The city's hustle often begins with the busy routines of small shopkeepers and street vendors. At 4 a.m., a couple from Yueyang who run a small vegetable stall in Tianjin are already at the wholesale market, stocking up for the day. They arrange their produce neatly before the market opens at 7:30 a.m., a routine they have maintained for 18 years. This is a typical morning in the city and a genuine reflection of China's economy. Small street-side shops are vital for job creation, consumption stimulation, and public convenience, showcasing a city's prosperity and vibrancy. Recently, 20 Xinhua reporters visited 40 different small shops and stalls in Tianjin, exploring the resilience of China's economy through these everyday businesses.
Fruit shop owner Ma Wusheng started by selling from a tricycle on the street, saved enough to rent a small storefront, and put his child through university. A jianbing vendor makes over 100 sets a day. A barber shop owner styles at least 20 haircuts daily, standing for more than ten hours straight, often without time for a drink of water. An Anhui-style beef noodle shop, operating for over 20 years, has 12 tables and sells each bowl for 12 yuan. Some customers, who first came as children with their parents, now bring their own children, maintaining a tradition spanning years. Each small business owner has their own story of perseverance. Though small, these shops are essential for livelihoods. Relying on skill and hard work, they carve out their lives and add color to the urban landscape. Unknowingly, these shops become carriers of city memories and anchors of social sentiment, allowing people to feel connected through the steam of a bowl of noodles.
Su Liyu from Fujian runs a clothing store in Tianjin's Wanglanzhou Wenzhou International Trade City, a complex housing nearly 3,000 businesses and employing over 10,000 people. Reflecting on her more than 30 years of entrepreneurship, she remarked, "The journey has been tough, but only through striving can life improve." Stepping into these small shops, one often encounters something more valuable than the goods—the dignity of hard work and a simple yet profound participation in the era's creation. The resilience of China's economy stems from people's persistent pursuit of a better life.
From small restaurants and barbershops to convenience stores and repair shops, owners share not only their entrepreneurial stories but also accounts of receiving kindness and support—city management officials proactively asking about difficulties, old streets being renovated while preserving small shops, even transforming them into popular destinations. Government measures like tax reductions, fee cuts, financial support, and improved business environments have boosted confidence and enhanced the ability of small businesses to withstand challenges. Tianjin's market regulation committee has introduced policies to support the "small shop economy," Sichuan plans to develop over 1,000 distinctive small businesses and 30 regional brands, and Zhejiang has rolled out ten financial measures to aid individual businesses. While many shop owners acknowledge current difficulties, few consider giving up. One owner stated, "With the government standing by us, we can overcome temporary hurdles." As urban governance shifts from management to service, small businesses find more fertile ground for growth.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics' 2025 statistical report, China's total retail sales of consumer goods exceeded 50 trillion yuan last year, a 3.7% increase from the previous year. The contribution of countless small street-side shops is indispensable. The resilience of China's economy derives from the warmth of social governance and the strength of policy support.
Currently, many small shops are undergoing significant operational transformations. Actively adapting to modern commercial ecosystems, they seek new opportunities amid changing times. With a new generation of owners from the post-90s and post-00s cohorts, trendy, innovative, and aesthetically pleasing small shops are emerging, redefining the "small shop economy." Digitalization is reshaping their operational logic. Moving beyond traditional scattered models, shops are joining delivery platforms and engaging in live-stream sales, expanding from physical streets to the digital cloud. Other changes are more subtle. Liu Meng, who runs a courier station in Tianjin's suburbs, handles over 1,000 parcels daily. To increase revenue, she installed three freezers to sell cold drinks and ice cream, then started community group buying, ensuring timely delivery of fruits and prepared foods as needed. "We constantly adjust our services to meet everyone's demands," she said. The resilience of China's economy lies in this ability to evolve with the times.
Last year, China's economic output surpassed the 140 trillion yuan mark. Behind this figure are not only major national projects and advanced technologies but also a pair of barber scissors, a fruit scale, a coffee machine, and countless ordinary yet vibrant faces. In an ever-changing environment, persistence and dedication are invaluable. Small shop owners offer a simple answer through their actions. They may not understand macroeconomics, but through steadfast effort, they build the broad and solid foundation of China's economy. Where does this resilience come from? It stems from the solid guarantee of institutional advantages, the vast domestic market, strong policy support, and the diligent work of countless ordinary people—opening before dawn, working late into the night, persisting with thin margins, and adapting both offline and online. Small shop owners believe: as long as they do their work well, life will keep getting better. These shops may be too small to appear on a map, yet they are large enough to hold tomorrow's promise. Together, they form the vibrant tapestry of daily life and constitute the resilience and confidence of China's economy.
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