New Chinese-style consumption goes beyond the circle, unlocking 8 "young people's markets"

This article introduces the rise and influence of the new Chinese consumption trend in multiple fields such as catering, beauty, home furnishings, and clothing, showing the integration of traditional culture and modern aesthetics, as well as the appeal of this trend to young consumers.

In recent years, "New Chinese Style", as a design concept that combines the essence of traditional culture with modern aesthetic trends, has rapidly emerged in the consumer market and has become a new trend in many fields. "National Style" and "National Tide" have spread across a variety of consumer scenarios, involving catering, beauty, clothing, cultural tourism and other aspects.

At the same time, "New Chinese Style", as a keyword to start a new round of iteration in the consumer market, has successfully unlocked the young people's demand for Chinese aesthetics, stimulated new consumption growth, and is still evolving from the outside to the inside to derive various "New Chinese Consumption Scenarios". At present, consumers feel not only the unique charm of Chinese aesthetics, but also the new consumption experience that integrates "New Chinese Style".

01 New Chinese Dining: Food Innovation on the Tip of Your Tongue

As the saying goes, "food is the first necessity of the people." The catering market is the earliest and most lively area where the new Chinese consumption trend emerged.

According to the New Chinese Catering Insight Report 2024, the scale of the new Chinese catering market has grown from 62.9 billion in 2021 to 90.7 billion in 2023, and is expected to exceed 100 billion in 2024. In the market, the Chinese concept has penetrated into all areas of the catering industry, and brands such as Chinese tea drinks, Chinese pastries, and Chinese hamburgers have emerged in an endless stream, gradually occupying the streets and alleys.

Among them, new Chinese tea drinks, as a new trend that has emerged in recent years, are very popular. According to Hongcan Big Data, as of June 2024, there are more than 20,000 new Chinese tea drink stores across the country. The reason why new Chinese tea drinks have won the favor of the market is largely due to its strict control and innovation in raw materials. From traditional milk tea to innovative drinks that integrate herbs, new Chinese tea drinks pay more attention to health and quality in the selection of raw materials, which fully meets the health needs of young people for low fat, low sugar and low calories.

In addition, according to the observation of Jingzhe Research Institute, new Chinese tea beverage brands contain oriental aesthetics from brand name, product name to product structure, tea-based ingredients, and design style. In particular, they deeply explore cultural elements in store design and consumer experience, creating a third space for consumers that combines retro charm and modern fashion.

Compared with the "pure Chinese taste" of tea drinks, the concept of "new Chinese hamburger" is a localized transformation of Western fast food. As a new fast food option that combines Chinese ingredients with Western fast food, the emergence of new Chinese hamburger reflects the market's demand for healthy and diversified diets.

Compared with conventional hamburgers, the new Chinese hamburger, while retaining the basic structure of the traditional hamburger, boldly and innovatively uses Chinese ingredients and sauces. It deviates from the traditional fried bread and instead uses healthier pancakes as a carrier. While meeting the contemporary consumers' demand for healthy diets, it also retains the satiety and satisfaction of a hamburger.

In addition, the sudden rise of new Chinese-style pastries is also a localized innovation that combines consumer market trends with traditional mature categories. On the one hand, as consumer preferences gradually merge, the boundaries between Chinese and Western pastries are becoming increasingly blurred, prompting some brands to try to create new and popular product forms while retaining traditional characteristics. On the other hand, domestic consumers' demand for local pastries is increasing day by day, giving new Chinese-style pastry brands more attention and business opportunities.

It is worth noting that new Chinese-style pastries have also ushered in changes in consumption scenarios. When traditional pastries such as mooncakes and rice dumplings are facing a market trend of slow sales as holiday gifts, new Chinese-style pastries have become a more lifelike daily delicacy with normalized product forms and a sales method mainly based on store retail, which also provides a variety of consumption scenarios for new Chinese-style catering to become a new trend.

