Every year I try to sit down and think of some of the things that have changed in China since I arrived. I written several posts in this series, including last year (though I neglected to publish it, which I will do shortly.)
The idea behind these posts is simply to keep track of the things I see happening primarily in Beijing but also throughout China should I get the chance to get out. For a very known reason, it’s been very difficult to leave Beijing over the last few years but that has since changed.
So let’s begin.
What have been some of the bigger changes?
COVID is over, kinda
COVID came to an end in Beijing (and a few other parts in China) around November/December. This was after the Chinese national elections (yes, they have them) and after a bit of a demonstration by some people who were unhappy with their print services. Some say it was a bit of a mess, but it’s hard for me to really make a judgment on it since I now work from home. There was one day where I almost got locked down, but then it resolved itself. And since I haven’t really travelled to many places, it’s hard to really compare what was happening in Beijing to anywhere else. Anyway, there was the slow removal of testing stations, followed by compound-specific testing, then complete removal of testing, then everybody got the virus anyway throughout December… then things returned to normal.
Hong Kong was the first to lift mask requirements at the beginning of March, but now most places do not require masks at all, except in some places such as hospitals and nursing homes. This is a stark contrast from last year at this time when we were queueing for our regular NATs just down the block.
EVs
I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t go as far as I used to either for work or play, but this is has been a noticeable trend. Gone are the Jaguars and Lamborghinis, even the Ferraris, and now here are the BYDs, NIOs, XPengs, and the other forgettable names in the EV space. The industry has received a huge boost and doesn’t look like it’s going to stop as the country mobilizes itself for an EV future.
AI
This is the most recent big change and sees China playing catch up yet again. ChatGPT is a household name now, though Google was slow to release its own version while Baidu took another three months before it released its Ernie Bot for its search engine. I haven’t heard of anyone using it, but I am aware of several people using ChatGPT in various ways (the website is blocked in the Mainland of China).
Wages / Jobs
Stayed the same or, of all things, I’ve heard at least that some public service workers have either been let go or had their salaries reduced. This goes along with the massive cuts to staff numbers in the EV and technology space. With this, I’ve heard from several Chinese people that finding a job is very difficult these days, though I’m not sure what they’re expectations are.
From the looks of it, however, delivery people are in high demand! These guys are busting their backs running around and making all sorts of deliveries, from a single cup of coffee to picking up returns and packing them and dropping them off at shipment centers. That being the case, the people who say it’s difficult to find a job are also not considering becoming delivery drivers. Most of these drivers are male, smoke, ride ebikes, work all day, and get paid 2-3 RMB per package they deliver. Hard knock life for sure.
On the flip side, there seems to be a demand for foreigners to fill several teaching roles, either at universities or international schools. Lots of the private schools were shuttered during the Great Double Reduction Policy of the Pandemic. As a result, many foreigners were working these easyier-to-get jobs have left. There are some new faces on the compound and it doesn’t look like people are entirely put off by coming to China, but it’s also not a big topic of conversation either.
Costs
For food I can’t say that my costs have really gone up, or at least not noticeably. I still buy a lot of vegetables but have noticed I’ve cut down on fruit, but not because of cost, but because it just doesn’t fit in with my daily eating habits as much.
There are two things I’ve noticed that have jumped in price:
- Australian milk: from 9.90 RMB to 12.90 RMB per litre
- Hair products: from 50-60 RMB to 100+ RMB
The hair products depend largely on which ones you choose but the price increase seems to be across the board. I’m guessing this has to do with the spike in oil prices last year as energy products are used in these types of products.
Other than that, vegetables don’t seem to have increased much, nor eggs or meat. I also typically buy my meats from an online shop and they often offer discounts for package orders and their prices have stayed the same over the years.
Taobao and JD sales
Noticeably missing this year are fewer online sales. A few years ago it seemed every month there was a new sale happening either on JD, Taobao, or some other online platform. Products on sale would vary, and often they would only go on sale for a short period of time at a specific time (ie, between 8 am and 9 am). This year, however, online sales have been restricted to the big shopping seasons, namely Double 11 (November 11th), Spring Festival and 618 (June 18th).
That being said, there are lots of other channels through which to buy cheap, everyday stuff. Be it plates, cups, utensils, or dish towels or racks, many of these items are available for sale through platforms such as Pinduoduo (拼多多) or Weipinhui (唯品会), though I’m told Pinduoduo is starting to lose out to its competition. Too many fakes and garbage sold.
There are second hand platforms too, such as 闲鱼 and 转转, but there still seems to be a stigma against buying second hand things in China. If you don’t believe me, ask your friends about the potential for ghosts.
Live streaming – sales through live streaming
薄利多销 (Bólì duō xiāo) “lower profit margins, higher sales” is the trend du jour as live streaming has seemingly taken over how and where companies are selling their wares.
XDF is probably the most noticeable “fall from grace” from country-wide private tutoring company to now hawking groceries and meats online. But it looks like they’re just following the trend as that’s where a lot of companies are hiring and selling.
Live streaming has become a big job but the hours are long and you need to talk a lot… about products you don’t really care about. And you need to interact with people constantly. These streamers can earn up to 8,000 RMB per month, which is decent given that they don’t have to go anywhere and would be on their phones anyway (haha), but the products they’re selling are often reduced in price or offer coupons, such as Starbucks coupons or salon memberships.
I’ve thought about getting into it too but am still not convinced. Sure, Tiktok has a live streaming function but you need a big X number of followers to monetize it. Likewise, here in China, Douyin (the Chinese version of Tiktok) also requires a lot of followers and to be popular. Seems rough.
Personally, I don’t shop through these platforms but apparently it’s a huge deal. I have started using Bigo for greater exposure to Chinese dialects from around the country, but you do have to sift through quite a few channels to find something appropriate.
No one reads (paper) books
But they do read things online. Bookshops never seemed to be really huge and I can only guess the reason, I’m sure you can too. But people are reading things online, and not just news. The last time I checked my Xiaomi Reader APP, it was full of a lot of fantasy-fiction novels, lots of Japanese inspiration, and, of course, love stories. And lots of comics, or do they call them illustrated editions? Anyway, I try to sit down with real books as its easier for me to strain over the Chinese characters in print than on a screen.
Coffee chains
Coffee is more prevalent, Starbucks is opening a roastery in Kunming. Apparently the company is betting big on China as its next huge coffee market, but it has competition. Manner Coffee, Luckin, %Arabica, Tims, not to mention places like McDonald’s, KFC and even Bianlifeng, the convenience store, along with other smaller coffee shops are getting into the game.
However, it’s difficult to say that these smaller cafes and convenience stores are comparable to the larger chains as many of them are using lower grade beans but often charging chain store prices. I’ve had people tell me they can’t taste the difference but then I wonder if they’ve ever tried the more costly cups of coffee. Certainly people can tell the difference between an Americano made by a machine at a convenience store and an Americano made with an espresso machine at McDonalds or Starbucks?! Maybe that’s just me. No, it can’t be.
Rent
Same same, but I suspect the landlord will try to raise prices this year. A 54 square metre apartment still goes for between 6500-7200 RMB per month.
Foreigners
They’re returning, but since I don’t get out much it’s hard to give much of an assessment. I do see quite a few foreigners doing their own thing, be it podcasting, organizing events, or writing, so the ones that stayed seem to have kept themselves occupied.
Conclusion
And that’ll about do it for this year’s assessment. Of course these things change and this list is by no means exhaustive and, more importantly, are just what I see going on. These types of posts are meant as an annual reminder to consider what’s going on and not as a guide. I hope you found it useful.