“Chinese consumers—already feeling a little rebellious—are possibly primed to buck against their own cautious budgeting.” What could be sparking the craze of “Singles Day?” On Monday, November 11th, the typically thrifty Chinese consumer base spent $5 billion on gifts to themselves. Is this a result of Western cultural influence? Economic changes in China? Loneliness?
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From what the article has said, it appears that the Chinese consumers are getting annoyed about the societal focus on people with significant others. Some people are not ready to be in this stage and some people may even be embarrassed that they have not found someone. Singles Day gives one the ability to have a sort of pride in being single, and to express their feelings to no one in particular other than the one person they know deserves it the most: themselves. It seems like this focus between interpersonal relationships is stunting the intrapersonal growth, throughout the world. It seems that as China adopts more cultural standards from Western civilizations, their economic standards change as well. Their growing consumer-based economy is being jump-started by this Singles Day. I see no other stimuli other than Western influence that could have created this approach, except ironically our national “holidays” do not cause quite as much craze. This could be from our disproportional population, though. It does not seem like everyone is lonely, they perhaps just feel like they should not be forced into a relationship because that is what society wants. This growth in economic-based holidays is extraordinary, and I see no halt in the near future.
ReplyDelete-Andrew Winter
I thought it was interesting how you talked about the cultural implications of Singles Days and how they are a result of the intrusion of western culture into China. It was also interesting to see how Singles Day can be seen not only as an economic rebellion against communism, but a social one as well - something I had not thought of. Very thought-provoking and well-written.
DeleteI agree with you, Jess. I like how you talked a lot about the cultural changes from singles day. Not only is the economy changing but the culture is too. I think that both of those components changing will cause for a western shift in China.
DeleteSingle’s Day is a clear result of the Chinese becoming more “westernized” both culturally and economically. This consumer-holiday is most likely popular because it is a rebellious act against the current economy. In a typical communist economy, these splurges would not be present, but the excitement of the western culture and capitalism entering the country has made this holiday a big hit in China. The article hints at the fact that the Chinese are unhappy with their current government, as they are “already feeling a little rebellious”. The act of spending excessive amounts of money on one-self, not for the community, completely goes against all policies of communism. By partaking in Singles Day, the Chinese people rebelling against their current government by expressing their desire for a consumer-based economy, similar to those of the Western societies. Granted, some of the popularity of Singles Day can be accredited to lonely Chinese teenagers buying themselves stuff to make them feel better about being “forever alone”, but the most powerful driving force of this day is the sense of rebellion. The popularity of this day should be taken as an indicator of what’s to come-a more rebellious, consumerist, revolutionized, China.
ReplyDeleteI like how you related your response to communism and how this goes against traditional policies of communism. Your take on the article is interesting because you talk about how the Chinese people aren't happy through what they express about the holiday.
DeleteSingles Day is a new Chinese Holiday that started in the 1990s by students who were frustrated by cultural pressures. Typically, the Chinese marry very young. These students wanted to rebel against that and not feel these cultural pressures. By doing this they can spend up to 5 million dollars on themselves on November 11th (11/11). This goes against the Chinese government, which is strives on the theory communism. This theory states that communism us, "a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs". By splurging on singles day on items with such great expenses on something that would only benefit ones self and waste money that could have been more evenly distributed to the people this is rebellion against their government. This means that not only is China becoming more culturally like western civilian but also economically. Chinese people are getting married later and are becoming more of a consumerist economic system.
ReplyDelete-Carly Seguin
I also found that typically the Chinese get married in their early 20s, but they are changing to be more like western culture where it isn't uncommon to get married late 20s or 30s.
