中文導讀
6月1日，總理李克強在考察煙臺時，停在一小攤前，表示地攤經濟、小店經濟是就業崗位的重要來源，國家會支持地攤經濟。
一時間地攤經濟成為今年最熱話題，每個人都躍躍欲試，想親身體驗一下襬攤。但如今的擺攤已與從前自由放任的擺攤有所不同，在一些城市，擺攤需要先申請許可，才可以在特定地區進行。
雖然中國仍未正式宣佈戰勝疫情，但各地都在推行地攤政策，或許正是在心照不宣地宣告勝利。
（公眾號：趣讀經濟學人）
雙語閱讀：
1
IN A COUNTRY known for high-tech ambitions and giant state-owned firms, the plightof street hawkers may seem insignificant. But in China these days, people like Shui Jin, an old lady pedalling a wooden cart laden with apricots and cherries, are in the spotlight. Faced with rising unemployment, officials have concluded that pavement stalls can help solve the economy’s woes. Ms Shui, who used to face the danger of hefty fines, may sell her fruit with more confidence as she wends her waythrough the narrow lanes of Suzhou, an eastern city. Her family needs the money. Both her daughters-in-law recently lost their jobs, among the tens of millions in China hurt by the coronavirus downturn.
在一個以高科技雄心和大型國有企業聞名的國家，街頭商販的困境似乎是那麼的微不足道。但在最近的中國，像水錦（音譯）這樣的人正備受關注，水錦是一位騎著裝滿杏子和櫻桃的木製小車的老太太。面對不斷攀升的失業率，政府認為街邊攤有助於為經濟紓困。曾經水女士擺攤常常要面臨著高額罰款的風險，如今她在蘇州狹窄的小巷裡賣水果時，可能會更加自信。她的家庭需要這份收入，因為她的兩個兒媳最近都失業了。疫情令中國經濟陷入低迷期，數千萬人受到衝擊。
plight 境遇；困境
hawker 叫賣小販
pedall 騎車；蹬車
laden with 充滿；載滿
wends one's way 走；前往
2
The government’s support for street vendors is something of an about-turn. For years municipal authorities pushed out hawkers, trying to tidy up the colourful chaos that once characterised China’s cities. In the name of “civilising” urban life, they wanted to see steamed dumplings, plastic toys and T-shirts bought inside shopping malls, not sold from the back of carts. But on June 1st Li Keqiang, the prime minister, signalled a change. Stopping by a snack stall in the city of Yantai, he declared that street vendors and small shops were vital to the economy. “Only when the people are in good shape can the nation be in good shape,” he said.
政府對街頭商販的支持從某種意義上講是一種政策轉變。多年來，市政當局都在驅趕街邊商販，試圖整潔曾是中國城市特色的喧鬧。以“文明”城市生活之名，他們希望蒸餃、塑料玩具和T恤都在商城裡面買，而不是在手推車後面賣。但是就在6月1日，李克強總理發出了改變的信號。他停在煙臺一個小食攤邊表示街邊攤販和小型店鋪對經濟至關重要。他說：“人民好了，國家才能好。”
street vendor 街頭小販 擺地攤可以用 street vendoring表示
about-turn 政策徹底改變（非正式)
pushed out 把...排除出外
in good shape 處於好的狀態
3
Mr Li’s endorsement has generated much buzz about the revival of China’s “street-stall economy”, as it has been dubbed. At least 27 provinces and cities have announced that they will create markets for hawkers or, in some cases, let them move their wares onto the pavement in front of their shops. The shining example is Chengdu, a bustling city in Sichuan province in the south-west, where businesses started setting up street stalls in March. The local government there claims that more than 100,000 jobs have been created in the process.
李總理的支持引發了人們對中國“擺攤經濟”復興的熱烈討論。至少有27個省市宣佈會為街頭商販開闢市場，或者在某些情況下，讓他們把商品搬到商店前面的人行道上。最突出的例子就是位於西南四川省的繁華都市成都，成都的商家在今年三月份就開始街頭擺攤了。當地政府聲稱該過程創造了超過10萬個就業機會。
buzz 熱烈討論
ware 貨物；商品
4
China, like any other country, most certainly needs jobs. Although the official unemployment rate is 6%, up just slightly since the start of the year, that figure represents only a small section of the labour force. Looked at more broadly, the real picture is far worse. Between 60m and 100m people—perhaps as much as 20% of non-farm workers—were out of jobs as of April, according to Ernan Cui of Gavekal, a research firm. In his annual address to parliament last month, Mr Li said that job creation was the government’s most important economic task this year.
