If you want to get to know a city in China, you must visit the street markets in that city, where the stalls are small but big enough for various local-style goods, where the stall owners are by nature honest and kind, grabbing every chance to start a conversation with you, and where the smell of special snacks makes every passer-by linger. Sometimes, it seems that the charm of an entire city is all here on these streets.
如果你想了解中国的一座城市，就一定要到那个城市的街边市场去看看，那里的摊位虽小，但足够大，摆满了各种土特产，摊主们天性诚实善良，抓住一切机会与你搭讪，特色小吃的香味让每一个过往的路人都流连忘返。有时，似乎整个城市的魅力都集中在这些街道上。
The summer of 2020 surely was special to Nanjing University Renjianyanhuo Team. Most of the students in the team major in foreign languages. And so, when practicing their language and communication skills, they also hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the state of the nation and tell their own stories about China.
2020年的夏天对于南京大学人间烟火队来说无疑是特别的。团队中大部分学生主修外语。因此，他们在练习语言和沟通能力的同时，也希望能够更深入地了解国情，讲述自己的中国故事。
Joining forces to conduct their social experiment on the stall economy, a.k.a. street markets, the team went back to their respective hometowns (Shanghai, Nanjing and Dongyang in Zhejiang Province), to explore hidden cultural memories and unearth the stories behind the stalls.
团队携手进行地摊经济的社会实验，回到各自的家乡（上海、南京、浙江东阳），探索隐藏的文化记忆，挖掘地摊背后的故事。
Shanghai
上海
After careful analysis and comparison of street markets in Shanghai, we finally chose Midsummer Cool Market to be our first research site.
经过对上海街头市场的仔细分析和比较，我们最终选择了仲夏酷市场作为我们的第一个研究地点。
Open only to the public only in summer, the creativity and diversity offered at the Midsummer Cool Market are always impressive. When walking through the fancy, dazzlingly bright market, we found a stall strangely simple, yet full of mysteries, which was a bit like the Diagon Alley in the magical world of Harry Potter.
仅在夏季向公众开放，仲夏酷市集的创造力和多样性总是令人印象深刻。漫步在灯火辉煌的市场里，我们发现一个摊位出奇的简单，却又充满了神秘感，有点像哈利波特魔法世界里的对角巷。
The stall owners were two young ladies who greeted us warmly and readily accepted our request for an interview. They said they were now working in a Tarot consulting company and they set up this street stall to offer Tarot reading as well as to promote Tarot counseling.
摊主是两位年轻女士，热情地向我们打招呼，并欣然接受了我们的采访要求。他们说，自己现在在一家塔罗牌咨询公司工作，所以摆了这个路边摊，提供塔罗牌占卜以及推广塔罗牌咨询。
During the interview, more and more people were attracted to the stall. The owners then started to introduce their magical service. When finishing brief exchanges with customers, they told us that because tarot reading, in most cases, is a one-to-one service, it was a bit embarrassing to come out and set up a stall at first, but the lively atmosphere in the market soon relaxed them by making them feel as if at a gathering of old friends.
采访过程中，越来越多的人被这个摊位吸引。随后业主们开始介绍他们的神奇服务。在与顾客简单交流后，他们告诉我们，因为塔罗牌占卜大多是一对一的服务，一开始出来摆摊有点尴尬，但市场里热闹的气氛很快让他们放松下来，感觉就像是老朋友聚会一样。
We next interviewed some other stall owners. Some busked and sold musical instruments. We saw a daughter working together with her mother to make exquisite handicrafts. The logo and slogan deeply touched us; “Mother Cuts, Daughter Sews, One Stitch and One Thread, from Hand to Heart”. Warmth is never hard to find when you come to these stalls.
接下来我们采访了其他一些摊主。有些人进行街头表演并出售乐器。我们看到女儿和妈妈一起制作精美的手工艺品。标志和口号深深打动了我们； “母亲剪，女儿缝，一针一线，从手到心”。当你来到这些摊位时，并不难找到温暖。
Zhejiang
浙江
Dongyang is a small county located in the middle part of Zhejiang. As an old Chinese saying goes, “The sparrow is small, but it has all five internal organs”. Dongyang’s prosperity is closely related to its “neighbour”, Yiwu; and its “big brother”, Hengdian. In this prosperous small county can be found the famous, Zhenxing Lu, known as the “Street that never sleeps”. If you come to Dongyang without a paying a visit to Zhenxing Lu, then something mundane, yet typical of Dongyang’s lifestyle is missing from your trip.