DeleteI think "Singles Day" is an interesting concept. It creates the illusion of a holiday like Valentine's Day, which is intended to honor someone else and forces it to be about yourself. It was made to honor all the single people as Andrew said "are not ready to be in this stage and some people may even be embarrassed that they have not found someone". That is completely okay I and commemorate the Chinese for creating a holiday to pay tribute to those people and allow them to spoil themselves. Businesses also exploit singles day by creating a shopping day out of it, much like our black Friday. Stores campaign sales and make a hype that singles need to shop for themselves on their special day which is clearly working because 5 billion dollars was spent on that day alone. I believe this is nothing but western cultural influence with our silly holidays that mean nothing but shopping and gifts, the Chinese simply twisted that and made it about the person themselves instead of a significant other, mother, father or grandparent. This may also be because of loneliness, the Chinese people may be growing tired of hearing all the buzz about couples and how it is traditional to be a part of one. This could grow quite tiring for people who believe they are destined to be alone and haven't yet found their "soul mate". I believe this in a very interesting twist on many silly holidays we have in America.
ReplyDeleteSingles Day started as an anti-Valentine’s Day semi-holiday on a college campus in China in the 1990’s, a way for single young adults to rebel against the common Chinese ideal of early marriage. It is a celebration of singlehood, a day to confess true feelings or even, for some, a day to propose. The Western influence started with the idea that marrying later was ok, and even better in some cases. Like Bre said, "the Chinese people may be growing tired of hearing all the buzz about couples and how it is traditional to be a part of one." The influence continued when people began buying themselves gifts for the holiday. The tradition of gifts on a holiday is a very Western thing- Christmas, Easter, etc. The Chinese don’t celebrate any Christian holidays, so usually the only gift giving is New Year’s, where usually only money is given, and birthdays or weddings. The gift-giving influence was spread further by the internet, making it easy for items to be purchased, sent, and received. I believe that Single’s Day is the product of a modern generation slowly changing old customs, and Western influences aiding their change. It’s less about the economics and more about the feelings and attitudes of the Chinese people.
ReplyDelete-- Emma Fleuette
It is interesting how you bring up the idea of the internet being a helping factor to singles day. Do you think that singles day would be as successful without being able to purchase gifts online?
DeleteSingles day would definitely be much less successful without the internet! No one has the time to go out to the store and shop around for a nice gift for themselves. The internet makes it fast and easy for people to find and purchase a long-desired object with the click of a button. So much faster than driving to a store and purchasing it in person!
Delete-Emma
Singles Day while not completely, must be at least partially as a result of western influence. It is similar to the US's 'Cyber Monday' yet in recent years it has taken over in terms of money spent. I also think that some of the reasoning behind it is simply in its name, to celebrates those who are single. To detract from the idea that on certain days of the year being part of a relationship is so important. It is a way to make people feel more justified in their choice of being single. In addition to quote Emma "The gift-giving influence was spread further by the internet, making it easy for items to be purchased..." The internet helped to spread not only the economic aspect of the holiday but also the social appeal. People can now communicate and share their activities and purchases online.
ReplyDelete-Kate Heaney
That was a very interesting point that you made, Kate, about how it celebrates the people that are single to distract them and this is making people justify buying so many things for themselves. I agree with you.
Delete-Shelby Desmarais
China’s singles day is a corporately made holiday that celebrates being lonely. It is popular with the masses of China, because unlike Valentine’s day, Christmas, and birthdays, this holiday is solely to celebrate yourself. An interesting point that Emma brought up was that “The tradition of gifts on a holiday is a very Western thing- Christmas, Easter, etc. The Chinese don’t celebrate any Christian holidays, so usually the only gift giving is New Year’s.” The Chinese do not have many other holidays that revolve around gift giving, so singles day is a much bigger occasion than it would be in America. One point that has not been brought up is that the statistics of singles day being twice as popular as Cyber Monday is skewed because the amount of people in China is over four times greater than that of the United States. So singles day is popular, but is not as popular per capita as America’s Cyber Monday.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that the population numbers are skewing the data never even occurred to me! If the populations were equal (not just using ratios), which do you think would be more popular?