和其他國家一樣，中國也肯定需要就業。雖然官方的失業率為6%，僅比年初稍微上漲一點，但這個數字僅代表了勞動力的一小部分。從更廣泛的角度來看，實際情況要糟糕得多。據研究公司Gavekal的Ernan Cui稱，截至4月份，有6000萬到1億人(可能佔非農業勞動力的20%)失業。在上個月的年度人大講話中，李總理表示，創造就業是政府今年最重要的經濟任務。
5
Can the street-stall economy really make a difference? Some investors see a business opportunity. The shares of Wuling Motors, which is making a new van that can double as a mobile kiosk, more than tripled in value within four days of Mr Li’s comments. Other companies that might benefit, including Yindu Kitchen, which makes portable cooking equipment, and Maoye Commercial, which owns some properties where stalls will be set up, also saw their share prices surge.
擺攤經濟真的能扭轉乾坤嗎？一些投資者則看到了商機。五菱汽車正在生產一種可以用作移動攤位的新型貨車，在李總理發表上述言論後的四天裡，五菱汽車股價上漲了兩倍以上。像製造便攜式餐具的銀都餐飲和涉及地攤經濟的茂業商業等一些公司的股價都大幅上漲了。
double as 兼職;身兼另一個功能
在6月1日 美國區裡的一篇文章The grooming business: Things get hairy 也用到了double as
Salons, which often double as social clubs mixing gossip with endless arguments about sports and politics, may soon resemble labs
6
The direct impact on job creation, alas, is unlikely to be quite so spectacular. Thedemise of street stalls in recent years is only partially the result of government restrictions. It also reflects the rise of e-commerce platforms, where products are often both higher-quality and cheaper. Whether online or on the street, the main concern for vendors is weak demand. Mrs Xu, 62, said the chengguan, a para-police force that enforces urban rules, were more relaxed than in the past, letting her walk along a tourist drag in Suzhou with flashing glow-sticks for sale. But with few tourists, there were few buyers. She had cut her asking price from ten yuan to five.
只可惜地攤經濟對創造就業的直接作用效果可能不會那麼明顯。政府的限制只是近年來街邊商販消失的部分原因。另一部分原因是因為電子商務平臺的崛起，這些平臺的產品往往質量更高，價格更便宜。徐女士說，城管管得比以前送了不少，她都能夠拿著閃閃發光的熒光棒沿著蘇州遊客的便道出售了。但由於遊客少了，買家也就變少了，因此她也將自己的要價從十元降到了五元。
alas 哎（表悲傷，遺憾，關切）
demise 消亡
glow-stick 熒光棒
asking price 賣主的開叫價
7
The new street-stall push is also hardly the free-for-all of old. In Shanghai and Beijing local officials will not allow vendors to set up stalls wherever they want. They will need to obtain licences to operate in specific locations. Those selling food must meet strict hygiene standards. At one of the new markets in Shanghai near the Bund, its historic riverside promenade, the street stalls are in fact small outlets for big corporations. Starbucks is there with its coffee, Skechers with shoes and Colgate with an array of electric toothbrushes.
新的地攤熱潮也幾乎不可能像以往一樣自由。在上海和北京，街邊商販不是想在哪裡擺攤就可以在哪裡擺的。他們需要先獲得擺攤准許，才可以在特定地區擺攤。他們賣的商品也必須符合嚴格的衛生要求。在上海外灘附近的一個新市場裡，街邊的攤位實際上是大企業的小攤點。星巴克(Starbucks)提供咖啡，斯凱奇(Skechers)提供鞋子，高露潔(Colgate)提供一系列電動牙刷。
free-for-all 自由放任
8
In one way, though, the street stalls could have a substantial impact. The Chinese government is too cautious to proclaim that the country has officially beaten the pandemic, though it has all but stopped new infections. Yet with local officials now promoting outdoor markets and street festivals, they are tacitly announcing victory. Late on Sunday evening in Suzhou, hundreds of people flocked to a square in its old centre for a night market. Most were not wearing face masks, a sight that would have been unthinkable just a month ago. “I was cooped up at home for a long time,” said Cao Yunqiang, 19, visiting from Henan province. “Things aren’t fully back to normal, but it’s the right time to come out and have some fun.”
不過，從某種意義上說，這些街邊小攤可能會產生重大影響。雖然幾乎所有的感染都被斷絕，但中國政府仍然十分謹慎，並未宣稱中國已經正式戰勝疫情。然而，隨著當地官員如今都在推廣戶外市場和街頭節日，他們是在心照不宣地宣告勝利。週日晚間，數百人聚集在蘇州舊城中心的一個廣場上，準備逛夜市。大多數人都沒有戴口罩，這在一個月前是不可想象的。“我宅在家裡有很長一段時間了，”來自河南的19歲遊客曹雲強(音譯)說。“雖然生活還沒有完全恢復正常，但現在是出來找點樂子的時候了。”
tacitly 心照不宣地
