In old Beijing, hawkers who had their shops on the sides of the streets supplied numerous goods and services to people. The wide range of street traders who did business on the streets included knife grinders, reed toy makers, fruit sellers, barbers and shopkeepers selling secondhand goods.
Sometimes, these streets also came alive with the performances of street entertainers and fortune-tellers. In many ways, little has changed today; aggressive street hawkers continue to populate the roads and lanes of Beijing offering every kind of ware to tourists and locals alike. |