Behind the "New Chinese Style Dining" craze is a group of young people who have a deep affection for traditional Chinese culture. They are happy to explore and spread their own cultural symbols, which is the fundamental reason why "New Chinese Style" has become popular. For this consumer group, "New Chinese Style" not only represents a dietary choice, but also a way of expressing their identity. The successful practice of "New Chinese Style" in the catering industry has undoubtedly shown the market the possibility of how traditional culture can be reborn in modern society.

02 New Chinese Beauty: The “Concreteization” of Traditional Aesthetics

At the intersection of tradition and modernity, new Chinese-style beauty is quietly becoming popular with its unique charm. New Chinese-style makeup has also begun to enter the mainstream vision in recent years, and Chinese-style makeup with slender eyebrows, under-eye color, and pearly lips has attracted much attention. According to the "2024 Fashion Trend Marketing Trend Insights" released by Enlighten, from March 2023 to February 2024, the content of new Chinese-style beauty-related notes on Xiaohongshu increased by 324% year-on-year, and the number of interactions increased by 173.6% year-on-year.

The increase in consumer attention stems from the exploration of "Chinese aesthetics" by local brands. On the one hand, many domestic beauty brands have conducted in-depth research on the facial features of Chinese people and integrated traditional aesthetics to create makeup that meets Chinese aesthetic standards. On the other hand, they have combined traditional cultural elements with modern aesthetic concepts in product design.

On social platforms such as Xiaohongshu, the abstract "Chinese aesthetic" is embodied in various new Chinese makeup, and popular keywords such as "cold feeling", "peaceful face", and "gentle and noble" are extended. The new Chinese makeup of "beauty lies in the bones, not in the skin" is perfectly compatible with various Chinese face shapes, and pays more attention to the unique visual effect of overall close-fitting feeling and appropriate white space, which has also led to the popularity of eyebrow pencils, shadows, lip makeup and highlighter products.

New Chinese-style beauty is not only reflected in the makeup itself, but also in the consistency of brand vision and product positioning. New Chinese-style beauty brands often draw on traditional Chinese handicrafts, such as jade and porcelain, in packaging design, using gloss and texture as the keynote to create a Chinese-style elegant visual effect.

Through the design concept of "simplifying the complex", the new Chinese-style beauty brands not only convey a respect and inheritance of traditional culture, but also provide consumers with a new makeup experience. With the continuous exploration and innovation of local brands, I believe that more brands will join this ranks in the future to jointly promote the development and growth of new Chinese-style beauty.

03 New Chinese style home: modern and ancient coexistence

The home furnishing market is also the most natural area for the development of the "new Chinese style" consumption trend. According to a survey by Qiangua Data, the traffic of "new Chinese style home furnishing" continued to grow in 2023, and the number of related grass-planting notes on Xiaohongshu increased by more than 63%, with an average monthly interaction of millions. The new Chinese style furniture market is also maturing. In addition to wooden furniture, the number of grass-planting notes or interactions for other categories such as "wallpaper, carpet, mattress" also increased by more than 300%.

The first major feature of the new Chinese style is that it demonstrates the inheritance of culture. It is not a pure stacking of elements, but a re-creation of traditional elements. The Jingzhe Research Institute has noticed that compared with the old-fashioned atmosphere created by the complicated carvings in the traditional Chinese style, the new Chinese style is more inclined to simple and crisp lines. For example, the corners of sofas, beds, dining tables and other furniture are more rounded, and the complex carvings are reduced, making the furniture look neater, so it is popular among young people.

In addition, many consumers not only pay attention to the overall decoration effect in the new Chinese style decoration, but also pay attention to the scene matching of small objects, such as setting lamps of the same style on both sides of the bed, placing the four treasures of the study and incense sticks on the desk, and placing vases on the table, so as to create a unique oriental Zen. According to Tmall data, the Chinese elements in the hot-selling products of the new Chinese style home include ceramics, antique shelves, vases, bonsai, rockery, enamel stones, etc.

It can be said that new Chinese style furniture is meeting the multiple demands of contemporary people for home life with its unique style. The oriental style design complements the modern home style. At the same time, the improvement of practicality also makes this type of home furnishing widely sought after. It can be predicted that as consumers' recognition of traditional culture continues to increase, new Chinese style home furnishing will surely become the darling of the home furnishing market.

