Fruit tea, cakes, flowers, coffee, handicrafts… Step out of your home and head to an outdoor space when night falls, where dozens of cars are decorated with colored lights. All of the things mentioned can be found at the back of the cars, with more goods yet to be explored.
Since this summer, car trunk fairs (集市) have emerged as trendy activities mainly among young people in cities across China. Drivers open their car trunks and setup stalls (小摊) outside their vehicles, while customers relax nearby in camping chairs, listening to live bands and enjoying the soft summer evening.
After the camping crazes, this is another outdoor activity attracting a great number of participants looking to satisfy their desire to go outside during the COVID-19 pandemic. This time, however, things are slightly different as it is no longer an activity purely for relaxation, but a business opportunity and a way to make a living in a situation where a mass of people have lost their jobs due to the impact of the pandemic.
For the past six months, selling hand-made coffee at car trunk fairs in Xi’an, Shaanxi province has been Li Lei’s main way of supporting his family. After he lost his job last year, Li turned to this emerging business. Without much starting cost, he started his coffee stall with a l6-year-old secondhand car at a car trunk fair beside a lake and earned 50 to 2,000 yuan a day.
For customers, car trunk fair is a brand-new, relaxing approach to outdoor socializing. “People don’t just come for coffee; they like to sit and talk, often staying into the night,” Li said to China Daily. “Someone brings a guitar and an amplifier (扩音器), and after singing a song together, everyone gets to know each other.”
In addition, a car trunk fair can be a spreader of popular thoughts and emotions. Zhuang Shenyang, a drink seller at car trunk fairs in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, named his lemon tea stall “A Tea House in Debt (债务)” with self-deprecating (自贬的) humor. “I want to show an attitude that, even though I am in debt, I will never let it be,” Zhuang said. He added that, although many people’s incomes had been affected by the pandemic, they didn’t “lie flat” at home; instead, they work hard to improve their circumstances.
As increasingly popular and life-supporting as it is, the car trunk fair business still has its own problems which need more regulation. For example, hosting sites should be instructed to establish safety, sanitation (卫生), epidemic prevention and other rules to protect the rights and interests of both consumers and stall owners.
6. What do we know about car trunk fairs?
A.They combine business and fun. | B.They mainly sell secondhand goods. |
C.They are open round the clock. | D.They are located in downtown areas. |
7. What does Paragraph 3 focus on regarding car trunk fairs?
A.Their influence. | B.Reasons for their popularity. |
C.Their economic values. | D.People’s attitude toward them. |
8. What does a car trunk fair mean to Li?
A.A new way of socializing. | B.A chance to get closer to nature. |
C.A means of making a living. | D.An opportunity to realize his dream. |
9. Why did Zhuang name his stall “A Tea House in Debt”?
A.To call for help from other people. | B.To attract attention from customers. |
C.To show his displeasure about pandemic. | D.To express his positive attitude toward life. |
10. What probably will talk about in the next paragraph?
A.Stall owners need to attract more customers. |
B.Government need to made certain regulations. |
C.Personal safety will be concerned about. |
D.Young generation will create more possibilities. |