A Study Of The Causes And Measures Of The Conflict Between Urban Management Officers And Street Vendors

Since the1990s, with the process of urbanization and social transformation in China, as well as the emergence of a large number of laid-off workers and the influx of immigrants into the city, there have been enormous street vendors in the large and medium-sized cities in China. As the conflict between urban management officers (also known as Chengguan) has caused wide public attention, we have to rethink the management and control of the street vendors.The conflict between urban management officers and vendors is caused by the official ban against vendors. Definitely there are various deficiencies in laws and regulations of city vendors. Based on a study of the history of vendors, it is evident that vendor is a way of doing business, with its own economic patterns just as other kinds of business. The fact that China is in the primary stage of socialism with a critically developmental unbalance across the country, and a huge gap between the rich and the poor will definitely contribute to the existence of mobile vendors in cities. Thus it is impossible to ban these vendors, on the contrary, to adjust the regulation of vendors and to include the vendors into standardized management seems the only way to deal with this conflict.In order to do this, it is suggested by this article to update management philosophy, and to establish people-oriented management style based on support and guide policy for vendors. Therefore, we can adjust the prohibition ban to a more humane regulation.Firstly, we should establish a license system to manage the number of vendors, and to plan the time and locations of vendors. Secondly, we should also encourage the establishment of autonomous organizations of vendors, which can help to refine industry management, to resolve industrial disputes, and to reflect the needs of the industry. Lastly we should also build a platform to include the government, the urban management officers, the vendors and the community residents, which can be served as a forum for them to communicate and negotiate.