Delete--Emma Fleuette
The craze of singles day is coming from the idea that it is okay to be singles and because you're single you deserve to have a day to shop for yourself without feeling guilty about spending the money. It seems to be more affective then Black Friday in the United States because that is just a day when there are really good sales, so people can refrain from going and tell themselves they don't need anything, where Singles Day is directed at a certain group of people, and that gives them the allusion that they owe it to themselves to buy more and society is giving them a gift by giving them a day to shop without guilt. I think that people also see singles day as a way to be different and stand out, which isn't something that communism allowed. This proves that this is a rebellious act against the Chinese economy. This would mean that they are moving more toward a western cultural influence. I also thing that loneliness plays a big part in this because when people are lonely or depressed they do things that they think will make them happy, and if someone spends a lot of money for no reason, they feel really guilty later, and Singles Day is giving these people a reason to splurge without the guilt that usually comes with it.
ReplyDelete-Shelby Desmarais
China’s singles day shows very strong western influence because generally China doesn't have much gift giving opportunities and also it is more of a western idea that being single really matters. Singles day is just another opportunity for sales businesses to hype people up and give out crazy sales so people can spend more money at their online stores but at the same time it takes away that feeling of selfishness when you are buying presents for yourself. As a consumer singles day is not a bad thing because no matter how you look at it your most likely going to get something for yourself that you usually wouldn't and probably for a much better price. As a company singles day is an even better thing because it creates a huge boom in business and sales. Singles day also helps with China’s problem of overpopulation because it show the Chinese people that it is ok to be single and you don’t need to settle down with someone and make a family.
ReplyDeleteI fully agree with Jess’ claim that “Single’s Day is a clear result of the Chinese becoming more ‘westernized”. I feel this also is an example of how the communism seen in china is not a pure communism which western people are so afraid of. Since the 1970s it seems to be less and less communistic as the people become older and new generation come in. In lots of ways I was not surprised by the success of “Singles Day” modern China is a lot more similar to western countries like the United States. Although they still hold on to the title of communism events like this are examples of the capitalist tendencies that China has come to adapt. As seen in the bbc article many of the “western” devices that we use every day have reached China and “with just one click on the "pay now" button, and the password for my credit card” millions of citizens were able to invade the online shopping world. I feel part of the success is just that splurging like this is so uncommon, and yet so easy, that when the society supports it, the flood-gates open. One Chinese customer said “It was a funny feeling; half disbelief that I wasn't able to spend money when I wanted to”. This new freedom is weird-feeling but it is there, modern day China is not the iron-fist ruled communist nation that people think it is.
ReplyDelete-Jarod George
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-china-blog-24896066
My first thought after reading this article was "Why don't we have this in the United States!?" Personally, I think Singles Day is a fantastic idea, who doesn't want an excuse to buy something nice for themselves? I think that this holiday is such a success in China because of the fact that the Chinese do not have a lot of freedoms. Being given the opportunity to buy yourself something nice is a freedom, and the Chinese people appreciate that and feel rebellious doing it. I found it interesting when Jarod said "This new freedom is weird-feeling but it is there, modern day China is not the iron-fist ruled communist nation that people think it is." When we first started studying China, I was surprised to find out the country isn't as terrible as I have heard in the past. I always thought that China was a bad place to live, and that everything that has to do with China is somehow bad. But after starting to study China in class I realized that while they do not have many of the freedoms of Americans, and definitely have their share of struggles, it is not as severely strict as many people have made it sound.
ReplyDeleteUnlike Kate and Emma, I do not believe that Singles Day was started because of Western influence. Although it is true that buying and receiving gifts on holidays seems to be a Western tradition, I do not think that fact influenced this holiday. According to "China Sets Online Shopping Record with Singles Day", an article published in The Telegraph, “Singles Day was started by Chinese college students in the 1990s as a version of Valentine's Day for people without partners.” I know that I do not have very much knowledge about holidays that occur in other countries, so why would college kids in China? Especially with the way the country can block certain websites, I doubt that the creators of this holiday would know that it is a Western custom to buy and receive gifts on a holiday.
