Overview:

Street vending in China has a long history back to ancient times. Considering the history of Shanghai and China, the general classification on the period is:

1843 -1949:

Shanghai became a treaty port in 1843 (上海开埠). The international trade opened and the city became a commercial center. People from other provinces came to Shanghai to become a vendor since the market was open.

－《近代上海摊贩群体研究 (1843-1949)》Li, Liming (Research on Street Vendors in Modern Shanghai 1843-1949) https://www.amazon.cn/%E5%9B%BE%E4%B9%A6/dp/B00H994RXG

－ Related chapters include the four stages of street vending business in Shanghai, classification and location of stands and detailed analysis on vendors (origin, previous job, living situation and etc.)

In this book, the author mentioned《商民协会组织条例》(Regulation on Business and  People Associations) published by Kuomintang in 1928 which covered regulation on vendors’ associations. There is a Japanese scholar Hajime Kaneko金子肇 who researched on the relationship between the vendor class, business associations, and the government at that time.

Media Resource:

旧上海一个摊贩每天收入最多6000元 可养活3-5人

A vendor’s Income Could Be 6000 Yuan in Old Shanghai, Which Could Afford Life for 3-5 People (Note: great inflation in price at that time)

Date: Oct. 31^st, 2014

Source: people.com [origin: Nanjing Daily]

http://culture.people.com.cn/n/2014/1031/c172318-25949373.html

The article discusses about the life of street vendors in Shanghai after 1843. It says that vendors need license in concessions at that time so more of them on in Chinese sections. There were many second-hand good vendors but street food vendors were more than them. In addition, it introduces regulators and income level on street vending business.

Quotations:

另外，你是选择固定摊贩还是流动摊贩也需要考量的，固定摊贩租金、捐税压力大，流动摊贩虽然租金捐税交的少，但时刻被警察赶。那年代，警察也具有城管的职责，警察一来，摊贩四处奔逃的场景到处都见。呵斥、辱骂、勒索，甚至殴打小贩也都是家常便饭。

In addition, whether you select to be fixed stand or moving stand should be taken into consideration. Although the rent and tax were huge burden for fixed vendors, the moving vendors were in danger of being expelled by the police (Public Security Bureau). At that time, the police were playing the role as Chengguan. When the police came, you could see the vendors running away. It is common to see the police scold, abuse, extort or even beat vendors.

真正最多的摊贩还是卖蔬菜、瓜果与小吃的，毕竟这是生活所需。凡是繁华地段，必是小吃摊林立。以各种早点、面食、小菜、点心为多。如大饼、油条、锅贴、麻球及各种粥品。1910年的《国画日报》记载卖馄饨的场景，“大梆馄饨人人敲，码头担子肩上挑，一文一只价不贵，肉馅新鲜滋味高”。张爱玲曾写道：“弄堂马路，叫卖声不绝于耳。‘豆腐——花’！‘豆腐’两字一带而过，‘花’字拉长音”。

More of the vendors were selling vegetable, fruit and snack, which are daily necessity. In crowded business area, you could see snack stands everywhere. There are breakfast, pastry, sides, and snacks such as baked pancake, fried dough, fried dumplings, fried sesame ball and congee. In a national painting daily in 1910, people describe the scene of selling wonton: “People make sound with their should pole to sell wonton. You could find the vendors on the wharf. One yuan for one is a good price, the meat is fresh and it tastes delicious.” Once Zhang Ailin wrote: “In the lanes and streets, the voice of vendors is everywhere. ‘Tofu—Hua’ , the word tofu is very fast, and they prolong the pronunciation of  ‘Hua’”.

1949 – 1978:

This period is after the PRC is established when at first the general economy was recovering but then moved into the planned economy period. During the recovering years from 1949 to 1952, the market was still open for vendors and regulated by the police. However, moving forward to 1956, after the planned economy policy was executed, the vendors were gradually eliminated since everything was allocated directly by government.

Liu, Lingling 刘玲玲《1949-1952年上海摊贩管理工作研究》Research on Regulating Street Vendors in Shanghai 1949 – 1952. Shanghai Normal University. 2012

Quotations: (Directly quoted from Abstract, might be some vocabulary errors)

“So from June 1949 to August 1950, the Public Security Bureau of Shanghai carried out some preliminary tightening and restrictive measures to specify the focused place for stall-keepers doing business, make up some stall-keepers’ groups, assess license tax, tax on stall-keepers. From September 1950 to the end of 1952, under the leadership of industrial and commercial Bureau, according to the historical tend, combined with various political movements, found out the stall-keepers’ situation, grasped the general information, replaced the licenses, overhauled the street vendors and other management.”

