Posted on 10/30/2013 8:37:10 PM PDT by TexGrill
Despite piles of newspapers and magazines on display, Beijing newsstand owner Mr. Xia uses his mobile phone to browse the news online.
"If I did not sell drinks and phone cards, I would be at a loss every day," he said.
His newsstand, in west Zhongguancun, Haidian district, feels stale. The kiosk is less than 10 square meters, sells cold drinks, cigarettes, chewing gum and so forth, and looks like a mini grocery store.
Xia, 32, begins to work at 7 a.m. every day and returns home about 8 p.m., rain or shine.
"It's hard to make money selling just newspapers and magazines," he said, "Even when business is booming, I can sell no more than 50 magazines."
His narrow kiosk has nearly 300 newspapers and magazines.
Newsstand owners are faced with a problem. It has always been difficult to keep a newsstand running by just selling newspapers, and today, fewer and fewer people buy them. Having managed his tiny emporium for many years, Xia has witnessed first-hand the shift in reading habits.
(Excerpt) Read more at english.peopledaily.com.cn ...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.