Unveiling Opportunities: Evaluating the Latest Innovations in China’s Landscape

1. Honey badgers and iPad kids: Experts weigh in on Gen Alpha

  • Generation Alpha, born between 2010 and 2024; is a demographic that is predicted to be the biggest in history.

  • According to experts, they will inevitably hold the biggest spending power and are already influencing household purchasing decisions.

  • Since children are capable of creating brand associations as young as three, it’s essential to look at what’s shaping their interests. Their familiarity with technology is influencing their perspective on the internet and technology as a whole.

  • Compared with Gen Z, more closed nature of sharing will likely fuel the rise of virtual selves, especially due to their comfortability with the Metaverse and avatars.

  • Brands need to be aware that the children of today live in a different digital world, with new rules, humor, language, and practices.

 

Link:
https://jingdaily.com/posts/honey-badgers-and-ipad-kids-experts-weigh-in-on-gen-alpha

 

2. Chinese drama ‘Blossoms Shanghai’ sparks interest in bespoke fashion

  • ‘Blossoms Shanghai,’ a TV series by Wong Kar Wai, has spurred consumer nostalgia for ‘90s fashion, travel, and beauty trends.

  • Content related to the drama has accumulated a staggering 4.3 billion views on China’s micro-blogging platform Weibo.

  • The series has also catalyzed a boom in bespoke suits for men, a nod to the sartorial elegance of the 1990s as depicted in the show. A key scene shows the protagonist transforming from an unnoticed city dweller into a sophisticated gentleman through a bespoke suit.

  • On Xiaohongshu, netizens are sharing tips on how to dress like the characters on the show. “Many ready-made clothes aren’t suitably elegant.

  • Meanwhile, booking platform Ctrip reports that searches and bookings for Shanghai have recently increased 20 percent.

 

Link:
https://jingdaily.com/posts/chinese-drama-blossoms-shanghai-bespoke-fashion

3. Impressive campaign ideas in 2024

  • Cui Jian’s Concert: Egg

Uses an egg to show us the uniqueness of Chinese rock. It is not as hard as stone, but more viable. The uniqueness of Chinese rock music, it is a more powerful force that continues to grow with the changes of the times, but no matter how the appearance changes, the core remains the same.

  • Union Pay (Charity Ad): Glowing stones in the mountains

The stones are rough, silent, and tough, just like children in the mountains. Finding the shining points of children and making efforts based on them is a long-lasting case for the brand.

  • Mengniu: 2024 “Unreasonable” blessings

This short film starts from six scenes and combines hurdles, climbing, taekwondo and other sports to convey beautiful blessings to the audience in a concrete way. The magical plot is both exaggerated and full of laughter, instantly igniting people’s expectations for the new year.

Link:
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/CfEahGhV2_0OWIOnODkLyg

 

4. Harbin icy spectacles draw record-breaking 3M visitors

  • Harbin is generating a record-high amount of tourism revenue thanks to social media hype. Brands like Lancôme have taken notice.

  • Every winter, China’s northeastern city of Harbin is transformed into a winter wonderland. Picture 250,000 cubic meters of ice meticulously carved into 1,000 ethereal ice sculptures, taking the shape of castles, temples, mythical creatures, and more.

  • Social media has played a key role in drawing crowds to the city. On Xiaohongshu, the hashtags “Harbin” and “Harbin travel” boast a total of 1.9 billion views and 800 million views, respectively.

  • Luxury beauty label Lancôme, for instance, has crafted a crystal-clear installation in the shape of the Arc de Triomphe, featuring the handiwork of multimedia Chinese artist Jacky Tsai, which make for fun photoshoot spots.

Link:
https://jingdaily.com/posts/harbin-ice-snow-festival-record-breaking-visitors

5. Top Chinese livestreamers are flocking to overseas TikToK

  • Crazy Little Brother Yang has just become the first in what could be a wave of Chinese livestreamers moving to tap into the overseas e-commerce market. Crazy Little Brother Yang, who is known for his larger-than-life comedic antics, was the first livestreamer to reach 100 million subscribers on Douyin, TikTok’s separate sister app in China.

