The fifth official Nanjing Car Boot Sale was held on Saturday afternoon, in part helping to raise funds to assist with the expansion of the Nanjing International Community Clubhouse that provides services to the foreign community.
Held in its most prestigious location to date, right outside the entrance to House of Fraser in Nanjing’s city centre Xinijiekou, the event attracted both locals and foreigners alike, to sell their wares, or promote their business.
Vendors came in many forms; a car with a boot full of ladies’ bags, a clothing store that specialises in large sizes for foreigners, an international medical facility that sold babies’ clothing, two local western restaurants and a 7-year-old foreign girl who made ¥95 extra pocket money by selling off some of her unwanted toys.
Co-founder of the Community Clubhouse, Frank Hossack, commented, “In Britain, the car boot sale is seen as a means of thrift and a social occasion. We found it fascinating when we introduced the concept to China, as we noticed that Chinese people were attracted by the activity as a way of teaching entrepreneurialism to children; the great Chinese business mind!”
As a very British piece of popular culture in China, a keen supporter of the car boot sale was House of Fraser, whose influence was of help in granting permission to put cars on a slab of Nanjing’s downtown real estate that has possibly the most footfall in the city.
The event’s principal sponsor IQAir donated ¥5,000 to the Community Clubhouse while second-tier sponsor WOW Translation chimed in with ¥2,000. The funds shall be used to help establish the Clubhouse’s second branch, located, it is hoped, within House of Fraser itself. The Clubhouse has to date been providing services such as assistance with online shopping and house hunting to parents and staff of The British School of Nanjing.
“The new downtown branch will be centrally located so that we can help more of Nanjing’s foreigners to get the best out of their time living in this great city”, added Hossack.
