This is taken from a JWT, an advertising company (duh!!), press release: Understanding and Embracing China’s Different Worldview Is Main Theme of Billions: Selling to the New Chinese Consumer by JWT’s Tom Doctoroff.
Twelve Facts about the Confucian Consumer
1. Chinese people put pineapple, not pepperoni, on pizza. All foods are
divided into “heaty” and “cooling” foods, and the two must be balanced at all
times. Pizza is heaty, so the pineapple cools it down.
They also put turtlehead in hotpot, donkey in dumplings and snake and cat into soup. Americans started the whole pineapple on pizza thing, the sick fuckers.
2. In China, “fresh” means “alive.” Daoism is still a force in the
People’s Republic. Daoists believe our natural state is the only “balanced”
state. Therefore, Chinese have a deep aversion to manmade preservatives. For
that matter, Chinese women get prickly about chemicals in shampoo.
Bollox, my shampoo glows in the dark.
3. Brands used inside the home are locally produced and cheaply made.
Brands shown publicly are foreign made and expensive. In a Confucian society,
social status is an investment, so consumers will pay a huge premium for
mobile phones and high-end alcohol. At home, price sensitivity is extreme.
There are no designer bedspreads. Victoria’s Secret doesn’t stand a chance.
4. Chinese people never have dinner parties. The home is a place of refuge,
escape, and, every once in a while, self-expression. Comfort is key. But where
you live is paramount, which is why apartment blocks sport such names as “The
Gathering of All Heroes Under Heaven” and “Tycoon Court.”
5. More than 80 percent of Shanghai couples now get married with an
engagement ring, up from practically zero a couple of years ago. In an unsafe
world, men have to demonstrate — not talk about — their love. Women are
suspicious of guys who say, “I love you.”
6. A powerful woman decorates her $1,000 mobile phone with Hello Kitty
stickers because she wants to be soft on the outside and like iron on the
inside.
She also opens her eyes very wide when talking to you, to make her eyes bigger and so more child like, and giggles like a 13 year old when you talk to her.
7. In China, feminine beauty is a tool that moves a woman forward.
Cosmetic surgery is all the rage because it helps a young woman land a job,
not a man.
‘Chou mei’, or ’smelly beautiful’, or ‘vain’ is or is not a phrase in Chinese?
8. Soy sauce can save lives. The thinking is as follows: “If my food
tastes good, my family will eat more. If my family eats more, they’ll get more
nutrition. If they get more nutrition, no one will get sick. If no one gets
sick, no one will lose a job. If no one loses a job, the family will be in
harmony. If the family is in harmony, a new generation can be born.” Unlike
anywhere else in the world, great taste ladders to good health.
9. In 1995, the Chinese middle class virtually didn’t exist. By 2005,
there were approximately 100 million individuals in China with incomes in
excess of $4,000 (even in expensive coastal cities, purchasing parity power is
at least 2.5 versus the U.S.). By 2010, there will probably be 200 million
middle-class folk.
Can’t wait, give me more Da Kuans, more, more, more!!!
10. The smartest guy in the class is the coolest guy in the class. Girls
really and truly go for brains, not bodies. In a dog-eat-dog, hierarchical
Confucian world, intelligence is the ultimate weapon. Health clubs will always
be niche.
True, he also likes to listen to Backstreet Boys!
11. Chinese people squirrel away 40 percent of their income, despite
making, on average, less than a tenth of U.S. per capita income. The Chinese
believe the fickle hand of fate can turn against them at any time. And there’s
virtually no safety net.
12. Germs are the ultimate evil. A Chinese mother’s primary role is to
protect the child from harm and shield the family from invasion. That’s why
air conditioners, washing machines, soap, food, dishwashers, and television
sets all scream, “germ-free.
kan hai zi, xi yi fu, shou shi, zhe shi nv ren de sheng hua.
Look after the kids, wash the clothes and clean the house, this is a woman’s life.
Bullshit, from the best!!!
Thanks to danwei.org for the enlightenment.