东阳是一个位于浙江中部的小县城。中国有句古话：“麻雀虽小，五脏俱全”。东阳的繁荣与其“邻居”义乌息息相关；还有它的“老大哥”横店。在这个繁华的小县城里，有著名的振兴路，被誉为“不夜街”。如果你来东阳而不去振兴路，那么你的旅行就少了一些平凡而又典型的东阳生活方式。
In our social experiment, we went to Zhenxing Lu and experienced what it is like to set up a stall. We prepared ice cream and cold drinks, which may be the most popular products in summer but offer a one-time only experience; and knitting wool, which may be the least popular product in summer but can be used for a long time. We believed the differences in the sales of these two types of products could help us better understand the current situation in this bustling commercial street.
In our social experiment, we went to Zhenxing Lu and experienced what it is like to set up a stall. We prepared ice cream and cold drinks, which may be the most popular products in summer but offer a one-time only experience; and knitting wool, which may be the least popular product in summer but can be used for a long time.我们相信这两类产品的销售差异可以帮助我们更好地了解这条繁华商业街的现状。
When transporting goods, we came across a little problem. The refrigerator we planned to take with us was much heavier than we expected. But fortunately, we met a kind-hearted, middle-aged man who enthusiastically helped us carry the fridge with his tricycle. And he also taught us some of the things he had learned along the way, including many business tips and much valuable advice.
在运输货物时，我们遇到了一个小问题。我们打算随身携带的冰箱比我们想象的要重得多。但幸运的是，我们遇到了一位善良的中年男子，他热心地用三轮车帮我们搬冰箱。他还教给我们一些他一路上学到的东西，包括许多商业技巧和许多宝贵的建议。
When we finally arrived at our spot, we encountered another new problem; there was no power supply for our refrigerator. And we found that the stall owners next to us either used a generator or the batteries of their e-bikes for power. We, however, had none of those. But we did not give up. Going first to a street shop to see if there was any possible chance that the owner could help us with the power supply, after being rejected, we had no choice but to ask our parents for help. In the end, they brought two large bags of ice to our stall and solved the problem caused by our carelessness.
当我们终于到达目的地时，我们遇到了另一个新问题；我们的冰箱没有电源。我们发现旁边的摊主要么用发电机，要么用电动自行车的电池供电。然而我们却没有这些。但我们并没有放弃。我们先去街边小店看看有没有可能店主可以帮我们供电，遭到拒绝后，我们只好向父母求助。最后他们给我们带来了两大袋冰块，解决了我们粗心造成的问题。
During our wheeling and dealing, we met old ladies who loved to bargain, young girls who showed curiosity about everything and middle-aged men who took their family for a walk. Every passer by seemed to show interest in the experiment we were doing. We could feel the warmth coming from each word, the gentleness of each smile, the value of each yuan and fen, and something ordinary, yet essential, in our daily lives hidden in the street.
在讨价还价的过程中，我们遇到了爱讨价还价的老太太、对一切事物都充满好奇的年轻女孩和带着家人去散步的中年男子。每个路过的人似乎都对我们正在进行的实验表现出兴趣。我们能感受到每一个字的温暖，每一个微笑的温柔，每一元每一分的价值，以及隐藏在街头的日常生活中平凡却必不可少的东西。
Nanjing
南京
In order to have a better understanding of the stall economy in Nanjing, we prepared many sewing kits imported from Germany as our products, and then came to Nanhu searching for a place to conduct our social experiment. But we soon found out that we forgot to reserve ourselves a stall. After explaining our intentions to an urban management officer and showing him our letter of introduction, we were more than happy to see that the officer was kind enough to help us find a vacant stall. Thanks to the officer, we were now able to lay out all the goods we had and put out our signs and QR code. And all the preparatory work was now completed!
为了更好地了解南京的地摊经济，我们准备了很多从德国进口的针线包作为我们的产品，然后来到南湖寻找一个地方进行我们的社会实验。但我们很快就发现我们忘了给自己预留一个摊位。向城管说明了我们的来意，并出示了我们的介绍信后，城管很热情地帮我们找到了一个空摊位，我们非常高兴。感谢那位官员的帮助，我们现在能够摆放所有的货物，并贴出我们的标志和二维码。现在所有的准备工作都已经完成了！
With so many people coming and going, we excitedly waited for our first customer, during which time we also practiced quietly the introduction of our goods to ourselves several times.