Media Resource:

解放初期对上海摊贩的管理

Management on Vending Business in Shanghai in Post-liberation Period

(Author: Zhang, Chen, who works at Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau, Archives Department)

Date: Oct. 9^th, 2014

Source: Shanghai Archives Bureau

http://www.archives.sh.cn/slyj/shyj/201410/t20141009_41578.html

Quotations:

1949年12月摊贩数量约为84623户，到1955年增加至19万户。在新增加的摊贩中，外来人口占45％左右，其中农民占80％。庞大的摊贩群体的存在，给上海的交通秩序、社会治安、工商税收等诸多方面带来不小的负面影响。

In Dec. 1949, there were 84623 vendors, and this number increased to 190000 by 1955. Among the newly added venders, migrants took 45%, of which 80% were farmers. The existence of large groups of vendors brought some negative effect on traffic, social security, taxation and etc. of Shanghai.

为此，上海市政府提出了整理摊贩的直接要求即“确保社会治安与秩序，在不妨碍交通市容并照顾摊贩生计之下进行限制紧缩性的整理。”间接要求是：“维护税收及保护工商业税收及保护工商业的正常发展。”由此，对摊贩的整理，在最初阶段是由公安部门负责的。1949年6月26日上海市公安局以保障合法经营，维护市场秩序和交通秩序为宗旨，公布了《管理摊贩暂行规则》，提出“组织起来，加强教育，严密管理，限制发展，区别不同情况，逐步进行改造”的方针。该规则规定：1、本市“固定设摊营业者，均需向该管分局领取申请书”，经过所在管局审查合格后发给执照，才能正式营业。营业期间执照应“显明放置于设摊处所，以便查验，并不得转借让于他人”。2、营业时应按照管局划定的区域设摊，摊位面积“不得超出长四市尺、阔三市尺”。3、“应切实注意摊基及其附近之经常清洁”。4、“为防止地痞流氓等不法分子操纵摊贩市场”，摊贩有权向所在公安部门检举，经调查属实，所在管局“当予保护”。5、摊贩未经许可，“不得架搭固定性蓬帐或建筑物”，“禁止损毁道路及公有建筑”，禁止售卖不卫生或妨碍风化等物品，不得故意哄抬市价、自行寻觅设摊处所。6、违反上述规则者，予以“警告”、“一定期之停业”、“相当数额之罚款”、“撤销许可执照或勒令永久停业”等处罚。

Shanghai local government started to regulate vending business, saying “a regulatory action to ensure social security, traffic and urban appearance but takes care of vendors’ business and daily life” as the direct goal and “helping regular development of taxation and the industry of business” as secondary goal. At the beginning, the police (Public Security Bureau) was responsible for the action. On Jun. 26^th, 1949, the Public Security Bureau released “Regulations on Vendors” to ensure legal business as well as to regulate market order and traffic. It said “people should take action, emphasize education, strengthen regulation, limit development, consider different cases and reform gradually.” The details of the regulation include:

1. Fixed stand vendors should submit the application form to the corresponding Public Security Bureau to get the approval for license for legal business operation. The license should be put at an obvious place for check purpose, and it should not be lent to others.
2. The area for vending business should follow the assignment by the government. The area should not exceed length by 1.3 meters and width by 1 meter.
3. Vendors should be responsible for cleaning the stall and surroundings.
4. To avoid the market being disturbed by spalpeens, the vendors have the right to report to the Public Security Bureau. If it is the fact, the Public Security Bureau should protect the vendors.
5. Without permission, vendors cannot build any additional architecture or use tent. Vendors are prohibited from ruining public buildings and streets. Vendors are not allowed to sell any unsafe or illegal products, bargain for an extraordinarily high price or find a new place for business by themselves.
6. If vendors violate those regulations, they would face punishment including “warning”, “temporarily suspending business”, “some amount of fine” and “cancel business license or permanently suspending business”.