This is taken from a JWT, an advertising company (duh!!), press release:
Understanding and Embracing China’s Different Worldview Is Main Theme of Billions: Selling to the New Chinese Consumer by JWT’s Tom Doctoroff.
Twelve Facts about the Confucian Consumer
1. Chinese people put pineapple, not pepperoni, on pizza. All foods are
divided into “heaty” and “cooling” foods, and the two must be balanced at all
times. Pizza is heaty, so the pineapple cools it down.
They also put turtlehead in hotpot, donkey in dumplings and snake and cat into soup. Americans started the whole pineapple on pizza thing, the sick fuckers.
2. In China, “fresh” means “alive.” Daoism is still a force in the
People’s Republic. Daoists believe our natural state is the only “balanced”
state. Therefore, Chinese have a deep aversion to manmade preservatives. For
that matter, Chinese women get prickly about chemicals in shampoo.
Bollox, my shampoo glows in the dark.
3. Brands used inside the home are locally produced and cheaply made.
Brands shown publicly are foreign made and expensive. In a Confucian society,
social status is an investment, so consumers will pay a huge premium for
mobile phones and high-end alcohol. At home, price sensitivity is extreme.
There are no designer bedspreads. Victoria’s Secret doesn’t stand a chance.
Check out ‘Da Kaun’ posting from a few days ago.
4. Chinese people never have dinner parties. The home is a place of refuge,
escape, and, every once in a while, self-expression. Comfort is key. But where
you live is paramount, which is why apartment blocks sport such names as “The
Gathering of All Heroes Under Heaven” and “Tycoon Court.”
5. More than 80 percent of Shanghai couples now get married with an
engagement ring, up from practically zero a couple of years ago. In an unsafe
world, men have to demonstrate — not talk about — their love. Women are
suspicious of guys who say, “I love you.”
Check out ‘chi ruan fan’ posting from a few days ago.
6. A powerful woman decorates her $1,000 mobile phone with Hello Kitty
stickers because she wants to be soft on the outside and like iron on the
inside.
She also opens her eyes very wide when talking to you, to make her eyes bigger and so more child like, and giggles like a 13 year old when you talk to her.
7. In China, feminine beauty is a tool that moves a woman forward.
Cosmetic surgery is all the rage because it helps a young woman land a job,
not a man.
‘Chou mei’, or ’smelly beautiful’, or ‘vain’ is or is not a phrase in Chinese?
8. Soy sauce can save lives. The thinking is as follows: “If my food
tastes good, my family will eat more. If my family eats more, they’ll get more
nutrition. If they get more nutrition, no one will get sick. If no one gets
sick, no one will lose a job. If no one loses a job, the family will be in
harmony. If the family is in harmony, a new generation can be born.” Unlike
anywhere else in the world, great taste ladders to good health.
9. In 1995, the Chinese middle class virtually didn’t exist. By 2005,
there were approximately 100 million individuals in China with incomes in
excess of $4,000 (even in expensive coastal cities, purchasing parity power is
at least 2.5 versus the U.S.). By 2010, there will probably be 200 million
middle-class folk.
Can’t wait, give me more Da Kuans, more, more, more!!!
10. The smartest guy in the class is the coolest guy in the class. Girls
really and truly go for brains, not bodies. In a dog-eat-dog, hierarchical
Confucian world, intelligence is the ultimate weapon. Health clubs will always
be niche.
True, he also likes to listen to Backstreet Boys!
11. Chinese people squirrel away 40 percent of their income, despite
making, on average, less than a tenth of U.S. per capita income. The Chinese
believe the fickle hand of fate can turn against them at any time. And there’s
virtually no safety net.
12. Germs are the ultimate evil. A Chinese mother’s primary role is to
protect the child from harm and shield the family from invasion. That’s why
air conditioners, washing machines, soap, food, dishwashers, and television
sets all scream, “germ-free.
kan hai zi, xi yi fu, shou shi, zhe shi nv ren de sheng hua.
Look after the kids, wash the clothes and clean the house, this is a woman’s life.