SHANGHAI: A snack shop in southern China has gone viral online because of the number of primary school students who flock to it after school as part of their daily routine.
Feijuan Snack in Suixi county, Guangdong province, is always crowded with young customers dressed in school uniforms, the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reported.
Students go there because of its cheap prices, for example just two yuan (27 US cents) for French fries, three yuan for chicken fillets and just one yuan for spicy noodles.
They also love the place because they can watch television for free after school.
The shop could be the country’s first to have opened at the behest of the students. Its renovation was also done under the supervision of the pupils.
Before reopening on Dec 26, the store, located near a primary school, was a struggling children’s shoe shop, packed with students as they waited for their parents to pick them up.
Its owner Qiu Zhijuan and her husband Lin Jinghuan say they treat the students like friends. - Douyin
Its owner Qiu Zhijuan and her husband Lin Jinghuan let the children sit on long benches and provided them with free cartoon TV programmes even when it was a shoe shop.
The second-hand TV set cost 500 yuan (US$70), said Lin.
In early July 2024, video footage from the shop amused internet users by showing dozens of young students knocking on the door and urging a sleeping Qiu to open up.
After she opened the door, the children rushed in and sat in front of the TV set.
The couple closed the store in November due to financial pressure, disappointing the youngsters who flocked there.
Pupils inside the shop as they wait for their parents to pick them up after school. - Douyin
The couple then started to revamp the store and many students often visited to check on the progress, sometimes helping with the renovation work.
The students also volunteered to find out what competing shops were charging for their wares.
“They gave us a lot of good advice,” Lin was quoted as saying.
“For example, a boy told me to sell spicy noodles for one yuan and in a small amount because they just want to have a taste and do not want to eat too much to affect their consumption of dinner. I adopted his idea.”
Watching television for free is just one of the attractions the snack shop offers. - Douyin
Revenues at Feijuan Snack have surged as a result.
Of the children, Qiu said: “We treat them as friends and get along with them happily.
“Some kids will help maintain the order. If there is a conflict among some students, others will intervene to calm things down.”
The story has resonated online.
“I see their store as a playground,” said one internet user.
While another joked: “The students go to the shop like they are returning home, ha ha.” - South China Morning Post/ANN