I don’t think that this holiday is a success because of economic changes or loneliness either. I think it is a success because it leads to the Chinese people feeling like they are doing something rebellious. Chinese culture may have changed since the time the novel Iron and Silk by Mark Salzman was written, but in that book there are many scenes where the Chinese citizens are being very friendly and generous. A holiday where you can appreciate yourself may seem a little rebellious to a country whose culture usually revolves around being generous towards others. The rebelliousness of the holiday will also satisfy the people into believing they have more freedoms than they really do. The government could have turned down this idea of Singles Day, but they did not. They are using this holiday, similar to the way they are using “Chinese Rebel” Han Han. As long as the Chinese think they are getting to be a little rebellious, they will be more satisfied with the government. But while doing this rebellious act, they are boosting company profits and helping the Chinese economy. A benefit for not only the people, but for China and its government.
~Kali Mondor
Kali, you shed light on some really interesting points that I would never have thought of. I really liked how you brought up the fact that this holiday is a success because the Chinese feel as if they're doing something rebellious---I never would have thought of that. I also liked how you referenced back to the book Iron and Silk. You provide an in-depth viewpoint to ideas that others skim over. ~Charlotte Dyer
DeleteI love how much detail you put into this Kali. I think it's great how you touch upon the fact that its not western influence but just the rebellion of the chinese people. Your references were solid and you provided a lot of unique details that I, and most people miss out on. Great job
Delete-Jordan C
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI believe that 'Singles Day' is nothing but Western influence. Personally I think Valentines day is an extremely pointless holiday, but that's just me. Singles Day is a rather strange, but extraordinary idea and it only makes sense that the people in China go crazy about it. Buying and receiving gifts on holidays is what western tradition is all about, and let's be honest we all hate spending our own money on things for other people, or spending our own money in general. Single's Day targets a specific group of people, an extremely efficient marketing scheme. The specifically targeted group of people feel like the product/event is just for them and it doesn't make sense not to buy it/attend the event, which is why Singles Day grossed $5 billion on the one day its scheduled (11/11). Singles day is simply just a genius idea, thank you for your time and God Bless America.
ReplyDeleteLike Jess said, Singles Day is a result of China becoming more and more influenced by western societies in both cultural and economic aspects. This “holiday” was started back in the early 1990s by frustrated students who didn’t like the cultural pressure to marry and settle down. It’s important to recognize that not all people want to be in a relationship at a certain time in their life. However, others could possibly feel ashamed that they haven’t reached that time in their life. Going off of what Andrew said, Singles Day allows for those who aren’t in a relationship to celebrate being single and not have to worry about what others may think. Western societies, it seems, have really influenced China in both economical and cultural way. Singles Day has really left a positive impact on the economy seeing as the population spends nearly five billion dollars. This day also lies within a normally slow time for retail sales, allowing for more revenue when stores normally wouldn’t see this much. Culturally, this day basically says that it’s okay to be single and not involved in a relationship, which I think people in China acknowledge based on how much money they spend to celebrate it. ~Charlotte Dyer
ReplyDeleteI think that Singles Day is a very interesting and brilliant idea. What a great and fun way to celebrate the ones who aren't sharing their life with a significant other, the ones who aren't even looking for a relationship, or even the lonely ones who feel, “cultural pressure to couple up and settle down.” Although western culture is playing a big role in influencing the idea, it is not entirely branched from that. I believe it is just a creative idea from someone who wanted to make a holiday out of it. Of course, since Valentine’s Day is a day where we shop crazy for the one’s we love, a holiday where we restrictively only shop for ourselves would be very relieving. I think that it’s also just as simple as that. Like Charlotte said, “Singles Day has really left a positive impact on the economy seeing as the population spends nearly five billion dollars.” I think this is great for China and I believe it is also booming for the economy and businesses that are making money off of this one day. This is a great Chinese celebration, and I believe it’ll be around for a while. The western influence and common desires of the Chinese people is doing great deeds for the economy and spirits.
ReplyDelete-Jordan Catanuso
That's interesting that you compared this day to Valentines day because they are so similar, they are actually opposites. Why do you think that Valentines day and set up society creates that you have to be in a relationship to be happy was created? Even though people spend money on Valentines day to show love for their loved one, on Singles day, the Chinese are spending crazy amounts of money and the majority of it is for selfish reasons.