04 New Chinese Clothing: Old Styles and New Styles

Right now, the trend of "new Chinese style" dressing is becoming more and more popular. From "New Year's battle suit" to shirt with horse-faced skirt, "new Chinese style" clothing is appearing more and more in people's daily scenes. Unlike other short-lived dressing styles, the popularity of this new Chinese style clothing has not diminished at all.

In 2023, the market size of new Chinese style clothing will reach 1 billion yuan. During the Spring Festival in 2024, the popularity of "new Chinese style" has soared. According to data from JD.com, since January, the transaction volume of women's Hanfu with "dragon" elements on the JD.com platform has increased by 2 times year-on-year. With the precipitation and selection of the times, the clothing that has evolved for thousands of years in history has weakened the established sense of ritual and solemnity, and has transformed into "new Chinese style clothing" with more pioneering innovation and public openness, and is once again active in the lives of young people.

In fact, there is no consensus on the concept of "new Chinese style" clothing. The "new" in "new Chinese style" does not represent a time scale, but emphasizes the innovation of style. In a broad sense, clothing that combines traditional Chinese elements with modern fashion design can be classified as "new Chinese style". Compared with traditional Chinese clothing, "new Chinese style" clothing has a richer category: on the basis of retaining traditional styles, it integrates the styles of modern clothing such as suits, down jackets, and dresses.

New Chinese clothing not only focuses on the integration of tradition and modernity in clothing design, but also innovates in accessories. For example, traditional accessories such as fans, hairpins, jade pendants, etc. can be reinterpreted with modern design techniques and become matching items to form an overall style and temperament expression.

According to the "2024 Taotian Jewelry Spring and Summer Trend Report" released by Taobao, the new Chinese style has brought Chinese style jewelry into fashion, and pearls and turquoise have become the new favorites in the jewelry industry. Chinese style jewelry represented by necklaces, hairpins, and natural stone beaded necklaces combines elements of traditional Chinese culture with modern design concepts, becoming the finishing touch of young people's new Chinese style.

As traditional Chinese culture is gaining more and more attention around the world, new Chinese-style clothing is gradually becoming the darling of the fashion circle with its unique cultural elements. At the same time, consumers' enthusiasm for traditional Chinese culture has also brought broad market prospects for new Chinese-style clothing. Consumers are increasingly pursuing fashionable items with personalized and cultural connotations, which will surely promote the vigorous development of new Chinese-style clothing in the domestic market.

05 New Chinese wedding: a sense of ceremony that combines retro and trendy

In recent years, along with the great changes in young people's concept of marriage, wedding customs have also quietly changed. Some young people abandon the cumbersome process and pursue a "three-no" wedding with no motorcade, no bride pick-up, and no best man or bridesmaid. Some young people are no longer satisfied with the Western wedding model and choose a customized new Chinese wedding.

At the same time, as Hanfu culture gradually enters the public eye and becomes a fashion trend, many young people begin to try wearing new Chinese-style clothing to participate in various activities, and even wear it as wedding attire. When the "post-95s" and "post-00s" become the main consumers in the wedding market, wedding forms also show a trend of personalized diversity, and the concept of customized weddings has gradually emerged. Coupled with the "planting of grass" on channels such as social media, more people have learned about and are willing to try new Chinese-style weddings.

However, the high prices of new Chinese wedding supplies and services have also formed a certain threshold. "A simple Chinese wedding costs at least 50,000 yuan, and the clothing rental fee alone is more than 10,000 yuan, and this price is already cheap." Xiaobu, who held her wedding in 2023, told Jingzhe Research Institute.

"Because a Chinese wedding is not just about the presentation of scenes, but also about costumes, props and traditional etiquette. In order to ensure the overall experience of the wedding process, we found a Chinese MC with more experience, so the price is not low; for makeup artists, Chinese weddings require more professionalism, and the hair accessories and makeup worn in each dynasty are different. It is more challenging for makeup artists to have professional skills." Although a customized new Chinese wedding is not cheap, Xiaobu also said that "the wedding is very good and the money is well spent."

