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Give pedlars a chance

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-02-13 07:41

It will not be possible for college students to work as pedlars if society still regards it as an indecent profession, says an article in Changjiang Daily. The following is an excerpt:

Wen Yang, a member of the Guangdong provincial committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultation Conference, has recently suggested that the government should open some flea markets for college students who have a mind for small businesses and that other students should change their minds and work as pedlars.

Traditional concepts may hamper college students from picking up the peddling trade. The fact pedlars can hardly live a stable life and have few opportunities in today's society is why most of them have never thought of getting involved in such work.

Our society needs pedlars, but they are often driven from streets by city management officers for tarnishing the city image. For those lower-income families and rural migrant workers, peddling is an important way of making a living in cities.

It's good to see that some experts and officials suggest deregulating the peddling trade - allowing pedlars to set up open-air stalls in fixed time and areas on the streets, resuming the night markets, and encouraging laid-off workers and college graduates to join the trade.

Deregulation may help some people weather the current financial crisis, but it shouldn't be adopted as an expediency measure to cope. More importantly, we should give pedlars legitimate status and preferential policies, freeing them from the constant fear of being caught and driven away.

(China Daily 02/13/2009 page8)