Watermelons are never sold in the designated
"free market" areas. They are sold only at seasonal, makeshift tent shops set up
on street corners in Beijing from June - September. By tradition, the city
government allows this unregulated sales activity and doesn't impose any fees or taxes.
Family moved from
Hebei for the summer. |
Melons are delivered to these
"shops", either by local farmers or independent truckers. The shops are staffed
by the farmer's or trucker's family members, who literally camp out in the shop for the
entire watermelon season, while the driver heads back out to the countryside for another
load, keeping up a steady supply. During August, when the season peaks, sidewalks are
covered with 4-ft. high piles of watermelons. It's a unique Beijing phenomenon! |
For the vendors, it's a pleasant way to wile away sultry
summer nights in Beijing. Their social scene takes on a life of its own - munching dried
watermelon seeds, sipping tea, smoking and gossiping, until its time to roll out the cots
for a night of sleep in their sidewalk tents.
Most have fans and lights. |
All have a stove and cot. |
A few tents have TV's. |
|
Street Life of Watermelons and Cabbage
