Street stall culture has a long history. As early as the Shang Dynasty, the clever ancients had found a way to set up stalls with their hard work and sweat. When Wang Hai, the seventh leader of Shang tribe, was the leader, he vigorously developed agriculture and animal husbandry and domesticated cattle and horses to develop production. Finally, agricultural products and livestock, such as cattle and horses, are too many for Shang tribes. As a leader, Wang Hai thought of another way: pulling goods with ox carts and trafficking the remaining agricultural and pastoral products to nearby tribes for exchange and sale.
This practice of Wang Hai is the origin of vendor culture. By the end of Shang Dynasty and the beginning of Zhou Dynasty, the vendor economy had developed into a common phenomenon. According to legend, before fishing, Jiang Ziya worked as a "negative seller", butcher and liquor seller in shops in Chao Ge and Jin Meng. If he is right, he should be a small trader, too.
The prosperous period of roadside stall culture
The ancient commerce in China developed in the Song Dynasty. At the beginning of the independence of the Northern Song Dynasty, the rulers adopted a series of measures to protect and sympathize with businessmen, "everything was relaxed and trade was allowed". Therefore, there was no square market system in the cities of Song Dynasty, and farmers were not prohibited from selling goods in cities. There are even night markets where people can eat and drink.
The government also encourages stall economy. In the Song Dynasty, the tax office charged 2% of the "over-tax" to the past vendors who passed the tax collection point, and 3% of the "residence tax" to the urban vendors. In case of natural disasters, the government will also reduce taxes. There is no exorbitant taxes and levies, and there is no forced apportionment, which makes many ordinary people reach the peak of their lives through setting up stalls and small-scale operations.
Refer to the above contents: A brief history of street stalls in China.