Hulme The Changing Landscape of China's Consumerism

1. Auflage 2014
ISBN: 978-1-78063-442-5
Verlag: Elsevier Science & Techn.
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 256 Seiten

Reihe: Chandos Asian Studies Series

Consumerism in China has developed rapidly. The Changing Landscape of China's Consumerism looks at the growth of consumerism in China from both a socio-economic and a political/cultural angle. It examines changing trends in consumption in China as well as the impact of these trends on society, and the politics and culture surrounding them. It examines the ways in which, despite needing to 'unlock' the spending power of the rural provinces, the Chinese authorities are also keen to maintain certain attitudes towards the Communist Party and socialism 'with Chinese Characteristics.' Overall, it aims to show that consumerism in China today is both an economic and political phenomenon and one which requires both surrounding political culture and economic trends for its continued establishment. The ways in which this dual relationship both supports and battles with itself are explored through apposite case studies including the use of New Confucianism in the market context, the commodification of Lei Feng, the new Chinese tourist as a diplomatic tool in consumption, the popularity of Shanzhai (fake product) culture, and the conspicuous consumption of China's new middle class. - Provides innovative interdisciplinary research, useful to cultural studies, sociology, Chinese studies, and politics - Examines changes in consumerism from multiple perspectives - Allows both micro and macro insights into consumerism in China by providing specific case studies, while placing these within the context of geo-politics and grand theory

Autoren/Hrsg.