Nowadays, the new trend of wedding consumption reflects the young generation's view on marriage and consumption that keeps pace with the times. This trend is not only reflected in the wedding ceremony itself, but also extends to wedding photos, wedding banquets and other aspects. As an innovative form with great development potential, the new Chinese-style wedding is expected to continue to occupy an important position in the wedding market in the future.

06 New Chinese Tourism: Waiting for the "God's Man"

The cultural tourism market has become the hottest industry in recent years. On short video platforms, cities such as Zibo, Harbin, and Tianshui have taken turns to be "Internet celebrity cities". Young people are taking what they need from "special forces tourism" and "reverse tourism", and "new Chinese tourism" that visits museums and ancient buildings in various places has become the most representative way of travel.

As cultural confidence continues to grow, the younger generation has begun to pay more attention to traditional culture and has used various methods to gain a deeper understanding of and feel the charm of historical culture. As a result, activities such as visiting ancient sites, experiencing traditional culture up close, and visiting museums to collect archaeological blind boxes have become a new travel trend.

Some cities rely on their cultural heritage to innovate consumption scenarios and meet tourists' "knowledge-seeking" needs, and new Chinese-style tourism continues to heat up. Rather than saying that new Chinese-style tourism is a way of traveling, it is better to say that it is a cultural experience. Through field visits and personal experience, tourists can more intuitively understand the profound historical and cultural heritage and deepen their understanding of traditional culture. At the same time, the process of visiting ancient monuments is also a process of promoting and protecting cultural heritage, which helps to raise public awareness of cultural heritage protection.

Hot discussions on social media also continue to attract attention to the new Chinese-style tourism. In the article "Is the museum out of the circle all thanks to the Internet?", the Jingzhe Research Institute mentioned that data from Meituan and Dianping showed that this summer, the number of overall exhibition and museum notes on the platform increased by nearly 700% year-on-year. Under the influence of the overwhelming traffic brought by the domestic hit game "Black Myth: Wukong", Ctrip data showed that in the first three days of the National Day holiday, the number of travel orders in Shanxi Province increased by 63% compared with the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, and the booking amount increased by 171%.

The charm of new Chinese cultural tourism lies in the organic combination of traditional Chinese folk culture and modern tourism experience, so that tourists can deeply feel the connotation of culture while having a happy experience. For example, check in at historical museums, experience intangible cultural heritage skills, and some ancient towns integrate festival culture into it, so that tourists can feel as if they have traveled through time and space and immersed in the atmosphere of traditional festivals. In the city, national trend performances, intangible cultural heritage markets and other forms have also become important platforms for promoting the deep integration of cultural tourism. The use of modern aesthetics and advanced technology has further highlighted the charm of the cultural characteristics of various places.

This "new Chinese-style" tourism not only promotes the innovative development of traditional culture, but also drives new consumption growth points, injecting new impetus and advantages into the high-quality development of the economy. The display of cultural confidence is driving China's tourism industry to present unprecedented vitality.

07 New Chinese style health preservation: a new health trend for the younger generation

Eight-section brocade in the morning, health water in the afternoon, a walk after dinner in the evening, massage before bed... On Xiaohongshu, young people who cherish their lives share more and more hot posts about health-preserving life. With the continuous improvement of national health awareness, more and more young people are beginning to pay attention to their physical and mental health. According to data from the Xiaohongshu platform, from October 2023 to March 2024, the interaction heat of content related to "health preservation" exceeded 24 million.

The new Chinese style of keeping in good health has a profound theoretical basis. The concepts it advocates, such as "harmony between man and nature" and "harmony between yin and yang", are consistent with modern people's pursuit of a natural and harmonious life attitude. The health-keeping methods are diverse, including simple movements suitable for office white-collar workers, as well as Tai Chi and Ba Duan Jin suitable for all ages. This flexibility allows people of different ages and professions to find a health-keeping method that suits them. Therefore, the new Chinese style of keeping in good health has gradually been favored by more and more groups with its unique theoretical system and methods.

