New Year Celebrations Get Creative

In early January， many Chinese began decorating their homes for the traditional Chinese New Year， which fell on Jan. 28 this year. Families purchased large， elaborate prints of the character fu （prosperity） to adorn their front doors， and decorated their homes in red， as is traditional across China in the few weeks leading up to the celebration.

And though the holiday remains entirely traditional in many aspects， creative adaptations to age old tradition have begun to take hold. Young consumers in particular have taken a keen interest in ways to modernize Chinese New Year decorations.

Articles of Cultural Significance

Wu Silei， a second year student at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications， racked his brain searching for an appropriate cultural gift for his Thai language partner who would soon return to Thailand. Wu visited a cultural goods shop in Nanluoguxiang， a trendy district of traditional hutong （alleyways） in central Beijing. There， he found a desk calendar featuring a red cover reminiscent of the red walls of the Forbidden City， as well as photos of its many cultural relics. Wu knew he had found his gift.

“I never thought a desk calendar could be made so delicately，” Wu said. He gleefully explained that this type of calendar is different than a traditional wall calendar， with creative images blending the past and the present.

In the end， Wu bought two such calendars， planning to give one to his Thai friend and keep the other for himself.

“It is a classy item to have at home，” Wu explained. “Every day， when I turn a new page， I can not only check the date， but learn about a cultural relic.”

The shop’s owner said he ordered two types of desk calendars themed on the Forbidden City and impressionist oil paintings， respectively， and put them on trial sale. To the owner’s surprise， sales were excellent， despite their relatively high prices. What’s more， the calendars brought new design inspiration and marketing ideas to the small shop， which mainly sells creative postcards.

“We find that most consumers buy these calendars to give as gifts，” the owner explained. “So we also provide postcards and gift cards that match the style of the calendars.”

The Importance of Practical Use

Although aesthetics are important in cultural products， practical use is important， too.

In another of Nanluoguxiang’s cultural item shops， a schedule book called “Ticket Collection Book” and a notebook that contains a mini calendar， sticky notes and tag papers have become very popular among consumers.

“As people’s living standards continuously improve， traveling has become an important part of entertainment，” a shop assistant explained. “Though electronic tickets are widely used now， the old trend of collecting paper flight tickets and landmark tickets has returned among the young. That’s where the ticket collection book comes in handy. It’s perfect for keeping such items. During the journey， young people can stick bills and receipts in the book and write down their feelings on colored sticky notes.”

The design philosophy of a multi-use notebook is in line with a minimalist lifestyle that has become popular over recent years. Simple design has increased the usefulness of the notebook， making it easier to use.

Hu Bing， general manager of Beijing Baige Xinghong Commerce and Trade Company， has been engaged in the sales of cultural goods and office supplies for years.

“Compared to specially designed cultural products， those that are more useful and helpful draw more attention from people，” Hu said.

As there were several holidays spaced out across January and February， Hu’s shop received an increasing number of customers looking for shopping list and travel list pads.

Consumption Concepts

“The popularity of creative cultural products in the New Year market has something to do with the fact that now people have a clearer understanding of such products and their consumption patterns are gradually becoming more and more rational，” explained Lai Yang， president of the Beijing Research Institute of Business Distribution Strategy.

Compared with other products， cultural consumer goods， especially creative cultural goods， usually convey a specific meaning. They either create a special emotion or atmosphere， or highlight a certain attitude towards life.

Most consumers compare similar products and think carefully before purchase. In addition， they pay increasingly great attention to product practicality and positive life changes， as well as emotional needs.

In the past， consumers were often convinced to purchase products based on advertising campaigns devised by companies， Lai said. Therefore， they were relatively passive in consumption. However， with abundant choices in today’s market， as well as an increase in access to information， consumers can now find exactly what they want.