人来人往，我们兴奋地等待着我们的第一个顾客，期间我们也悄悄地练习了几次向自己介绍我们的商品。
Just 5 minutes later, a middle-aged man slowly walked over with a fan in his hand and stopped in front of our stall, showing some interest in our business. “Please take a look at the things we have here. They are German imports. And we have 20 percent off on all products!”, we said, grabbing this chance with enthusiasm. “Young men, your products are surely very good, but here doesn’t seem to be the right place for you to promote your products”, came the reply, with a laugh.
仅仅5分钟后，一位中年男子手里拿着一把扇子慢慢走了过来，停在我们的摊位前，对我们的生意表现出了一些兴趣。 “请看看我们这里的东西。都是德国进口的。而且我们所有产品都有20％的折扣！”我们兴奋地抓住了这个机会。 “年轻人，你们的产品确实很不错，但这里似乎不是你们推销产品的合适地方。”回答笑着说道。
We were at a loss and didn’t know what he meant by “the right place”. The man then suddenly began to passionately talk about some essential elements of the stall economy, including where stalls can attract more people, when is the best season and the right time for the right stuff. There were even a few customers around who did not leave after their purchase just to listen to the lessons he was giving.
我们很茫然，不知道他所说的“正确的地方”是什么意思。这名男子突然开始热情地谈论地摊经济的一些基本要素，包括地摊在哪里可以吸引更多的人，什么时候是最好的季节，合适的时间合适的东西。甚至还有一些顾客买完后并没有离开，只是为了听他讲课。
“I would have probably bought them a year ago”, he said, before asking again, “Are you sure these things are imported from Germany?”.
“我可能一年前就买了”，他说，然后又问，“你确定这些东西是从德国进口的吗？”。
After getting a definite, “Yes”, from us, the man changed the subject. “You know what, European standards are really different from our country’s own standards. We still have a long way to go…” He continued on and on and was still in full flow, but left contentedly, having got everything off his chest. We looked at our watch and found out that half an hour had passed, but still there wasn’t any progress with our business.
在得到我们明确的“是”后，该男子改变了话题。 “你知道吗，欧洲的标准和我们国家的标准确实不一样，我们还有很长的路要走……”他继续说个不停，依然滔滔不绝，但心满意足地离开了，吐露心声。我们看了看表，已经过去半个小时了，但我们的生意仍然没有任何进展。
It was 10 o’clock before we knew it. And it was about time for stall owners to head home. It was the same case with us. After all the checking and calculating, our performance seemed poor. On the way back home, we discussed with each other trying to get something out of it, and came to a consensus that the prices of these sewing kits were surely a bit too high, while we also concluded that we should take into consideration our target consumers and the use of our products. After all, as the man said, “You only buy needles and threads when you know how to sew your clothes. The quality of these sewing kits, of course, is very good, but these days, how many people know how to sew their clothes?”
不知不觉间已经十点了。也到了摊主回家的时间了。我们的情况也是如此。经过所有的检查和计算，我们的表现似乎很差。回家的路上，我们互相商量，想从中得到些什么，一致认为这些针线包的价格确实有点高，同时我们也得出结论，我们应该考虑到我们的目标消费者和我们产品的用途。毕竟，正如那人所说，“只有当你会缝衣服时，你才会买针和线。这些针线包的质量当然很好，但现在，有多少人会缝衣服呢？”
Before we started our social experiment, we had so many questions in our minds. Will there be many people? What about security and sanitation? Will people rush to purchase our goods? These questions were answered when we were there, down to the stalls. Streets are alive only when they are bustling with noise and excitement.
在开始社会实验之前，我们脑子里有很多问题。会有很多人吗？安全和卫生怎么样？人们会抢购我们的商品吗？当我们来到摊位时，这些问题都得到了解答。街道只有在喧闹和兴奋的时候才充满活力。
And we feel more alive when these mundane, yet interesting things spice up our lives.
当这些平凡而有趣的事情为我们的生活增添色彩时，我们会感觉更有活力。
