Life on the streets of Beijing

In America when I think of virtual stores I think of an online business selling goods such as Amazon.com. However, in China, virtual stores can be seen in reality. Basically, what I mean is stores that exist, but not in the same sense as I am used to. I see many people run shops on street corners and from bicycles and out of carts, wagons, trucks etc. Some of these virtual stores are really amazing. Take for instance a guy down the street who runs a sewing business. He has a desk that is out on the sidewalk with a sewing machine and all his tools and goods. He sometimes sits under an umbrella and is out there just about every day. He is not in any enclosed space and he has a little sign that hangs from his desk.


It seems he regularly gets customers, people know where to find him. Its like he has a designated spot for business. Like commercial space without really being commercial space, its just the sidewalk. He doesn’t take up so much room that he bothers others and by the look of his working space, tools, sign, and customers it seems he has been there for years. One thing about virtual businesses is that is easier for people to avoid paying taxes.


Another kind of virtual business is parking lots. Bicycles are a huge target for thieves. Most people only buy cheap used clunky bicycles on the verge of falling apart because they are stolen so often. In comes the virtual parking lot. There will be a piece of open sidewalk and you can park your bicycle there and a guy will watch over all the bicycles for a small charge. He hands you a ticket stub when you pay him the fee.

Downstairs, in front of the building is a real parking lot. But there is no automatic machine to take money. So there are a couple of guys who take turns sitting in the parking lot watching over the cars, passing out tickets and collecting fees. These guys have a couple of big cushioned chairs and just sit out there all the time. When one sleeps the other goes on shift.

My business is starting to take off, but in a different direction than I first imagined. I am getting requests to do proofreading rather than translation. But I did get an order for translation from a former student at the English school. There is special feeling about working for yourself. Of course you can set the price more in line with what you think you are worth. But also its seems like a business is something you build, you feed it and it grows. There is a stronger sense of purpose than just going to a job and picking up a check at the end of the month. It also helps my self-esteem. People pay me for what I do. Of course proofreading is not my ideal kind of work. However, I am much more willing to do it because its for my business than I would be if I was working for someone’s else.

And I don’t feel like I am giving anyone a free ride, meaning I get all the profit from my work. No one tells me how to do it, when to do it, and then gets to keeps the profits from the money I just earned. I don’t want to be an employee expense or a part of the costs. There is no future in that. I want to be the owner who keeps the profits and grows the business. There is a future in that.

My future goal is to do much more. I want to build on this proofreading and translating business and offer more services and capabilities. I want to eventually go into international consulting and trade, market research, real estate and investments.

Actually, I want to do photography too. Now that I have been taking pictures in China, I have discovered how fun it is. I like pictures that give you a feeling. I really enjoy taking pictures of people here. Everyday, just walking around you see people doing all kinds of things in different ways than I am used to in America. Most of the pictures are of people on the streets. Maybe I am struck by how their lives are. Like the lady who spends her days picking up bottles and cardboard boxes and putting them on her cart. She is constantly on the lookout for something to collect. But I see her stop for a moment, chats with another guy doing the same thing, then back off to the hunt.



I can not imagine doing that kind of work. I would not say its below me, but I would prefer not to do that. But I can not imagine what drove this lady to have to do that day after day. Why she has no other sources to draw from which to live. It makes me think and feel fortunate that I have what I have.

I can't say enough about how much I think of Ayn Rand's book and her philosophy. I feel like I have been converted.