Young Chinese office workers hit the street as vendors

by Xinhua writer Wang Aihua

BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Thinking of a dark-skinned, coarse-handed Chinese street vendor in rags? Times have changed. While old-style vendors are still common, there are new ones.

At about 7 p.m., as the summer heat burned the Beijing Modern Plaza on the western side of the city, 27-year-old Zhang Yuan parked his car and pulled out a foldable clothes rack.

He then hung a full bag of T-shirts on the rack and started work as a street vendor.

Zhang, who works for an advertising company, recalled how he entered the street selling business in March. "I just thought it was fun when I saw people who drove their own cars were setting up stalls by the road."

Relying on friends' help, ordering from Internet stores and buying directly at wholesale markets, Zhang said his passion for his side-job was no less intense than that for advertising.

"But honestly, I haven't made much money," he said with a smile.

With a monthly salary of about 6,000 yuan (878 U.S. dollars), a fairly good amount in Beijing, Zhang said he could earn just enough money to pay for gas each month.

"I'm already very happy with that," he said. "Besides, I can meet different people, much more interesting than killing time on the Internet or drinking in a bar."

Zhang was not alone. Nearby, similar vendors were offering clothes, shoes, hats, ornaments and cosmetics.