  • Crazy Little Brother Yang held his first overseas broadcast on Singaporean TikTok on January 15.

  • Yang is not the only major Chinese livestreamer planning to break into TikTok. The former tutoring company Oriental Selection (also known as East Buy), now one of Douyin’s biggest channels, is recruiting for a raft of TikTok-related positions, Liepin.com job listings reveal.

  • Moving to TikTok could be a way for livestreamers to salvage their careers away from the watchful gaze of the Chinese internet. On top of this, the growth rate of Chinese platforms is slowing down in terms of both GMV and users, making now the perfect time to invest in their overseas counterparts.

Link:
https://daoinsights.com/news/top-chinese-livestreamers-are-flocking-to-overseas-tiktok/

 

6. Chinese are shifting work-life balance toward ‘life,’ poll shows:

  • Two-thirds of Chinese consumers have come to value their private lives more than success at work to a greater degree than before the pandemic.

  • Many have been struggling to find work amid a slowing economy and job cuts at tech companies. Asked about prospects for career advancement, 41% see less room for promotion than they did before 2019, while 37% see no difference. Respondents showed less interest in learning skills for work, focusing more on personal pursuits. A total of 45% feel they spend too much time on their smartphones

  • There is a growing trend toward a type of relaxed self-improvement. More people named going to the gym or doing yoga, traveling, volunteering, camping and fishing, and cooking as activities they enjoyed last year. Fewer mentioned gaming or learning work skills.

  • For brands, it gets back to understanding primary motivations. Touting success in careers is still important for some consumers, but it doesn’t hold the same widespread appeal as it once did.

Link:
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Society/Chinese-are-shifting-work-life-balance-toward-life-poll-shows

7. Inventory of China Mobile Internet “Dark Horses”

Driven by the vitality of the offline economy and the continuous increase in the proportion of post-2000 users (12.4%), there are more traffic dark horses in office, travel, and life service apps in 2023.

  • The “dark horse” application is the most prominent growth application during the same period, with a relatively small overall user base

  • In 2023, tourism and travel will become a hot field, with mobile games accounting for 20% of newly launched apps

  • Multiple mobile games have shown impressive performance, with strong growth in AIGC (AI Generated Content)  and short drama apps

  • The dark horse WeChat mini program is scattered, and the life travel Alipay mini program is growing faster, and the Douyin short drama mini program is soaring

Mini programs have also experienced rapid growth, with WeChat mini programs appearing as “dark horses” in the fields of finance and daily life.

Link:
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/GWN1_dm3GZkj5uAn2SUIhg

Exploring Possibilities: Assessing the Latest Advancements in China’s Industry

1.Maths professor recognised as top content creator by Bilibili

  • Mathematics professor Song Hao gains fame on China’s Bilibili platform, akin to YouTube.

  • He got 7.2 million subscribers and 140 million views on certain videos, but recognition as one of Bilibili’s Top 100 Channels of 2023 is attributed to his “Longest Viewing Time.”

  • Hao’s award reflects the highest cumulative hours of viewing since 2021, emphasizing Bilibili’s unique approach to honoring creators based on expertise, influence, and innovation.

  • Bilibili intentionally rewards creators with clear specialist content areas, aiming to distinguish itself from platforms with generic content such as Douyin.

LINK:

https://daoinsights.com/news/maths-professor-recognised-as-top-content-creator-by-bilibili/

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/p7Vacoa9aTscYRFNKD4bqw

 

2.China’s Gen Z wants ‘lazy health,’ budget lifestyle trends in 2024

Whether it is due to an intensive work schedule, geographical distance, or social isolation, China’s Gen Zers are experiencing a so-called “friendship recession.” Their shopping habits and hobbies have evolved in response to mounting social and economic pressures. Below are five of the key trending terms on the platform that capture Gen Z users’ mentality entering the new year.

 

  • Self-love (自恋浪漫主义):

Young Chinese are learning to embrace their flaws and live on their own terms.