DeleteWestern influence is the main influence of the change of the Chinese culture. In western society, the social has a pre-determined expectation that one must be in a relationship to be happy. That people are more successful when they are in a relationship. Because of what we have created in our society, being in a relationship is an expectation. This has influenced the Chinese society and they have created this day dedicated to single people, and a celebration of being single, but have become a day where people just spend lots of money due to all the sales campaigns. “Some of the Chinese bachelors and bachelorettes use the deals to woo other lonely hearts with gifts, but much of the shopping is entirely selfish.” Not only has the loneliness become misconstrued, because the West has influenced the Chinese people that if you are single, you are lonely, but the Chinese people have begun to use this holiday to spend an unnecessary amount of cash because of a fake holiday that has been made up. Maybe this has had a positive effect of the economy, but the people are spending crazy amounts of money because of social beliefs that Western culture has influenced.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Katie when she brings up the point about Western Influence. Although “Singles Day” is opposite of Valentines Day, the concept is strikingly similar. A Day where money spent for no religious or historical reason, the reasoning is love, or lack of love. Western Influence sparked the idea of a day for love, though the Chinese put there own twist on things. I believe that loneliness may also play a role in the creation of Singles Day because the day was invented to create a feeling of belonging to the citizens without a significant other. I would have liked to see a comparison between Singles Day and our Valentines Day to see if this holiday dedicated to love or lack of love is similar spending wise. In the video that accompanied the article the reporter talked about the “strength of the Chinese consumer” while I believe it is actually the strength of the lonely consumers of China.
DeleteAn aspect of this article I found fascinating was that this holiday was promoted to greatness by an online shopping site called Alibaba Group. That would be like Amazon.com creating a holiday. Found that quite interesting.
-Courtney Kenny
Holidays and events like these are the demise of society; they create a norm that in order to be happy you need things. A society comprised of materialistic generations will eventually collapse upon itself. What will happen when you can’t buy whatever you want, or your countries economy completely disintegrates? Black Friday, Singles day, they are just marketing schemes by third party corporations out to get your money. If you want to make yourself happy why don’t you get off the computer and go outside, have a party, hang out with friends. Maybe if people stop wasting all their money on unnecessary accessories then they wouldn’t be on welfare (not to say everyone on welfare does that). Social Stature isn’t even about the popular kids or the rich families anymore (if that’s not bad enough), now it’s all about who has the newest phone, or who’s getting the new Xbox. It’s all pointless and dumb, give your money to an orphanage or buy some food, stop wasting it and trying to make yourself happy by buying things until you max your credit card. Holidays are about happiness, not buying stuff to get happy.
ReplyDelete-Alex Waldron
Considering what we know about the effects of China's One Child Policy what can we assume about singles in China?
ReplyDeleteIt is possible to assume that the greater population of singles in China are males since, over 35 million women have been reported “missing” in China, the traditional idea that every family needs a son, there is a one child only policy, and that men greatly outnumber women. It is also possible to assume that some of these males will eternally be single due to the fact, that there are simply not enough women to go around.
DeleteAlso considering the one child policy we may assume that Chinese parents are not having to scurry around searching for presents for their multiple children as we see a lot here. I agree with Erin too that the population imbalance makes a huge impact on the success of "singles day".
DeleteFrom what I have read, I think this new holiday that the Chinese have introduced into their culture, even though it is similar to the United States holiday 'Cyber Monday' greatly benefits their current economy. Although the Chinese economy is in pretty good shape, this holiday collects about 5 billion dollars by the end of the day. I also think that this holiday also serves as an 'Emotional Booster', because no one likes to be alone. If I had the money to buy material items to make me happy, although the newness wears off, on a day when all prices are at a discount, I would buy what I want, even though I'm still alone, I've got happiness til I find someone to not make me lonely.
ReplyDelete-Keeley Beamer
I think it is interesting that in China, a country known for a skewed gender ratio, that a holiday such as singles day was made. China's gender ratio compared to ours is an average of 1.12 and 1.05 respectively. This may not seem like a big difference unless one looks at the difference in our population as well. China's population is 1.351 billion while ours is 313.9 million. I believe gender imbalance in China is a main reason this holiday was created and is so popular.
