If you have a Chinese friend, you may have heard that Chinese people are incredibly hospitable. In traditional Chinese culture, warmth and hospitality are good qualities. Confucius (the representative of Chinese Confucian culture) said thousands of years ago, "Is it not a delight after all to have friends come from afar!" In fact, if you visit a Chinese family, they will most likely prepare a lot of food for you and chat with you all the time to dedicate to making you feel at home.
However, based on my latest research, I found something contrary to tradition.
For Chinese generation-z girls,
too enthusiastic and hospitable might mean hypocritical and deliberate.
I observed a very interesting phenomenon. In the past, reunion dinner during Chinese New Year (dining and getting along with all family members and relatives during the Spring Festival) was of great significance. However, in recent years, for Chinese generation-z girls, this may mean pressure. During the workshop time, participants were talking about related topics, and they generally thought it was a bit “awkward” to eat with too many relatives:
"Actually, my relatives and I are not that close, but everyone has to pretend to be warm and close when having a reunion dinner."
"My relatives and elders rarely contact me throughout the year, but they are very concerned about my private life during the reunion dinner, such as marriage, salary, etc. This makes me feel very uncomfortable, I don't think they really care about Me."
"During the Spring Festival, I just want to stay with my family members who are really close to me. I want to be sincere."
During the discussion, participants kept emphasizing "pretending", "deliberately", "really", "sincere" and "honest". For Chinese generation-z girls, deliberate and excessive hospitality might mean inauthentic, so they appropriate social distance and honest communication.
What brands need to do:
Traditional morals might not work for the new generation
During the workshop time, participants mentioned that a large number of brands with excessive enthusiasm, which makes them feel unreal.
A participant said that when she went to the counter to buy cosmetics, she was hesitant between two brands, Estée Lauder and Lancôme. In the end, she chose Lancôme because the sales assistant of another brand was overly enthusiastic and kept talking about privacy when they were chatting.
An example is a hot pot brand called Haidilao, which has a selling point of warm and hospitable service. For example, when a consumer goes to eat hot pot alone, the waiter may accompany and chat all the time to avoid the consumer feeling lonely. However, participants generally thought that going to Haidilao for dinner was "uncomfortable".
A participant talked about an embarrassing experience: Once she ate alone, the waiter put a bear on the seat in front of her to make her feel warm. "The waiter may want to show a passionate brand culture, but I have to say that it looks silly."
A participant said that she chose Haidilao because of the delicious taste, but not because of the over-enthusiastic service. "Sometimes Haidilao's waiter might ask privacy questions when chatting, and I really don't want to answer."
"The purpose of the brand is to make me consume, so if you improve the product quality, I will purchase again. Anyway, you don't have to pretend to care about my life so much." said one of the participants.
It seems not feasible for brands to superficially add some of China's traditional ethics to brand values in an attempt to win the favor of consumers.
Chinese generation-z girls pay more attention to personal real feelings.
Therefore, sincerity is the ultimate password for authenticity.
You've visited the main parts of the journey! Some final words before you leaving.
