China’s economy continues to decline, leading to high unemployment rates and decreased income for the people. This year, a new trend emerged among young people in China during the Labor Day holiday – “setting up stalls while traveling,” as many young individuals started using stall setups at tourist destinations to earn money for their travel expenses.
According to reports from the Sanxiang City News, a peculiar phenomenon appeared on the streets of Changsha this Labor Day. Some young tourists were seen setting up stalls while visiting popular spots in Changsha such as Orange Isle and Yuelu Mountain.
During the day, they would go out sightseeing, and at night, they would rent equipment using “Alipay Sesame Rental” to set up stalls on the streets. Some college students rented exoskeleton equipment to sell grilled sausages, some photographers born in the 1990s rented cameras to provide street photography services, and there were also music enthusiasts who rented instruments and sound systems to offer song requesting and singing services to tourists.
According to one of the young people running a stall, “Setting up stalls while traveling allows us to earn some money for travel expenses.”
As indicated by a writer on the NetEase platform named “Chatting with Zhang Sier,” topics such as “Traveling Stall Strategies” and “Mobile Coffee Cart Modification Guide” have been gaining popularity on social media platforms in China. Faced with difficulties in employment and high housing prices, the “stall + travel” entrepreneurial model has become a popular choice for the Z generation.
On May 2nd, the topic of “Young People Starting to Popularize Traveling Stalls” surged to the second position on Weibo’s hot search list with a viewership of 160 million, sparking discussions online.
Many netizens expressed their thoughts, with comments like, “Setting up stalls while traveling, their way of making money is so innovative,” “Is there anywhere you can set up stalls for free?” “If too many people set up stalls, they won’t make money,” “What if the urban management officers come?” “This firstly indicates that young people are poor, and secondly, it shows that young people are unemployed and without jobs. Only in this way can they make some money to make ends meet.”