ReplyDeleteChina’s “Single’s Day” is a retail holiday that is the equivalent to America’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday. The holiday was originally celebrated by college students who were tired of the pressure placed upon them to be in a relationship. The holiday now claims to celebrate young Chinese citizen’s single lives. The substantial population of young single males in China in one of the greatest contributing factor’s to the day’s popularity. Chinese retailers have taken advantage of this day, and turned it into one of China’s most popular days for shopping. The Chinese were predicted to spend roughly five billion dollars through online shopping by the end of the holiday, which has over doubled the predicted US’s cyber Monday sales for 2013. Although some Chinese costumers purchase items for other singles, the majority of all purchased items are for themselves. The result of all of the purchases that take place upon the holiday connects back to a combination of western cultural influences, economic changes, and the day’s acceptance of being single. Western culture has heavily influenced the Chinese such as through music, fashion, and food. With American companies, such as Gap, Microsoft, Steve Madden, and Adidas campaigning sales around the holiday, Chinese consumers are bound to be attracted to great deals such as the millions of Americans are on Black Friday. These western cultural influences also seem to be promoting that there is nothing wrong with being single since in 2011 it was recorded that one hundred and two million U.S citizens over the age of eighteen were single.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb12-ff18.html
The Chinese Single Day is a clear example of Western Influence and a huge change in the Chinese government/economy since the days of Mao. During the Cultural Revolution, this kind of impulsive purchasing would have been both frowned upon by the people, and unlikely as most people were very poor. Making expensive purchases would be considered bad by the government and Red Guard, not only because of the negative connotation of owning expensive material items, but also because this spending supports large companies which would usually be associated with capitalism. The Chinese company Alibaba has become known for having one of the largest one day sales of any website on singles day, making billions of dollars in profit on just that one day (USA Today). During the Cultural Revolution, this kind of big business sales simply would not have happened. Not to say that Alibaba isn't under the watch of the Chinese government; although I could not find how much of a role the government plays in Chinese companies in the present, I am certain it is much less than it was during the Cultural Revolution. This increase of freedom on the companies to sell and the people to buy their products has allowed for huge profits which have benefited the companies and the economy of China. This change in economic policy by the government has caused companies to grow, people to get the products they want, and the economy to improve as a whole.
ReplyDelete(Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2013/11/14/china-alibaba-yahoo-new-tech-economy-john-shinal/3515715/)
DeleteAfter skimming through most of these comments I agree with the majority of the points made. Although singles day may seem like a byproduct of Western events I do not think it was a result of Western influence. I believe it cannot be a huge result of western influences because so much of China is monitored and so much of it is censored from the outside world that I do not know how many want to be like the United States/other western hemisphere countries. In an article I read previously for world studies I learned that the Chinese government has enhanced their censoring to some areas outside of their own country. This is why I believe single's day would not be so popular, the Chinese government does not condone citizens looking into other countries or attempting to be like other countries.
ReplyDeleteOn the other side I do agree that loneliness is a massive influence on "singles day". As stated in previous comments, 35 million women have gone "missing" in China. The gender ratio in China currently is astounding and many men are currently wife-less/girlfriend-less :( Because so many men are single, they are finding ways to comfort themselves in ways like buying new coats. Coats=Wife... In the article "China's One-Day Shopping Spree Sets Record in Online Sales" by the New York Times mentions a company named Alibaba that specifically targets single Chinese men because they contribute to sales on singles day more than anyone else in China.
Finally I also believe that this is not a result of economic changes in China, but that it is going to be. As more of the Chinese population is spending more and more they are going to simply act as humans, and want more. Unfortunately for these people, trying to gain more in a communist society is extremely hard so I believe this could be the beginning of a want for a more capitalist-influenced government. A woman named Ms. Yuan stated that on Singles Day she spent about a half of a months income, more than ever, on various gifts and items. To me this seems like an economic change is coming. With more spending and the want for more money I'm curious to see how China's government handles this spending boom.
