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Change greed mindset before exporting culture
By Lena Zhang |
December 27, 2011, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE pillar of China's economic development is officially shifting from commodities to culture, which is also on its way to becoming a major export industry.
But will foreigners buy into this cultural hype, if what they are offered is in stark conflict with the behavior of the majority of Chinese in their ordinary course of life, particularly those overseas who come into direct contact with a bigger and more authentic foreign market?
If Emperor Qianlong (r 1735-1795) was too arrogant when he told British commerce envoy George Macartney that the intricate Chinese culture was not meant for Western barbarians, today's Chinese may have gone to precisely the opposite extreme - after decades of little else than economic development in the context of globalization, during which many Chinese customs and beliefs have bowed to either Western cultures or profitability, both at home and abroad.
But one distinctive Chinese culture - the culture of showing off one's wealth - has gained significance and caught the eyes of many foreigners from around the world.
When the Chinese travel overseas, for example, shopping for luxury items is typically a key item on their itinerary.
In 2009, Chinese tourists contributed a whopping 60 percent of France's tax-rebate trade income.
In 2010, they lashed out 1 billion pounds (US$1.5 billion) on seasonally discounted luxury products in the UK, making up one third of the entire revenue in the British luxury market.
In 2011, a delegation of 800 Chinese emptied their wallets in a block booking of Macy's flagship store in Las Vegas.
In Japan, "China Money" has become the talking point in the media. Unfortunately, the shopping spree of Chinese tourists in the streets of Ginza has filled the Japanese with deep resentment rather than awe, because such "loud" boasting of one's wealth is regarded as extremely vulgar and therefore intolerable within the highly homogeneous society of Japan.
When the Chinese move to other countries, their spending then moves from luxury consumables to luxury real estate.
God of Land
It reminds me of a time when nearly all households in China were said to enshrine the God of Land, and a myriad of temples of various sizes were dedicated to him throughout the country.
Though the religious aspect of land worshipping has pretty much fallen off, it has in the meantime taken on new dimensions that are strongly associated with the pecuniary rewards brought by property ownership.
Laying hands on a piece of real estate as soon as possible is so engraved in the psychology of most Chinese that it is typical to see their entire lives evolve around an ever-mounting stock of properties, regardless of age, education, financial status, or on which side of the New Millennium they arrived in their host countries. Their shared passion for real estate seems to have transcended all barriers.
In Australia, for example, the über-rich may own an eight-digit-figure mansion in Sydney's most exorbitant suburb of Vaucluse, a holiday manor in the undulating grounds of the Blue Mountains, plus half a dozen properties at various other locations.
The middle-class typically has a portfolio that includes an apartment in the inner city a house a little further away, and a shop or office in Chinese-dominant business districts.
The Chinese property craze has "helped" Western metropolises with higher Chinese concentration defy the worldwide trend of declining estate value.
Many Chinese are still beating a path to developers' doors, creating a surreal "real estate boom" in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.
China's cultural development should aim at changing the minds and behaviors of the Chinese first, before any positive influence on foreigners can be expected.
China needs strategies that look beyond mere profit generation and return to the true essence of what make the Chinese pleasantly unique.
Stop greed from being ossified into a national credo, and rescue the Chinese cultural image from any further degradation.
The author is a freelancer now living in Shanghai. Shanghai Daily condensed her article.
But will foreigners buy into this cultural hype, if what they are offered is in stark conflict with the behavior of the majority of Chinese in their ordinary course of life, particularly those overseas who come into direct contact with a bigger and more authentic foreign market?
If Emperor Qianlong (r 1735-1795) was too arrogant when he told British commerce envoy George Macartney that the intricate Chinese culture was not meant for Western barbarians, today's Chinese may have gone to precisely the opposite extreme - after decades of little else than economic development in the context of globalization, during which many Chinese customs and beliefs have bowed to either Western cultures or profitability, both at home and abroad.
But one distinctive Chinese culture - the culture of showing off one's wealth - has gained significance and caught the eyes of many foreigners from around the world.
When the Chinese travel overseas, for example, shopping for luxury items is typically a key item on their itinerary.
In 2009, Chinese tourists contributed a whopping 60 percent of France's tax-rebate trade income.
In 2010, they lashed out 1 billion pounds (US$1.5 billion) on seasonally discounted luxury products in the UK, making up one third of the entire revenue in the British luxury market.
In 2011, a delegation of 800 Chinese emptied their wallets in a block booking of Macy's flagship store in Las Vegas.
In Japan, "China Money" has become the talking point in the media. Unfortunately, the shopping spree of Chinese tourists in the streets of Ginza has filled the Japanese with deep resentment rather than awe, because such "loud" boasting of one's wealth is regarded as extremely vulgar and therefore intolerable within the highly homogeneous society of Japan.
When the Chinese move to other countries, their spending then moves from luxury consumables to luxury real estate.
God of Land
It reminds me of a time when nearly all households in China were said to enshrine the God of Land, and a myriad of temples of various sizes were dedicated to him throughout the country.
Though the religious aspect of land worshipping has pretty much fallen off, it has in the meantime taken on new dimensions that are strongly associated with the pecuniary rewards brought by property ownership.
Laying hands on a piece of real estate as soon as possible is so engraved in the psychology of most Chinese that it is typical to see their entire lives evolve around an ever-mounting stock of properties, regardless of age, education, financial status, or on which side of the New Millennium they arrived in their host countries. Their shared passion for real estate seems to have transcended all barriers.
In Australia, for example, the über-rich may own an eight-digit-figure mansion in Sydney's most exorbitant suburb of Vaucluse, a holiday manor in the undulating grounds of the Blue Mountains, plus half a dozen properties at various other locations.
The middle-class typically has a portfolio that includes an apartment in the inner city a house a little further away, and a shop or office in Chinese-dominant business districts.
The Chinese property craze has "helped" Western metropolises with higher Chinese concentration defy the worldwide trend of declining estate value.
Many Chinese are still beating a path to developers' doors, creating a surreal "real estate boom" in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.
China's cultural development should aim at changing the minds and behaviors of the Chinese first, before any positive influence on foreigners can be expected.
China needs strategies that look beyond mere profit generation and return to the true essence of what make the Chinese pleasantly unique.
Stop greed from being ossified into a national credo, and rescue the Chinese cultural image from any further degradation.
The author is a freelancer now living in Shanghai. Shanghai Daily condensed her article.
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