Writers who really know China
Posted in China, China marketing, Chinese New Year, Chinese New Year Symbols, Consumer, Culture, Holidays, Winter on Mar 6th, 2007
The brightest moon of the new year welcomes a festival of light – the Lantern Festival, also the official end to Chinese New Year. Thought the new year was over after Chinese New Year’s Eve? Think again. In China, celebrating the new year is not just a matter of swinging around a few firecrackers and [...]
Posted in China, China marketing, Chinese New Year, Consumer, Culture, Strategy on Feb 22nd, 2007
It’s no secret that superstition runs deep in Chinese culture. And this Chinese New Year is yet another reminder of that, as this NPR news story discusses in the baby boom for the Golden Pig year: In China, city-dwellers are only allowed one child, so many are timing their pregnancies according to the traditional lunar [...]
Posted in China, China marketing, Chinese traditional medicine, Consumer, Culture, Winter on Jan 26th, 2007
I’ll never forget the January scene I once witnessed at a foodstuffs store on Huaihai Road — Shanghai’s main shopping drag. There they were, masses of people, lining up for this classic wonder supplement. No, it wasn’t Amway or Nuskin or even some hi-tech offering from a Chinese company. Just walnut and black sesame powder, [...]
Posted in Brands, China, China marketing, Consumer, Culture, Marketing, Retail stores, Starbucks on Jan 18th, 2007
Well, China’s given us that rare opportunity to use “Starbucks coffeehouse” and “Forbidden City” in the same sentence. And now it’s making headlines once again, almost six years after opening in one of the country’s most iconic tourist destinations. In case you missed the news back in late 2000/early 2001, here’s a quick review courtesy [...]
Posted in China, China marketing, Consumer, Culture, Holidays, New Year's Day on Dec 31st, 2006
What do you think of when January 1 approaches? An evening of wild bacchanalia? The apple drop in Times Square? Resolutions? How about adding “weddings” to that? Because, if you’re Chinese, a wedding might just be the first thing on your new year to-do list. Why is January 1 such a hot time for weddings? [...]
Posted in Brands, China, China marketing, Christmas, Consumer, Holidays, Strategy on Dec 31st, 2006
Christmas may not be an indigenous holiday to China — but retailers had a VERY merry one this year. Merry enough to merit dubbing Christmas the third largest consumer shopping season in China. Here’s the story published in Sohu (partially translated by yours truly): Christmas Day is not an official holiday in China. Yet this [...]
Posted in Brands, Business-to-business, China, China marketing, Chinese executives, Chinese New Year, Consumer, Culture, Holidays, Marketing on Dec 23rd, 2006
Ginseng. Vitamin supplements. Top-shelf liquor. Fancy snack foods. These might be a few of the things gracing my shopping list as gifts for Chinese New Year. Ginseng a gift? You bet. Ginseng, one of many treasured remedies in Chinese medicine, is a welcome gift for more senior folks. As are any number of nutritional and [...]
Posted in Business-to-business, China, China marketing, Christmas, Consumer, Culture, Holidays, Strategy on Dec 16th, 2006
Love is in the air…the lighted streets are decked with couples unabashedly linking arms and eyes…ah, romance… [Insert sound of record scratching] Wait a minute! Aren’t we getting ahead of our holidays here? Valentine’s Day isn’t for another two months. Au contrair, zui aide. This isn’t Valentine’s Day I’m talking about…it’s Christmas…in China. Here’s what [...]
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