Link to article referenced:
Deletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/business/international/online-shopping-marathon-zooms-off-the-blocks-in-china.html
Although singles day was first created as more of an anti valentines day, retail companies in china too advantage of it. They are using peoples need for retail therapy against them. buisnesses are using this holiday to creat 'deals' and 'sales' to help conivne people that they need something, or that somthing is less expensive than it really is. this way of thinking is definatly influenced by western countries. In the United States, for years on certain holidays including Black Friday, companies try to portray items as more finacially attractive than they actually are. As a result of that, people think they can buy more things. Companies in any country would take advantage of a holiday that is created soely on people who feel bad for themselves for a lack of love, who 'need' retail therapy. This holiday is created by a online shoping website called Alibaba Group, which is similar to Amazon.com in America. This shoping site is not the only retail company that uses this holiday to their advantage. Gap, Microsoft, Steve Madden, and Adidas are now campaigning during this chinese holiday. It is interesting that some bachelors and bachelorettes use the gifts to woo other potential lovers, but the most of the shopping is selfish. If you look at the graph in the article you can see that in the first few years the sales on this holiday didnt compare to Cyber Monday, another US retail holiday, but as the years passed, more and more sales are being made, and the chinese companies are catching on to the idea.
ReplyDelete"Singles Day" is a direct result of China becoming westernized in both a cultural and economical way. The holiday that is "Singles Day" has become a holiday not-unlike the United States' black Friday and cyber Monday. This holiday is a time for the people to splurge on themselves and celebrate being single, kind of like an anniversary for couples, but for themselves. This holiday has a strong impact on the Chinese economy because of the amount of people spending on themselves is very high. In years past, Singles Day was not very large, but has gradually increased in size every year. Now, China's Singles Day has now doubled the amount spent on the U.S's Cyber Monday. I feel that this holiday has become increasingly popular to the Chinese people because it is something different for them to do, and it gives a large amount of people a day to appreciate who they are as an individual.
ReplyDelete~Garrett Smith
The new Holiday "Singles Day" is a result of china becoming more westernized. This holiday mimics that of the United States' Black Friday, convincing more people to buy more to try to increase profits and boost the economy. "Single Day" is a holiday that pushes people to splurge on themselves and celebrate being singe. Some people could use this holiday to buy thing to woo someone, but for the most part people will buy for themselves. On this holiday alone many people expect the Chinese people to spend nearly 5,000,000 billion dollars. Though this Holiday appears to promote being single its could also be an Emotional Booster for those who are single to find someone. This Holiday is predicted to boost the economy and hopefully many relationships. Also as i skim through these comments i have to say that i agree with a lot of them in saying this holiday is a good thing and like Erin Woods says "Although some Chinese costumers purchase items for other singles, the majority of all purchased items are for themselves." i would have to say i agree. Singles day seems like it will help China's economy and also get people together. All in all "singles day" is a result of westernization and this is a good thing and will hopefully help the economy.
ReplyDeleteSingles day in China, also known as 'anti-Valentine's Day' is definitely due to western influence. China's culture, as well as its economics, have been 'morphed' by westernization. This day has become very important for Chinese retailers. They sell ridiculous things, ranging from apparel and wine, to boyfriend body pillows. Singles Day has been 'racking in' more cash than even Cyber Monday, a U.S. holiday the first Monday after Thanksgiving in which online retailers promote their products at very exceptional bargains. Some of the biggest companies to participate in Singles Day are western companies, one of these being Microsoft.
ReplyDelete-Brian Fischer
(http://www.cnbc.com/id/101186049)
China black frriday is know as Singles Day. The day is for yourself to get the best and newest stuff. The most sell thing in China is computer and computer stuff. Singles Day has been racking in more cash than Cyber Monday.
