Westerning China? Chinese Consumption of Western Commodities and Lifestyles

• In Event: 412 - Regular Session. Consumers and Consumption

Abstract

The flow of foreign products from the west to China is a reflection of the globalization process. Global homogenization theory argues that people in less affluent countries purchasing Western products and emulating Western lifestyles will be fully westernized. Although global homogenization has been debunked by many studies, most of them focus on the production side. Drawing from my empirical data, I focus on consumers’ demand side and explore different groups’ attitudes towards Western products and lifestyle in China. I find that in China, most consumers with different combinations of economic capital and cultural capital are not fans of Western products and lifestyles. Concretely speaking, the new rich and the upper–middle class do not consider Western products and lifestyles status symbols. Salaried professionals are more utilitarian buyers. Petite bourgeoisie takes Western products and lifestyle as status symbol, but they consume indigenized Western lifestyle and products. I argue that there are three main reasons for these facts. First, globalization forces China to assimilate into the global culture, and Chinese consumer experiences are becoming increasingly influenced by not just one but multiple centers of influence. Second, Chinese are in the process of individualization, and seeking ‘self’ influences Chinese consumers’ decision-making. Finally, Chinese indigenous culture endows Chinese with different ways of thinking and also shape unique consumption meanings.

Author

• Weiwei Zhang, Georgetown University