In the past, street stands (街摊) were not allowed in big cities because they were considered messy and influenced the environment and traffic conditions of a city. But this year, night markets and street stands have been encouraged to come back because they can bring the development of a street stand economy. Many people have started to enjoy their free time at night markets in different parts of China.
Last Saturday, the civilization committee office of Changchun, capital of Jilin province, announced that it would encourage and support the opening of night markets. Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, has been allowing people to run businesses on some streets since March 15, 2020.
"Night markets and food stands can be opened in some areas in parks, public squares and empty spaces as long as they don't influence traffic and local life. They also have to meet requirements for safety, health and tidiness. People are also being allowed to set up temporary (暂时的) roadside businesses. They needn't pay, but they must do it in an orderly manner," the officer said.
"I'm really happy we have street markets again. It is part of our lives. But I hope they become more clean and tidy," said Dalian resident (居民) Jiang Lijuan, 65. "The move allows us to spend our leisure time at night markets as we really enjoy eating meals outdoors and shopping on the street," said another resident.
Chengdu has designed more than 2,234 roadside business areas, 82 promotion areas on streets near large shopping malls and 17,891 vending spots, creating more than 100,000 jobs.