随着形势的发展和市政、治安管理的逐渐走上轨道，上海市开始统一征收摊贩牌照税。1950年3月1日市政府发布通令，成立上海市摊贩整理委员会，由公安局、财政局、民政局、工商局各推派专人组成，委员会在市公安局设办事处。各区成立分会，以各区公安分局局长、摊贩组、交通组、区接管委员会、工商局摊贩科、财政局稽征处各派专人参加组成，由公安分局局长为召集人，分局负具体执行该管区摊贩整理工作，以税收为中心，对摊贩普遍开始评定营业额等级。当时实行一套民主评级制度，采取自报公议的方式，较全面地了解了摊贩户数、资金、营业种类、营业额等情况，为向摊贩征税作准备。

1950年11月29日，上海市政府公布了《上海市摊贩管理暂行办法》，对原定的《管理摊贩暂行规则》作了部分修订、补充，规定经营饮食、药品、理发及洗衣等摊贩“须先经所在区卫生部门审核许可，取得证明后，始得申请登记，在营业时须遵守的事项中，增加了“不得扎彩化装、挂牌或使用响器以及高声叫唤”，“不得遮蔽街道旁消防设备”，“不得使用未经检定之度量衡器”，对于违反规定者，分别予以处分：“1.警告教育（包括具结悔过），2.1天以上10天以下之停业，3.2000元以上五万元（旧制）以下之罚款，4.撤销许可证，勒令永久停业，5.情节严重者移送人民法院”。

With the development of regulation system and public security management, Shanghai started to tax on vendors’ license. On Mar. 1^st, 1950, the government announced the establishment of Shanghai Vendor Regulation Committee, including people from Public Security Bureau, Finance Bureau, Civil Affairs Bureau and Industry and Business Bureau. They set an office of the committee at the Public Security Bureau. There were subordinate committees in each district, including people from corresponding district-level departments, appointing the director general of district-level Public Security Bureau as the leader. District-level Public Security Bureau took charge of execution. They estimated the income level of each stand and taxed them. There was a democratic system on estimating income – reporting income by vendors and taking public opinions, so that the government could know the number of vendors, capital, business area, sales and etc. thoroughly for taxation. On Nov. 29^th, 1950, the government announced a “Temporary Regulation on Vendors in Shanghai”, which adjusted some regulations. The regulations asked vendors who were in food, medicines, barber and laundry business should get the certificate from local health departments to start the application for license. It also added several new lines about not allowing scales that hadn’t been checked by government, for which the punishment included 1. warning and education, 2. suspending business for 1 – 10 days, 3. a fine of 2000 to 50000 yuan (old), 4. cancelling the license and permanently suspending the business, 5. taking to the person to court when necessary.

1978 – Now:

In the more than 30 years after Reform and Opening-up, the government encouraged private business and individual economy as a supplement to public owned economy (1982). In this period, the regulation system developed.

Jin, Lin 金凌. 上海流动摊贩管理现状与对策分析 Analysis on The Current Situation of Regulating Moving Vendors in Shanghai. Fudan University. 2010.

(The author briefly introduces the overall situation after Reform and Opening-up in Chapter 2.1.1.) Jin concludes three reasons for the recession in vending business: 1. the society shifted emphasis onto knowledge, and those with higher education degrees had their salary improved. 2. with production capacity developing, consumers have more choices and quality in formal stores. 3. with lots of SOEs merged or shut down, the unemployed came into vending business which made the business more competitive.

Quotations:

许多个体经营者没有在工商部门注册，他们在街头巷尾摆摊设点，从事小规模的交易活动；所在地的街道办事处和居委会一般要求摊贩在划定区域经营，并收取一定的费用。这一时期，政府部门康这一现象是为活跃经济、繁荣市场的表现而较少进行干预。

Many of individual vendors were not registered at the Administration for Industry and Commerce. The vendors were everywhere on the streets, doing small businesses. Street-level government and Resident Committee would ask them to do business in a specific area and charge them administration fee. During that period, the government regarded the phenomenon as incenting economy and promoting the market so that did not interfere with the vending business very much.

进入21世纪以来， 我国城市化进程加快， 由于农业耕作效率的提高，城乡收入差距的持续扩大， 大量的农村青壮年富余劳动力加速涌向城市,由于各种主客观方面的限制，除了一部分成为“农民工”外，更多的人只能选择从事流动摊贩这一行当。由于流动摊贩的经营产生外部不经济性如环境污染、影响市容及公共交通安全、扰乱经济秩序等，各地政府部门也从这一时期开始实施反复取缔的政策。

When it comes to the 21^st century, the urbanization of China has been accelerating. Because the agricultural production becomes more and more efficient, the income gap between urban and rural areas is more severe. Large amount of young labor from rural areas come to cities. Some of them become “migrant workers,” but the majority have to become vendors, due to some limitations. The negative externality that vending business has caused includes environmental pollution, urban appearance, public transportation safety and economy disorder, which makes the government to enforce strict policy on street vending.