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, 9/6#
—#
"Car-pooling feels so good because it provides a way to bond and chat with each other while saving money and increasing efficiency."
-An unnamed top Chinese military official, speaking to the People’s Liberation Army Newsletter regarding the current order for Party officials to carpool together instead of riding in individual luxury cars. (SMH)
—THURSDAY, 9/5#
—#
“Maybe it’s Yao Ming fans, or maybe it will be Napa fans. There will always be people who think it’s too much money and the value isn’t there. But the value of wine is often about the stories behind it. When Yao Ming makes a wine, the media writes about it. Of all the Californian Napas, this is the one people will pay attention to.”
-Jim Boyce, Beijing-based wine blogger, on basketball star Yao Ming's decision to market a segment of his wine production to Chinese connoisseurs. (WSJ)
—#
WEDNESDAY, 9/4
—#
“This year, in addition to my distributors, I will sell through a private club in Shanghai that caters to extremely wealthy clients who want products you cannot find anywhere else. They buy three to four watches a year from me.”
-Kees Engelbarts, Dutch independent watchmaker, on designing and marketing luxury watches informed by Chinese aesthetics. (NYT)
— TUESDAY, 9/3 —#
“We’re not selling much to those who were passing these on as gifts to officials.”
-Jay Ginsberg, owner of wine dealers Ginsberg + Chan in Hong Kong, who estimates at least 40 percent of his business in 2011 was for mainland gifting purposes. (WSJ)
—#
MONDAY, 9/2
—#
"The Chinese traveller wants to be handled by people who understand their culture, not just language."
-David Thomas, a consultant for Think Global Consulting, speaking at the Luxperience Thought Leaders forum in Sydney. (Travel Daily News)