Introduction China’s unique consumer culture can be traced back to the turn of the twentieth century when it was closely related to and acted as an aid to nationalism. According to Gerth, Chinese consumption trends in the 1920s were directed by the slogan ‘Chinese should consume China made products’ (4). The motive behind this trend was to encourage the consumption of Chinese products, and nationalism was used to foster this belief and trend (Gerth 4). Consumption at this early age can be assumed to having been directed by the government, which used to regulate the goods which were consumed by its citizens. The onset of globalization shifted this trend from the ethnocentric tendency to consumerism where the Chinese citizens got access to various types of brands irrespective of their government’s preferences (Croll) 302. This trend has brought with it a unique form of consumer behavior characterized by a spendthrift habit that is different from the earlier existent saving behavior (Davis 77). This paper discuses the effect of the Chinese consumer behavior on the middle class citizens in China. Consumption Behavior in Early China According to Gerth the consumer culture in china was being used to promote nationalism during the Mao and immediate post Mao regimes (4). At this time, the main aim of this initiative was to link consumption and nationalism by introducing the issue of national products and brands. Consumption of these national products was highly encouraged in addition to being viewed as patriotism. Shoppers who kept stock and sold the locally made products were well treated and publicized by the government. On the contrary, the ones who sold foreign commodities were labeled anti-patriotic. The government’s attempt... ... middle of paper ... ...abit among its citizens. The promotion of this habit is in line with the global consumerism trend that has its roots in the western nations. This trend involves availing a wide variety of goods to the consumers, with an aim of wooing them to consume them. Works Cited Croll, Elisabeth. China's New Consumers: Social Development and Domestic Demand. London: Routledge, 2006. Print. Davis, Deborah. The Consumer Revolution in Urban China. Berkeley, CA: University of California, 2000. Print. Gerth, Karl. China Made: Consumer Culture and the Creation of the Nation. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2004. Print. Li, Cheng. China's Emerging Middle Class: Beyond Economic Transformation. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution, 2010. Print. Wu, Yanrui. China's Consumer Revolution: the Emerging Patterns of Wealth and Expenditure. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 1999. Print.
and Political Culture in Modern China, eds. Jeffrey Wasserstrom and Perry, Elizabeth, Oxford: Westview Press, 1994.
Graham, Hutchings. Modern China; A Guide to a Century of Change. Cambridge: Harvard University Press,2001
Individual’s consumption pattern and purchase decision are strongly influenced by cultural norms and values of the society he lives in (H. S. Kim & Drolet, 2003; Oyserman, Coon, & Kemmelmeier, 2002; Sun, Horn, & Merritt, 2004). Since individuals in collectivist society pay more attention towards harmony of the gro...
Fairbank, John King. The Great Chinese Revolution 1800-1985. New York, NY: Harper & Row, 1986.
In addition to the individual level, religious identity (achieved identity) for understanding consumer behavior becoming more and more attention has been paid. It in relation to religious communities which is personal belongs. Currently, the vast majority of the world 's religions are held for consumption a critical attitude, born of greed in their opposition to consumption, waste, and self-indulgent hedonism (Ross, S A. 1991)Since the 21st century, in-depth development of economic globalization and multinational companies, not only provides to the worlds economy a huge boost, but also brought to the worlds economy many uncertainties. In response to these changing marketing environment, many scholars began to try from a cultural perspective
Moore, Malcolm, “China Analysis: Cultural Revolution Continues to Cast Shadow,” The Telegraph, March 14, 2012,
...ls but do not fit into a proletariat class: they are the consumers who work service jobs. Assembly and manufacturing jobs left the U.S. during a period of deindustrialization and moved overseas, creating a transnational capitalist class with U.S. workers torn between Marx’s “petit bourgeoisie” and the proletariat worker, Sklair defines them as a fraction of the capitalist class who share mutual interests and lead similar lifestyles to the corporate fraction of modern capitalists. The Chinese worker is a tool in the perpetuation of Sklair’s “culture-ideology of consumerism” where consumers in the U.S. care more about buying the latest iPhone than about workers’ conditions in Foxconn Technologies in China.
Beyond the depths of Communism, and governmental control the modern Chinese consumer has accessibility to earn higher incomes, provide for their families, enjoy leisure and have amenities that were once rare in a country that was once rural land. Now, with technological advancements and modernization of cities the Chinese consumer is able to live a lifestyle of luxury unlike the past, where luxury was once only possessed by those who were rich.
“While there is significant variation across regions, within the cities and within the rural areas, the most significant inequality is between the urban and the rural” (Saich, 2011:316).
China has an area of 9.6 million square kilometers and a coastline of 18,000 kilometers (Network Center of MOFCOM, 2004). It has a population of 1,401,586,609 people as of 2015 (Worldometers, 2015). In China they tend to eat a lot of the same foods. Some of the local food consists of rice, noodles, fish, vegetables and meats (Parkinson, 2011). “China is described as a collectivist country because it “emphasizes the needs and goals of the group as a whole over the needs and wishes of each individual ().” “Upholding a stable and harmonious society has been viewed as the most important role of ethics (Werth, 2013).”
Hoobler, Dorothy, Thomas Hoobler, and Michael Kort, comps. China: Regional Studies Series. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Globe Fearon, 1993. 174-177.
Retrieved March 21, 2001, from the World Wide Web: http://english.peopledaily.com. Chinatown Online is a wonderful site with an abundance of information about China. http://www.chinatown-online.com/. Henslin, J. M. (1999). The Species of the Species. Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach (4th ed.).
In addition to this, agricultural policy under Mao broke the link between rural and urban economies. It established an agricultural sector that was isolated from the urban economy. Th...
Stearns, Peter N. Consumerism in World History : The Global Transformation of Desire. Themes in World History. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2006.
There is no doubt today that the nature of Chinese society is distinctly similar to the society under the Mao era and even under the Deng Xiaoping era. Many attribute this change to the reform and opening that had occurred in China under Deng Xiaoping. The emergence of the internet coupled with sociological shifts has created a China that is closely relatable to the U.S society. This paper will discuss how society has changed through various topics such as, migration, dating, media, youth and religion. In addition, what factors elicited these changes and why?