BEIJING (CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Technology, the Internet and the sharing economy have brought great convenience and user experience to people, especially the tech-savvy youths.
Digital marketplaces, mobile games and shared bicycles are just some of the highlights this year. Here's a look at their influences on the young people in China.
TAKEOUTS OVER INSTANT NOODLE
Most young people choose takeouts during weekends as they prefer staying indoors to going out. Fast and easy food is the most selected on online food delivery platforms, accounting for 73.6 per cent, while western fast food including hamburgers and pizzas rank second, according to a survey of Chinese netizens' online takeout habits in 2017.
And a preference for fast and easy food doesn't mean that Chinese youths don't care much about what they eat. On the contrary, users of food delivery platforms are concerned most with food safety, according to the survey.
Online buzzwords including "thermos cup" and "Buddhist-style healthy living" show that most young people want to have healthy and tasty dinners instead of merely filling their bellies.
"(My friends and I) discuss which brands of rice cereal nourish the stomach best in the morning, what food prevents hair loss and which beauty tools can help erase (wrinkles)," said Ms Wang Feifei.
The rise of takeout has resulted in the fall in sales of instant noodles.
Sales of instant noodles in the Chinese mainland were 38.5 billion yuan (S$7.8 billion) in 2016, which fell 17 per cent year-on-year. In 2013, the amount was 46.2 billion yuan, according to data from World Instant Noodles Association.
"I like instant noodles very much, but it is actually not good for stomach if eaten too much. Now I order food online; even a cup of ginger tea is better than instant noodles," said Ms Wang.
SHARED BIKES FOR THE LAST MILE
Shared bicycles have become a fashionable and low-carbon choice for young people when the travel distance is not long enough to take a bus or subway.
The number of active users of shared bikes surpassed 25 million in November (2017), according to third-party data. Ofo and Mobike led the pack in terms of monthly active users, and the market penetration rates of Ofo and Mobike were 5.34 per cent and 5.33 per cent, respectively.
"Shared bikes mainly solve the last kilometre dilemma. Now I ride a shared bike if it's inconvenient to take subway or buses," said Mr Wang Chao.
Besides bicycles, there are also shared basketballs, shared umbrellas and shared massage chairs.
One important reason behind the global expansion of the shared economy is that young people these days are not obsessed with owning things, said Mobike chief executive officer Wang Xiaofeng.
GO GREEN, GO SECOND-HAND
More youngsters, especially those born in the 1990s, choose secondary trading to cut expenditure and still enjoy quality life.
China's largest sharing economy platform Xianyu has more than 200 million users currently, with 52 per cent of them born in the 1990s, according to data provided by Xianyu.
"If I want to buy some expensive goods at cheaper prices, second-hand goods are great choices," said one user named Xiaoman. "For example, a brand-name lipstick may cost more than 300 yuan (S$61) at the beauty counter at department stores, but if I can find a trustworthy seller on a second-hand platform, I can own one for 50 yuan (S$10)."
Xiaoman has bought cosmetics, bags and clothes on second-hand platforms. She said she doesn't mind that the goods were previously owned by someone else; counterfeits bothered her more.
"Xianyu platform is in essence a sharing platform, and sharing is an important part of living a green life," said Xianyu's general manager Chen Weiye.
In over three years, the sharing and recycling of electrical and electronic appliances on the Xianyu platform has cut nearly 100 million kilograms of carbon emission, according to estimates made by the China Beijing Environment Exchange.
ANIMATION, COMICS AND GAMES
In recent years, animation, comics and games, or ACG, have developed from a niche culture into something that is more mainstream.
ACG experienced a flourishing growth in 2017 and became a lifestyle for those born in the 1990s.
The number of ACG's core users has increased from about 50 million in 2014 to 80 million in 2017, according to Internet consultancy iResearch.
ACG users are willing to pay for games, social media and online literature.
One popular platform is Chinese video-sharing site bilibili where users watching videos uploaded by others can post real-time comments. They can also see other users' comments on the same videos. This interactivity is core to the ACG community characterised with sharing.
The popularity of ACG culture among young people has also grown another phenomenon - virtual idol. Last month (November), Hatsune Miku, a popular animation figure in Japan, staged its third Chinese concert in Shanghai. Mainly relying on photo-electric technology, the concert set its highest ticket price at 1,480 yuan (S$302).
ACG is set to become a major part of the digital culture industry, with the Ministry of Culture publishing a guideline on promoting the innovation and development of the industry.
E-SPORTS AND ITS GREAT POTENTIAL
E-sports was listed by the General Administration of Sport of China as the 99th athletic event in 2003. The total production value of e-sports related industries exceeded 50 billion yuan, according to Xinhua news agency.
Of the 500 million e-sports players in China, around 50,000 are professionals. There are nearly 70 million core audience of e-sports in the country.
The broadcast of the 2017 League of Legends World Championship semi-finals on Oct 28 attracted more than 104.68 million viewers, according to data from Esports Charts.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education in 2016 listed e-sports athletics and management as a supplementary major for college education.
