China News Service, Hangzhou, February 13 (Xi Jinyan, Linnuo) In Chinese customs, going to the market is indispensable during the New Year. "Let's go! Go to the market." During the Spring Festival, many young people choose to "immerse" a market with friends in their spare time. "Going to the market" has become a hot word in today's young people's social circles, and it has also added vitality to the promotion of the city's new economy, new business formats, and new models.
A village market that carries childhood memories
The years are long, the human feelings are warm, and the lingering aftertaste is the fragrance of sauce. Hangzhou is filled with the flavor of the New Year. At the Jingshan Village Market, all kinds of sauce products are filled with the familiar smell of human fireworks. Sauce duck, sauce meat, spring rolls, etc. are lined up. Many young people are attracted by the wisps of sauce aroma. people.
Zhang Zheyu, a tourist born after 2000, said after shopping that he did not expect to feel the Jiangnan sauce culture while tasting the aroma of sauce. "It is very suitable for the current year. I bought several items and took them back to my family."
"Nowadays, many young people are paying more and more attention to health care. Several girls came over and said they wanted food with reduced salt and zero additives." said the stall owner. Many stall owners said that many sauce products nowadays continue to innovate production techniques and cooking methods while inheriting ancient methods.
In addition to the authentic sauce flavor, the combination of traditional folk customs and modern life makes the rural market "out of the circle". The authentic local flavor, pyrotechnics, visual design and check-in gameplay that meet the aesthetic needs of young people, and mountain scenery rely on the spread of short videos to activate the flow of rural markets and stimulate the energy of the countryside.
The weeds and branches along the river, the antique handmade lanterns, and the market stalls made of local bamboo are all eye-catching. At the Tonglu Mountain Wild Scenery Market, the reporter learned that many tourists who came to check in learned about this market through social media. “We made a guide before coming here. This market mainly combines solar terms and rural characteristics. We want to come and experience it. Fireworks in the world, feel the poetry and the distance.”
Hangzhou rural market. Photo provided by interviewee
At the "Ye Di Ya Gathering" in Yuhang, groups of young people flocked to the stall of Zhang Ru, the intangible inheritor of Qingshan Plum Blossom Cake, a "post-90s generation". "The old base tastes only brown sugar and sesame. We are selling traditional Plum Blossom Cake." We have made changes on the basis of this, and introduced a series of fillings such as taro paste, red beans, sesame, etc. that can cater to the tastes of young people." According to Zhang Ru, there will also be many "post-70s" and "post-80s" who bring their children to taste , carrying the authentic local flavor of their childhood memories.
The return and "exit" of rural markets is the combination of folk traditions and modern life, the collision of local culture and rural economy, and has also become an important driving force for promoting consumption growth in the new era.
In 2023, the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce and the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs organized a re-evaluation by experts in relevant fields and selected the first batch of 29 high-quality rural markets and 14 high-quality rural cultivation markets, providing a reference for people to "check in" and help Promote local rural tourism and consumption.
Experience the collision of diversity in the "Flower Market"
In addition to rural local food markets, the "immersive" new consumption scene of the night economy has also attracted the attention of many young people.
"It's so lifelike" "It's so delicate" "The expression between the eyebrows is just like me"... At the Wulin Night Market in Hangzhou, the portrait paper-cut stall attracted many passers-by to stop and watch. With a pair of small scissors and a square of red rice paper, while observing the visitor's face, he quickly operated "flying paper cutting". In less than five minutes, the original piece of ordinary red paper turned into a smart and spiritual portrait paper-cut. artwork. Once the folded portrait was unfolded and trimmed, the surrounding audience burst into admiration.
Ms. Lin, the stall owner, said that most of the audience for portrait paper-cutting are young people. "Young people have seen a lot of traditional window grille paper-cutting, but some people have never seen portrait paper-cutting. It is very strange."
Pan Huiqing, a "post-95s generation" who made a special trip from Shanghai to Hangzhou to check in, said, "I saw on social platforms that the night market in Hangzhou is very popular, and I also wanted to come and check in to buy some goodies."
Data in 2023 show that the contribution rate of nighttime consumption to consumption in Zhejiang Province reached 54.84%. "The night market is a gathering place for our young people." said Ye Lianzhong, the person in charge of Wulin Night Market. It is reported that the average daily passenger flow of Wulin Night Market during the holidays last year was 100,000, with a peak of 168,000. It has become the C-position of Hangzhou’s “traffic blocks”.
Hangzhou Guofeng Market. Photo by Lin Nuo
In addition to village markets and night markets, Guochao-style markets are also popular among young people. At the Canal Gongchen Market, reporters followed the flow of people to the Chinese style impression clothing stall. The stall owner, Ms. Xu, is a "post-85s" "fanatic fan" of traditional culture. She pointed to the embroidery on the ancient clothes and introduced, "I make These ancient costumes are more than ten years old, and I embroider each piece of clothing stitch by stitch. In recent years, I will add many trendy elements based on the preferences of young people."
"We have launched a variety of new products in line with the aesthetic direction of young people." A staff member of Xiling Seal Society said that young people are full of vigor and yearn for freedom. If "time-honored brands" want to resonate with the young group, they need to exude "youthful spirit" .
The reporter visited many markets and found that young stall owners accounted for a high proportion, and the integration of "market economy" and online live broadcasting has become a unique landscape. A "post-90s" Longquan celadon cultural and creative stall owner said that he met many young fans in the live broadcast room. Ms. Qi, the person in charge of the booth of Bao Feng Xiang Bureau, also said, “We are sold on all major online platforms. When many young people came to the offline booth, they said they fell in love with our short videos of intangible cultural heritage. Traditional Culture."
Hangzhou’s “Guanhe Night Market” in the evening. Photo by Xi Jinyan
There are hundreds of marketplaces. When gathered together, there are fireworks. When spread out, there is a human world. With the support of digital consumption and live broadcast e-commerce platforms, more and more young people are pouring into the market, which has also injected infinite possibilities into this traditional life scene. (over)