  • Value-for-money lifestyle (性价比生活):

Chinese young consumers are adopting a more rational approach to their consumption.

  • Lazy health (懒系健康):

Young people are opting for low-cost and low-effort methods to maintain their well-being.

  • Stress-relief worship (释压崇拜):

Young workers have been relieving their stress by volunteering or meditating at temples.

  • Rebuilding neighborhoods (重构“多维”附近):

As Chinese youth experience isolation in urban environments, there’s a growing desire to seek connections within the community and build relationships with their neighborhood.

LINK: https://jingdaily.com/posts/china-gen-z-lifestyle-trends-soul-2024

 

3.Tsingtao brews up new ice cream sub-brand

  • The Chinese beer brewery Tsingtao has just dropped a beer-flavoured ice cream. At the helm of the product launch is Tsingtao World, China’s first beer museum situated in the company’s birthplace in Qingdao’s Old Town.

  • Tsingtao World has been developing beer-flavoured ice cream for 10 years and has even been selling it on-site for some time. Now they finally going to be rolled out nationwide under the new brand name Pi Ka Bing “啤咔冰”,

  • There are also a pair of sweet, fruity twists to the main ice cream flavours, like Original Beer with Vanilla and Buttermilk and White Beer with Cherry Blossom and White Peach.

LINK: https://daoinsights.com/news/tsingtao-brews-up-new-ice-cream-sub-brand/

4.Michelle Yeoh stars in a Chinese New Year short film for Lululemon

  • Academy Award-winning actress Michelle Yeoh joins eight Wing Chun dancers to herald the arrival of the Spring season in Lululemon’s short film, Be Spring.

  • The film celebrates the arrival of Spring through the concept of wellbeing, encouraging everyone to find their eternal spring in their everyday lives.

  • The 61-year-old star and the Wing Chun dancers are clad in Lululemon’s Lunar New Year capsule collection that draws inspiration from dragon scales, a timely nod to the year of the dragon.

  • This campaign gained great popularity on China’s social media like RED, where Lululemon surged on the top when searching for Michelle Yeoh.

  • This campaign also received waves of positive reactions from social media users, it shows lululemons focuses on Chinese kungfu culture.

LINK: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/style-beauty/michelle-yeoh-lululemon-chinese-new-year-382926

5.What is the ‘Metallic Girl’ fashion trend in China?

  • Metallic Girl (五金女孩) refers to women who adopt a metallic aesthetic, and in less than three weeks, this trend has garnered 2.2 billion views on Douyin and 22 million views on Xiaohongshu. It has also claimed the top spot in eight Douyin hot topic rankings so far.

  • Incorporating elements such as patent leather, glitter, sequins, glossy satin, golden eyeshadows, or anything with a metallic or shiny quality — Metallic Girl brings a touch of brightness to the normally dull and muted fall wardrobe, aiming to elevate both the outfit and the wearer’s mood.

  • What makes China’s Metallic Girl fashion trend distinctive is its origin; it’s not an organic phenomenon, but rather a trend manufactured by Douyin E-commerce to generate original content and attract more traffic to its platform.

LINK: https://jingdaily.com/posts/what-is-metallic-girl-fashion-trend-china

6.The total value of goods sold through WeChat’s video Channels nearly tripled year-on-year in 2023

  • The total value of goods sold through WeChat’s TikTok-like service nearly tripled year-on-year in 2023

  • the key figure was revealed at WeChat’s annual flagship event, but creator of the all-in-one app, Allen Zhang, was absent from the event again for three years and director-level executives also haven’t attend this year.

  • Tencent did not disclose absolute figures. Livestreaming e-commerce orders completed on Channels, WeChat’s in-app short video feature launched in 2020, increased by over 244%, the company said.

  • Tencent allowed content creators to charge viewers for watching certain videos last year, and has now expanded that to allow creators with at least 10,000 followers to set up members-only areas, where they post content only for paid subscribers.

LINK: https://www.yicai.com/news/101954484.html