A Changan mini pickup truck, seen in the summer of 2011 in south-central Beijing. The truck itself was no longer in use as a driving vehicle, it was basically just a cart.
The cabin was used to store boxes. The freight area was used for business. The truck was a part of a much larger fruit stall, seen at the right side of the photo. Summers in Beijing were always a feast of fresh fruits, with melons and cherries and strawberries.
The truck was made by the Changan-Suzuki joint venture and based on the seventh generation Suzuki Carry. The joint venture was founded in 1993 and sadly ended in 2018, when Suzuki completely pulled out of the Chinese car market.
Watermelons were sold by half or by whole. There was always this odd procedure where consumers would grab a melon, put their ear to it, knock on the melon, and listen. My girlfriend did that too before buying one. I’ve tried it many times as well but was never able to discern a good watermelon from a bad one. But they sure were sweet and tasty!
On the other side of the road I found this bed sheet. The dancing figurine is none other than Haibao, the official mascot of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. Haibao was everywhere in Shanghai at the time, but in Beijing it was quite a rare sight.