In addition, the Jingzhe Research Institute mentioned in "From Doubt to Reality, Young People Fall in Love with Chinese Health Care" that with the rise of the Chinese health care craze, more and more young people have begun to use related health care products or subscribe to professional fitness and health care courses. The Chinese health care industry on the market has gradually developed into a more comprehensive and mature one.

Some Tai Chi gyms and martial arts gyms offer Ba Duan Jin experience classes, which are mainly suitable for consumers with no basic knowledge. They focus on health care and conditioning and experiencing traditional culture. The target groups are people with sub-health and three highs. The single fee ranges from 50 yuan to 200 yuan, and the full set of one-on-one private lessons costs between 1,000 yuan and 2,000 yuan.

Some professional TCM clinics have also added health consultation and offline health training courses. At the same time, more and more high-end health products have appeared on the market, such as high-end Chinese herbal medicines, high-end health products, high-end health resorts, etc., meeting the needs of some consumers for high-quality health products.

In the ready-made tea industry and convenience stores, "Chinese health water" made from natural herbs, fruits or medicinal materials through cooking, extraction and other processes has also begun to gain popularity. According to the "2024 China Chinese Health Water Industry Development Trend Insight Report" released by the Forward Industry Research Institute, the scale of China's Chinese health water market will reach 450 million yuan in 2023, a year-on-year increase of more than 350%, and is expected to reach a scale of over 10 billion yuan by 2028.

It can be seen that in the fast-paced modern life, today's young generation has begun to return to the traditional lifestyle and explore ways of keeping in good health that are in line with their own cultural background. The emergence of "new Chinese health preservation" also means that tradition and modernity are not contradictory, but can complement each other.

08 New Chinese style games: the cyber rise of traditional aesthetics

As an emerging phenomenon that combines traditional Chinese elements with modern lifestyle, "New Chinese Style" has rapidly emerged in daily life and literary creation in recent years, becoming a hot topic in the fields of culture, fashion and economy. In the field of electronic games, "New Chinese Style" is particularly prominent.

According to the 2023 China Game Industry Report, the scale of China's game market has exceeded 300 billion yuan, with 668 million users. The "new Chinese" elements in the game express the Chinese people's demands for the development of their own culture through modern communication methods, and broaden the world's understanding of Chinese culture.

For a long time, the impression labels of domestic games are mainly martial arts, fairy tales and other national style elements. However, with the changes in the market and the diversification of player needs, the concept of "new Chinese style" has begun to be updated on the basis of "national style", providing a new source of inspiration for game design and injecting more Chinese thinking into the tone of the game. Different from traditional "national style" games, new Chinese style games not only retain the essence of traditional culture, but also incorporate a more inclusive and innovative look.

For example, the selection of cultural materials has gradually shifted from elements referring to the late Qing Dynasty to Han and Tang cultural elements that symbolize more advanced civilization. The image of China has also changed from "backward" to "progressive", and from "spectacular imagination" to "rebel leader". In addition, new Chinese games have created a game world full of "fireworks" through delicate narratives and unique visual styles, allowing players to feel the integration of traditional culture and modern life.

09 Conclusion

"New Chinese style" is not only an aesthetic and design element, but also a methodology. In various consumption scenarios, it provides practitioners with new product creative paths and new business ideas.

Whether it is an industry giant or an independent team, they can create products with unique cultural cores by combining new Chinese elements on the basis of the existing market. As a consumption phenomenon, the popularity of new Chinese consumption reflects not only the change in consumption preferences, but also the shift of the focus of life of young consumers today.

With the continued development of new Chinese-style consumption, domestic products and domestic trends will have a larger market. How to seize this wave of market growth in the future is something that consumer brands in all fields in China must consider now.

Author: Chuxia This article is written by the operator author [Jingzhe Research Institute], WeChat public account: [Jingzhe Research Institute], original/authorized to be published in Operation Party, and any reproduction without permission is prohibited.

The title image is from Unsplash, based on the CC0 protocol.