A number of shoe polishing shops have recently appeared in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province.
For only one yuan (US$12 cents), citizens can enjoy the convenience of having their shoes polished and the business are becoming popular.
In one shoe polishing chain store, four staff members wearing red uniforms carefully and patiently polishing shoes for customers.
One customer said that the shop's neat footrests, soft seats and cordial service make him feel at home.
A staff member said that his shop not only offers a shoe polishing service, but also mends customers' shoes and sells shoe-pads to them. Although it has only been open for ten days it has attracted so many customers that sometimes they have to queue outside.
Some farmers trying to find work in the city saw the market potential for the service. By setting up shoe-polishing stools in the street, they started a successful business bringing a good income.
(Xinhua News Agency December 6, 2001)