Hulme, Alison

Leseproben

1 In pursuit of status: the rising consumerism of China’s middle class
Xin Wang Abstract:
China is growing into an enormous market for global products and services and Chinese consumers are destined to take centre stage in the global bazaar. China’s middle class has started showing its hunger for consumer goods and products, and both Chinese and international companies are betting on the rise of middle-class consumers in China. This chapter examines the consumer behaviour of China’s middle class. It discusses how the consumption of commodities and cultural products creates middle-class identity. It illustrates the ways in which middle-class consumers assert their status through consumption of commodities and cultural products. Key words middle class conspicuous consumption economic aspirations self-perpetuating petite bourgeoisie cultural capital Introduction
Since the inception of the economic reforms in 1978, China has become one of the world’s fastest growing economies. According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, it has experienced economic growth with an average GDP of 9 per cent every year since 1990. Its GDP per capita doubled to $6100 (38,354 yuan) from 2009 to 2012, confirming its status as a middle-income nation, according to the World Bank’s standards set in 2011. In 2012 its GDP reached 51.93 trillion yuan (US$8.28 trillion) – the second largest in the world (China National Bureau of Statistics). After years of rapid growth generated by investment and exports, more recently China has been looking to restructure its economy. In May 2012, the government shifted its top priority from taming inflation to stabilizing growth by encouraging domestic spending and consumption. The focus on domestic economic growth has driven a dramatic rise in consumer spending. Retail sales for 2012 increased to 20.7 trillion yuan (US$3.3 trillion). Urban residents spent 17.9 trillion yuan in 2012 while rural residents spent 2.8 trillion yuan (China National Bureau of Statistics). This rapid economic growth has resulted in a transformation of consumer behaviour, and the subsequent rise of consumerism in China has garnered worldwide attention, particularly from business and marketing. The world’s leading research and consulting companies have released a number of reports on China’s rising consumerism, particularly on China’s newly emerged middle class.1 These reports highlight China’s growing middle class and expanding consumerism, suggest potential strategies for global corporations to tap into the Chinese market, and predict sales growth in China. The middle class is hailed as the new and growing market force for both Chinese and global markets. According to a PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) report, China was the world’s second-largest online retail market, after the United States, in 2011, with sales totalling $120 billion (MGI, 2013). Meanwhile, the term ‘middle class’ has become ubiquitous in popular media, with discussions of ‘being middle class’ primarily focusing on the economic aspirations of the middle class themselves. The media and business sector’s fascination with China’s middle class has also constructed it on economic grounds. A small number of studies about Chinese consumer behaviours have noted that professional middle-class status and identity are increasingly shaped around a new set of collective interests related to access to resources and modes of consumption.2 This chapter examines consumer behaviour among the middle class from the findings of a survey initially conducted by the author in Beijing in 2005 and continued in subsequent years.3 It discusses how consumption of commodities and cultural products enables the display of a middle-class identity. The study does not argue that consumerism is the sole factor in defining cultural and social practices and the attributes of middle-classness; rather it explores how middle-classness is constructed through rising consumerism and middle-class consumption of specific commodities. The primary concern of this chapter therefore is the role consumerism plays in the lives of the middle class through everyday practices and experiences. Consumerism is used as a lens through which to interpret middle-class identity, culture, and values. Following this broad line of inquiry, this chapter specifically raises the following questions: What factors decide the consumption of middle-class consumers? What particular patterns do they show in consumption? Has a consumer culture formed among the middle class? If so, will consumerism allow middle-class individuals and groups to create their identities? Though consumption is not the sole factor through which to interpret and understand China’s middle class, it sheds light on everyday practices and experiences that shape people’s culture. Ultimately, through discussions of middle-class consumption of print media, cultural productions (e.g., television programmes, films, exhibitions), commodities, and housing, this chapter intends to understand how consumerism (in addition to family, cultural, social, and economic values) shapes the collective identity of the middle class and their articulation of middle-classness. How is middle-classness realized through consumerism alongside cultural practices and everyday life? How does access to global goods and commodities shape discourses on middle-class ways of life? And how and why has being middle class become desirable and possible? By way of setting the scene, it is important to note that China’s emerging middle class, which numbers around 100 million people, is borne out of the recent economic reforms and the restructuring of the labour market, and represents a wide range of professions (Lu Xueyi, 2004). However, it primarily includes intermediate-level business professionals, mid-level managers, and private business owners. Business professionals, also known as the so-called ‘white collars’ (bailing), are office workers of businesses and enterprises in China. They often have a high level of education and professional training, and a high standard of living. The middle class also includes a public servant stratum, which consists of government employees, who exert a strong influence in public and social sectors as a result of administrative reform in the Chinese government system. Some government cadres have transferred from administrative positions to managerial positions in business and the economic arena. They are referred as the ‘quasi middle class’ due to their employment status and their social ties with the state and the ruling party (Li Qiang, 1999). Some of them are senior managerial staff of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) who gained income and control over state properties and production materials as a result of the privatization of state enterprises. Often regarded as ‘red capitalists’, they are shareholders of transformed state enterprises and control the production materials of the SOEs (Dickson, 2003). Meanwhile, a wide spectrum of professions has emerged in the transition towards a market-oriented economy. New professionals with knowledge in special areas, such as certified public accountants, lawyers, biotech and IT engineers, judicial workers, and medical staff, are regarded as the typical middle class. They have a stable income, a high level of education and professional training, and promising career prospects. In addition, China’s intellectuals, including university professors, writers, and artists, are recognized as middle class (Zhou Xiaohong, 2005: 6, 16, 227). In the post-Mao reform era, this intellectual group has gained political recognition and social prestige as well as financial privileges. What can be noted is that China’s new middle class represents a wide range of people, all of whom are part of the middle class due to different factors – their occupations, economic capital (income, business ownership, and property ownership) and social capital (education, and social and political network). Chinese scholars agree that occupation is indicative of income levels and socioeconomic status and, therefore, can be used as the main denominator by which to identify the middle class.4 In contrast to the lower-income stratum, which includes rural residents, the urban working class, and laid-off labourers, China’s middle class possesses a relatively high level of education and professional skills and a relatively stable and high income. Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) research shows that about 73 per cent of respondents have post-secondary education or above, which gives this group an advantage in acquiring other social, economic, cultural, and political capital (quoted in Lu Xueyi, 2004). The 216 respondents of my own survey reflect a diverse range of professions defined as middle-income occupations, including civil servants, school teachers, researchers, technology and computer engineers, business professionals, administrators and managers, medical and legal professionals, small business owners, and independent freelancers such as actors and writers. Tastes, symbols, and lifestyles: consumers of media
In contrast to Weberian...