Hundreds of Thousands Begin to Hit the Streets in China

Eight years after banning door-to-door sales for wreaking social turmoil, China is reopening its doors to the Avon lady and her rivals from Amway and Mary Kay.

Hundreds of thousands of Chinese — women and men — are beginning to hit the streets and the online world to plug the latest face cream and lip balm in flavors such as green tea.

On a recent afternoon near a giant statue of Mao Zedong, college senior and Avon sales rep Gu Binbin spread samples of cosmetics on the ground outside the student cafeteria at East China University of Science and Technology here. Gu, 22, also posted ads on his school’s bulletin boards, advertising the Avon eye serum, lotions and anti-wrinkle agents that clutter his dorm room.

Marketing to 1.3 billion people