Just what is a luxurious item or service? For people in poverty, having enough food for the day or having an extra pair of clothes is a luxury. What does luxury look like for the 21st century Chinese cosmospolitan? Is it famous brands or an embracing of their culture?
什么是奢侈品或服务？ 对于穷人来说，一天吃饱或多穿一件衣服是一种奢侈。 奢侈品在21世紀的中國大都会是什么样子的？ 是著名品牌还是拥抱他们的文化？
All of the luxury brands that are now emerging are one day going to be selling to the next generation; my younger generation to be precise. So what of their view on luxury? For the purposes of this article, I interviewed some people about the luxury in their lives. As to favourite brands, the general answer was Gucci, Nike and Adidas. Overall, it was western brands, especially for clothing. Pragmatically, Jessica Liu (14) said, “I don’t know… it’s just a habit. Since many of them are made in China, it’s just easy to find them. They are easily available”.
现在新兴的所有奢侈品牌总有一天会卖给下一代；准确地说，是我的年轻一代。 那么，他们对奢侈品的看法如何？ 为了本文的目的，我采访了一些人关于他们生活中的奢侈。 至于最喜欢的品牌，一般答案是Gucci、Nike和Adidas。 总的来说，它是西方品牌，尤其是服装品牌。 务实地说，Jessica Liu（14岁）说：“我不知道……这只是一种习惯。 由于其中许多都是中国制造的，所以很容易找到。 它们很容易获得。”
Conversely, foreigners took the opposite view. Yewon Kim (15) has been living in China for 1 year and 8 months and has used many Chinese brands such as Xiaomi (tissues) and generally goes for Chinese and Korean brands, even for clothes. Sunny Cho (14) has been living in China for nearly 8 years and also likes Xiaomi for tissues and day to day stuff. However, for clothes and jewelry she mostly uses western brands, “because in the big malls of China those are what you find”.
相反，外国人持相反的观点。 Yewon Kim（15岁）在中国生活了1年零8个月，使用过许多中国品牌，如小米（纸巾），通常使用中国和韩国品牌，甚至是服装。 Sunny Cho（14岁）在中国生活了近8年，也喜欢小米的纸巾和日常用品。 然而，对于衣服和珠宝，她主要使用西方品牌，“因为在中国的大商场里，你会发现这些”。
No wonder that in a 2014 survey, when 200 middle and upper-class Chinese consumers were asked about their top five luxury brands, more than 95 percent did not mention even one Chinese brand. The most commonly mentioned were French or Italian; Chanel, Dior, Prada, Gucci, etc.
难怪在2014年的一项调查中，当200名中上层中国消费者被问及他们的五大奢侈品牌时，超过95%的人甚至没有提到一个中国品牌。 最常提到的是法国或意大利；香奈儿、迪奥、普拉达、古驰等。
China’s most established brand is Moutai (alcohol) and it was mentioned by less than 1 percent of the respondents, i.e. less than two people. Elsewhere, Hongqi is China’s oldest automobile manufacturer; their luxury H7 model was chosen to transport Francois Hollande, the French president. Who wouldn’t want a car that a president used? I know I want one but still, somehow Audi sells more luxury cars in 2 days than Honqi does in an entire year.
中国最成熟的品牌是茅台（酒精），只有不到1%的受访者提到它，即不到两个人。 在其他地方，红旗是中国最古老的汽车制造商；他们的豪华H7车型被选为运送法国总统弗朗索瓦·奥朗德。 谁会不想要总统用过的车呢？ 我知道我想要一辆，但不知怎的，奥迪在2天内卖出的豪华车比Honqi在一年内卖的还多。
Yet, it is true that many Chinese consumers do value their culture when making product choices, a trend that some Chinese brands are now noticing. In 2012 L’Oréal made Yue Sai (a Chinese brand) the only luxury brand that played on the Chinese aspect of beauty by using traditional Chinese medicine and promising beauty through the use of medicinal ingredients. The resulting and tremendous increase in sales made the idea catch on.
然而，诚然，许多中国消费者在选择产品时确实重视他们的文化，一些中国品牌现在注意到了这一趋势。 2012年，欧莱雅使Yue Sai（中国品牌）成为唯一一家通过使用中药和使用药用成分来发挥中国美容方面的奢侈品牌。 由此产生的销售额大幅增长使这个想法流行起来。
Yunnan Baiyao, originally a TCM pain reliever, got in on the act by producing a luxury toothpaste. Their focus on the cultural element also brought about a huge growth in sales.
云南白耀原本是中医止痛药，通过生产奢侈品牙膏而加入。 他们对文化元素的关注也带来了销售额的巨大增长。
It would therefore appear that it be Chinese people’s thoughts and perceptions that make western brands more stylish or trendy, given they lack the cultural understanding thereof. With such superficiality, the cultural dynamic places the future of luxury very much in the hands of the Chinese brands.
因此，鉴于西方品牌缺乏文化理解，似乎是中国人的想法和观念使西方品牌更加时尚或时髦。 凭借如此肤浅，文化活力将奢侈品的未来在很大程度上掌握在中国品牌手中。