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White collar workers turn street peddlers at night

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-07-02 20:44

CHENGDU: Zhang Yuan, a 27-year-old adsmith, parked his Buick beside a cinema in a commercial district in western Beijing at around 7:00 p.m. Deftly taking out bundles of folding hangers and T-shirts out of the car, he set up his roadside stand.

The young moonlighter has been working for four years with a local ads company and earns a monthly salary of approximately 6,000 yuan (878.5 billion US dollars). He became a part-time peddler in March.

"I simply felt it's interesting to set up a stall on a street," Zhang said.

"Every day I drove here and saw so many roadside stands. I was tempted to try to set up my own stall."

At the beginning, he relied on his friends to replenish his stock, then he made orders through an e-commerce website, and now he purchases goods from distributors directly. In the process, he shows the same professionalism as in his primary job.

"To tell you the truth, I earn a little. The only purpose is to have fun," Zhang says.

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He considers it's a pleasure to earn extra money to cover the fuel cost for his car and at the same time, to communicate with many different people. This has more fun than hooking himself up to the Internet after finishing daytime work or drinking out and going to a karaoke bar with friends in his leisure time, he said.

Private cars queue along the road near Zhang's stand. Beside every car there is a stand selling stuff ranging from garments, shoes and hats to jewellery, cosmetics and stationery.

Similar scene can also be seen in downtown Chengdu, capital of the southwestern province of Sichuan.

Cheng Jia, 24, displays socks, earrings, bracelets and lipstick neatly on a red cloth and then, leans on a wall silently and waits for buyers.

Working with the marketing department of a local company, Cheng earns approximately 3,000 yuan a month. Running a roadside stand is a "fashionable lifestyle" for her, she said.

She almost spends 15 days every month in running her roadside stand and earns about 100 yuan for each of the days.

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