The government's move to bring back street vendors went viral recently, with topics related to street vendors read more than 600 million times on Weibo, the Economic View reported on Thursday.

Preliminary statistics show at least 27 areas including provinces and cities, such as Liaoning, Jiangxi, Gansu, Shanghai, Ji'nan and Zhengzhou, are encouraging the road-side business. 

Ying Xiwen at China Minsheng Bank's think tank said street-stall economy has always been in the "grey belt" in China's urban economy, but its existence is rational to some extent, for it mitigates pressure on employment, fuels development for the tertiary industries, enlivens the market and stimulates the economy.

A relaxed control on street vendors meets consumption demand especially during the COVID-19 epidemic, Zhang Zhixin, deputy professor at the Capital University of Economics and Business said, the road-side business facilitates shopping and enlivens the cities, a way that also satisfies the requirements for epidemic control and prevention.