Woman Sells on the Street

 In Wenzhou University Town, two women have turned to street vending for income and independence, selling drinks and home-cooked meals while managing the demands of entrepreneurship and family life. 

Many women choose street vending for financial independence and flexible work. Some college students run stalls part-time to ease tuition costs and gain experience. 

Ms. Ye was about to graduate from a vocational school in Ningbo. Tired of finding a job, she chose to give up her traditional job and work with her sister to sell jasmine iced soy milk and cucumber milk latte on the streets of Wenzhou. 

“I'm here to make money,” she said. “I went back to Wenzhou for an internship and set up a stall to cover my daily expenses. I don't want to ask my parents for money.” 

“We sold taro paste cups before, but the cost was a bit high for us,” she said. Hot spots constantly change, so Ms. Ye has to change what they sell because the original items don’t sell well anymore—their business relies purely on catchy gimmicks to attract customers.

Street seller Guang Manman said that many young mothers and housewives choose stalls over traditional jobs for their flexible hours, helping them balance childcare, family, and income. 

After encountering challenges balancing a full-time job and her personal life, Guang Manman, who is in her thirties, began selling items, including fried rice, on the streets of a university town in order to take care of her child. 

“I set up a stall here so I can take care of my child,” she said. “But sometimes when my child is around, it affects my business; customers may be attracted to my stall, but they leave when they see me coaxing my child.” 

“I'm very shy and don’t know how to attract customers, so I just try to keep the booth as clean as possible,” she said. “After each order, I clean my stall.” 

Despite many challenges, including some demanding customers, neither woman thought about giving up. For them, this was a real career choice - one that brought freedom and financial independence. 

This pursuit of independence, carried out through street stalls, is not only seen in the streets of Wenzhou University Town but is also spreading across China. 

From city night markets to rural markets, more and more women are taking to the streets, using flexible stall management to achieve economic independence, family balance, and personal value.