China’s Economic Recession: Street Vendors Confront Urban Management Officials

Beijing time: 2024-09-15 07:51

China’s economy is in recession, and the lower classes are living in poverty. A recent video of a street confrontation between street vendors and urban management officials in Northeast China has sparked widespread attention.

The video shows a group of stall owners arguing with a large group of urban management personnel in various uniforms. The vendors claim that the urban management had notified them that they would “draw lines” on the stalls and conduct “unified management”, but instead, they suddenly dispatched a large number of personnel to ban all the stalls.

A female vendor shouted to the urban management officers, “What’s going on now? Who doesn’t owe a lot of mortgages, car loans, and children’s tuition? Do you have money to pay the heating bill? Do you have money to replace your down jackets in winter? Have you paid all your expenses (wages)?”

The vendor also expressed her frustration, saying, “Everyone is forced to set up a stall, working in the wind and sun just to earn a few dollars. Is it easy? Can’t we understand each other?” She questioned the urban management officers, “What are you trying to do? Are you forcing us to rebel?”

Other female vendors at the scene shared their difficulties and advised the urban management officers that everyone is in the “same temperature zone” and should not hurt each other.

The city management officials present listened quietly without responding or taking action. A female urban management officer turned away from the camera, while a male citizen holding a child came forward to talk to a male urban management officer, who responded with a smile.

Netizens on the overseas X platform left messages expressing their support for the vendors, saying, “It’s useless to talk to them, find the one who gave the order.” “The officials forced the people to rebel.” “The phenomenon of the end of the dynasty has erupted in a concentrated manner.”

China’s economic crisis has led to a significant increase in survival pressure for the lower classes. The situation of street vendors and food delivery drivers in mainland cities has attracted particular attention.

A recent video showed a Shanghai deliveryman having his electric bike confiscated, leading him to angrily knock the traffic police to the ground and shout, “Do you really have to force me to rebel?!”

Related Topics:

• China’s Economic Recession
• Street Vendors in China
• Urban Management in China
• Poverty in China