university.

• debate

  • (a) serious discussion of a subject in which many people take part:

    • Education is the current focus of public debate.
    • How we proceed from here is a matter for debate.
    • Over the year we have had several debates about future policy.

第二段

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 Li Keqiang , the prime minister , 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" he said.

重点词汇

• municipal

  • of or belonging to a town or city:

    • municipal authorities
    • municipal tennis courts
    • This is the municipal swimming pool.
    • We took the sofa to the municipal dump.

• tidy

  • having everything ordered and arranged in the right place, or liking to keep things like this

    • The house was clean and tidy.
    • My flatmate isn't very tidy.
    • neat and tidy
    • a tidy solution
    • Keeping a garden tidy is a full-time job.

• hubbub

  • a loud noise, especially caused by a lot of people all talking at the same time:

    • I could hardly hear myself speak above all the hubbub in the bar.
    • I cannot understand what all the hubbub is about.

• urban

  • of or in a city or town:

    • urban development
    • urban decay
    • the urban sprawl of South Florida
    • The council is committed to a programme of urban regeneration.
    • Pollution has reached disturbingly high levels in some urban areas.

• vendors

  • someone who is selling something:

    • For the past few months she's been working as a street vendor, selling fruit and vegetables.
    • The vendor of the house wants to exchange contracts this week.

• vital

  • necessary for the success or continued existence of something; extremely important:

    • A strong opposition is vital to a healthy democracy.

第三段

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 . Firms there started setting up street stalls in March, creating more than 1000,000 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.

重点词汇

• revival

  • the process of becoming more active or popular again:

    • Recently, there has been some revival of (interest in) ancient music.
    • An economic/artistic revival is sweeping the country.
    • A 1970s fashion revival is sweeping Europe.

• bustling

  • If a place is bustling, it is full of busy activity:

    • This used to be a bustling town but a lot of people have moved away over recent years.
    • The house, usually bustling with activity, was strangely silent.

第四段

In small towns, officials are excited about the street-stall idea. For instance, Zhangye, a poor western town, says it will create spaces for 4,120 hawkers in ites markets.But for Ms Shui, the fruit vendor in Suzhou, change has not been radical . Last year the officers who enforce urban rules would often seize her cart and fine her. Now they just tell her to move on.

重点词汇

• radical

  • believing or expressing the belief that there should be great or extreme social or political change:

    • He was known as a radical reformer/thinker/politician.
    • These people have very radical views.

• enforce

  • to make people obey a law, or to make a particular situation happen or be accepted:

    • It isn't always easy for the police to enforce speed limits.
    • The new teacher had failed to enforce any sort of discipline.
    • The army were called out to enforce the curfew.

第五段

Officials in China's richest cities are afraid that encouraging street vendors will lead to a mess. "It is not for beijing" declared the capital city's main newspaper. Shanghai had made it clear that it will not allow vendors to set up stalls willy-nilly. Licences must be obtained and . for those selling food, hygienic standards met.

重点词汇

• stall

  • a large table or a small shop with an open front from which goods are sold in a public place:

    • In the village market, the stalls are piled high with local vegetables.
    • He runs a fruit and vegetable stall in the market.
    • She runs a stall in the market.

• hygienic

  • clean, especially in order to prevent disease:

    • It isn't hygienic to let animals sit on the dining table.
    • From what I've heard, the school toilets are not exactly as hygienic as they should be.
    • Food must be prepared and stored in hygienic conditions.

第六段

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.

重点词汇

• kiosk

  • a small building where things such as chocolate, drinks, or newspapers are sold through an open window:

    • a station kiosk
    • I usually buy my paper from the kiosk at the station.

• portable

  • light and small enough to be easily carried or moved:

    • a portable radio/phone/computer

• surge

  • surge

    • An unexpected surge in electrical power caused the computer to crash.
    • There has been a surge in house prices recently.

第七段

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. 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 to five.

重点词汇

• spectacular

  • very exciting to look at:

    • a spectacular view
    • He scored a spectacular goal in the second half.
    • There was a spectacular sunset last night.

• demise

  • the end of something that was previously considered to be powerful, such as a business, industry, or system:

    • The demise of the company was sudden and unexpected.

• commerce

  • the activities involved in buying and selling things:

    • the world of commerce and industry
    • We are trying to develop a model for best practice in electronic commerce.

第八段

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 . And they help the government to deliver an important message. Officials cautiously avoid proclaiming that covid-19 has been beaten in China. But the reinvigoration of street life looks like a declaration of victory

重点词汇

• dovetail

  • a type of joint used to fix two pieces of wood firmly together

    • Their results dovetail nicely with ours.
    • We tried to dovetail our plans with theirs.

• glitzy

  • having a fashionable appearance intended to attract attention:

    • He celebrated his birthday at a glitzy party in Beverly Hills.
    • That campaign will have a pretty glitzy run—what is more, the taxpayers will pay for it all.