Welcome to Jing Daily‘s Weekend Sound Bites: a rundown of what industry influencers were saying about the week’s top stories on the business of luxury and culture in China.#
—FRIDAY, 9/20 —#
“Personally, I don’t buy luxury goods, and very few of my friends would consider eating bread and water for months just to buy a luxury item that is barely used.”
-Wu Qingqing, a resident of Jiayuguan, a smaller Chinese town in the Gobi Desert that is only recently beginning to see the shopping centers and fast food restaurants that characterize the future of China's consumer-driven economy. (FT)
—THURSDAY, 9/19 —#
“One of the biggest hurdles I had to overcome was the resistance of the Hong Kong team to a blonde female director from Hollywood coming to their country trying to do something stylistically new. It felt like I was rolling the boulder up the mountain alone.”
-Dennie Gordon, the first American woman to direct a Chinese feature film. The film, entitled My Lucky Star, is a prequel to the popular 2009 romance comedy Sophie's Revenge. (China Real Time)
—WEDNESDAY, 9/18 —#
"Every weekend, I spend at least one day shopping. I want to see what's new in store. Today, I'm wearing a Burberry raincoat, which is great in the rain or wind. I also love D&G an Lanvin. Every month, I spend on average about 5,000 yuan shopping. I think because these days, Chinese men love beautiful things more."
-Luckas Lee, a PR manager and representative of China's wave of male luxury shopaholics. (China Daily)
— TUESDAY, 9/17 —#
“Beasts and birds of prey, beautiful birds—they’re making ornaments, not specimens.”
-Tang Jian, a taxidermist at the natural history collection at Wuhan University who is less than excited about the recent stuffed animal trend among China's wealthy. (Quartz)
— MONDAY, 9/16 —#
“To Chinese officials, the choice of food is based on the price: the more expensive, the more they are eager to eat. I don’t give up and I am patiently waiting for the situation to change.”
-Ng Goon Lau, a Hong Kong trader of shark fins, who has seen his business curbed as of late due to government bans on the expensive soup ingredient often consumed at official banquets. (China Real Time)