The year 2017 witnessed an emerging new economy in China including new retail, anime culture, bike sharing and live streaming. The technology-driven economy has changed young people’s lifestyles profoundly.

Online food ordering

In 2017, white-collar workers and university students were the major group using online food ordering. Chinese fast food was the top choice for online food orders, accounting for 73.6 percent of total orders, followed by fast food like pizza and hamburgers, according to statistics.

A delivery man searches for the right address./File photo

As online food ordering becomes prevalent, instant noodle sales have plummeted. Young people nowadays increasingly prefer to order food online. Many Chinese note that food ordered online is probably not as healthy as home-made food, but better than instant noodles.

Sharing economy

If talking about the new lifestyle of youngsters in the new economy, it is inevitable that the sharing economy is mentioned. Bike sharing, the most prominent representative of the sharing economy, is convenient, fashionable and environmentally friendly. According to statistics, the number of shared bike users reached over 25 million by November 2017.

Bikes for sharing/File photo

Other forms of shared economy are also popular with young people. Shared karaoke, shared massage armchairs, shared umbrellas, shared power banks. The sharing economy makes every aspect of people’s life convenient and comfortable.

Green consumption

Young people also focus on what to deal with idle items or how to buy good things with less money. Hence the emergence of online platforms for trading second-hand items. According to Xianyu, China’s largest idle items trading website, 52 percent of its users were born after 1995, and more than 50 million users found their ideal item on the website every month.

The trading of second-hand household appliances also reduces carbon emissions. A report by Beijing Environment Exchange shows that since 2014, nearly 100 million kilograms of greenhouse gases have been reduced thanks to the trading of second-hand computers, communication and electronic devices on Xianyu.

Anime Culture

In 2017, games, literature and movies derived from Anime culture prospered. They reflect the attitude and lifestyle of young people. Young users are willing to pay for content and this lays the foundation of the development of the anime industry in China: An industrial chain was formed.

An anime cosplay/File photo

The Ministry of Culture has included animation and games in the nation's Belt and Road cultural development strategies and drawn up plans to develop anime culture in China. With such support, anime culture may be more popular among Chinese young people in the future.

E-Sports

For Chinese e-sports fans, October 28 was an unforgettable day. On that day, the Chinese team Royal Never Give up lost the semifinal of the League of Legends World Championship 2017. Although a pity that Chinese players lost the chance of fighting for the championship, the 146.8 million people who watched the game indicates that e-Sports have become popular in China among young people.

(Compiled by Wang Lichen)