ReplyDelete-Tyler Mazza
China's singles day shows western influence within the holiday and meaning of the holiday within itself. This day is rooted in the idea that an excuse is given to people to spend a lot of money on them self or another person that interests them. people were tired of the push to find a partner to settle down with so this is a holiday dedicated to pampering oneself if they are alone rather than devoted to one person. This shows influence of western influence due to the idea that this is a day dedicated to spending money on yourself. This kind of act is not as normal in the generally more fiscally conservative Chinese culture as it would be in the United States. This holiday gives companies another excuse to market for a holiday. Singles day is beginning to bring in even more money than cyber Monday. This holiday is liking showing economic changes in China, people generally don't splurge as much and this gives them an excuse to maybe break out of their budget for nearly no reason. This could also be sign of loneliness from single people because they feel the need to buy themselves things in order to be happy because they might not have as many loved ones around them as other people with life partners and a child. People without a family of their own also have less people to buy things for them, so they can make up this lack of presents by purchasing presents for themselves. Many major western companies, such as Adidas, are major participators in Singles Day in China. China's Singles Day is becoming more and more popular, which is creating great business for many companies, both western and eastern.
ReplyDeleteI think that China's singles day correlates directly with Valentines Day only it's the opposite. This is an example of China trying to be more like the United States (Cyber Monday/ Black Friday) and not a holiday dedicated to singles as it claims, it is purely for economic boostings. The holiday gives people reason to go out and spend money which boosts the economy. As the article states, Singles day brings in more money than Cyber Monday which is definitely substantial. Chinese people are projected to spend over 5$ Billion dollars which is a staggering amount. It has been growing substantially from the past years passing money spent in US cyber Monday in 2012. A BBC article (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-china-blog-24896066) stated that over 140$ million was spent on china's Amazon website. Two million bras were also sold in an hour which is over 3 times the size of Mount Everest. This holiday is a genius idea, and benefits not only the citizens of China with discounts, but also as an economy boost.
ReplyDeleteI think china's singles day, or Guanggun Jie, is the Chinese equivalent to Americas cyber Monday. The biggest difference is obviously location. More popular brands are made in China as opposed to America, due to cheaper labor and cheaper production cost. Because more popular and well known makes are made in china, such as Apple, people in China will outspend us Americans. Cyber Monday is like Singles day in terms of base definitions. Both holidays are based on the principle of consumerism and marketing. if people believe that you are supposed to spend lots of money, it will not only help the economy, but will also provide more in common between people of different nations. -Jesse Nathan
ReplyDeleteSingles Day most definitely stems in part from Western influence. However, China also has a Valentine's Day counterpart- Qi Qiao Jie. Considering how tech-savvy the Chinese are, it is highly likely that amount of online shopping for the Chinese Valentine's Day mirrors the amount done in the US in February. As a result of the hype, it is also likely the Chinese created Singles Day simply as a harmless rebellion against this day reserved only for couples, not entirely due to Western influence. This may also be a result of the disproportionate ratio of males and females in China. There are more singles than there have ever been, as currently there are 25.4 million 'excess males' in the country, which must contribute greatly to the self-pity surge among singles. Without significant others to dote on, they have begun to do so for themselves, which seems more a result of the influence of human nature than anything to do with us.
ReplyDeleteI think that the ‘Singles Day’ craze in China can be easily blamed on Western influences. As said before, many holidays in America are nothing more than a way to have people shell out some money on an over priced item because it is an “American custom” and they don’t want to get any crap from their wife, like Valentines Day. What is different in the case of Singles Day is that it is almost completely selfish. I can’t recall a holiday in the U.S. that calls for everyone getting himself or herself a present. I think the Western influence created normality for it though, which is why it has become a popular holiday. Comparing it to Valentines Day again, it is probably an amazing marketing idea for any company. Depending on the person celebrating, they may buy themselves a new shirt, or maybe even a car! As long as it comes with one of those big red bows like in the commercials! Singles Day is nothing more than a Western holiday in China; I am truly surprised that it isn’t celebrated in America already.-Allie Chapman
ReplyDeleteI think this singles day is a little weird as a holiday. It would be fine with me if was in the same class as a doughnut day or presidents day. But this is China trying to copy what the US is doing with valentines day except its pretty much the opposite spending time celebrating yourself instead of celebrating the one you love. But it gives the people who don't have the one person they love, that they can use that love to love themselves. But this singles day will only be a Chinese holiday because the US wont bring in a holiday like this.
ReplyDelete-Reed Larson