Street Stall Videos Go Viral on Chinese Social Media

BEIJING, June 4 (Xinhua) — "Street stall economy" has become an internet buzz term on social media platforms as some Chinese cities loosened restrictions on street stalls, allowing vendors to set up booths in designated areas on streets, to help revive local economies.

The number of videos on street booths posted on Kuaishou, a popular short-video sharing platform in China, increased by 76 percent in May compared to February, according to figures released by the Big Data Research Institute of Kuaishou.

These videos garnered 1.3 billion views in May, the Institute said.

Meanwhile, the number of live-streaming rooms on "roadside booths" or "roadside food stalls" more than quadrupled in May compared to February on the platform, it said.

The content of the videos on street business activities are mainly performances, sales of smartphone accessories and food stalls.

Roadside vendors were banned during the coronavirus epidemic as they interrupted traffic and pressurized urban environments and management. Their return is expected to help increase people's incomes and revive local economies hampered by COVID-19.

In mid-March, the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu started allowing people to run businesses in designated areas on streets. As of May 28, the move has created more than 100,000 jobs. 

(Source: Xinhua)