Ten Lifestyle Trends Of 2016

by+Li+Zhuoxi

Abandoning Cash

Last year brought a heavy increase in the popularity of mobile transactions. Cash in wallets has been replaced by WeChat Pay， Alipay and China UnionPay. The rise of online payments has streamlined purchasing procedures and made consumption more comfortable. Traditional banks also got in on the trend of giving up cash. In 2016， China UnionPay launched the Quick Pass service， through which users of several banks can make purchases of things no more than 300 yuan just by scanning their card， without entering a password， connecting to the network or signing.

Soaring Second-Child Economy

Chinas universal two-child policy came into effect on the first day of 2016. The demand generated by hundreds of thousands of families across the country boosted many old and new industries. The maternity and childcare markets were the first beneficiaries. The move also changed the layout of houses. In view of the needs of families with a second child， more and more real estate projects introduced an additional bedroom to layouts. Greater numbers of startups that focus on infants have emerged. Industries including baby food， toys， childrens apparel， family cars， and early education have all seen boosts.

I Run Therefore I Am

In 2016， China held a total of 263 marathons， an average of one marathon every other day. That was well over ten times more than five years ago. Admission to run in marathons in Beijing and Shanghai was hard to get and required candidates to participate in a lottery. Thanks to sound sporting infrastructure， the dawn of the internet age， and the feeling of freedom afforded by running， the long-range running activity has become very popular across the nation in only a short period. China has entered an age of nationwide running.

The Longest Mile

No matter how complete the subway and bus networks are， they rarely cover the final steps between the station or bus stop and the home. Bicycles， convenient vehicles for shorter trips， could solve the problem perfectly. Shared bicycles became popular in 2016. Users just install a mobile app， search for bikes nearby， scan the QR code on a bike to unlock it and ride away. When finished with the bike， the user can just lock it at any place， any time. Shared bicycles offer a new， environmentally-friendly method of travel.

Fall of Print Media and Rise of We-Media

Last year was chilly for print media； many famous print media brands shut down. Some people have called this life-changing era the fourth industrial revolution. Numerous cultural products have struggled to keep up with the rapid development of technology and meet the needs of consumers. With the fast-paced nature of the market， even the slightest slowdown sucks any vitality out of a brand . Meanwhile， the dawn of “we-media” has arrived. Instead of being directed centrally， media is increasingly crowd-sourced. Crowdsourcing has become the future of more and more facets of media. To earn a living in tomorrows media landscape， professionals will need to achieve an increasingly high skill level.

Middle-Class Art Collection

Artists may be proverbially poor， just as art collectors are rich. However， the definition of “rich” changed drastically in 2016. The emerging middle class is dipping its toes in realms once monopolized by the elite. In terms of art， they brought down the purchasing threshold， increased market diversity and pushed art styles closer to daily life.

Dawn of the Webcast

Webcast platforms could possibly be the most popular internet product of 2016. Webcasting of computer games， outdoor events and even personal routines all attracted a huge amount of capital. Last year was dubbed the “First Year of Chinese Webcasting.” Webcasts exploded from just a handful of mobile apps into the talk of the town， especially among the younger generation. Last year， webcasters become an indispensible facet of every new product release strategy and their talent broke from small， crowded studios to sophisticated venues and facilities. The public was amazed at the impact of this rising press corps that can turn anyone into an internet celebrity. And the capital markets attitude towards webcasts turned upside down， from skepticism to obsession.

Sharing Life

Last year saw a steep upturn in the sharing economy. The movement was born of increased resistance to wastage， and the mobile internet provided the technology to facilitate action. In 2016， about 50 million people provided service in areas of the sharing economy， accounting for 5.5 percent of the working population. The number of people involved in the sharing economy exceeded 500 million. It has become a new trend to earn extra unofficial income by working through sharing economy platforms.

Boom of VR

The development of virtual reality accelerated in 2016， and many devices and types of content for consumers finally hit the market. Over the next 5 years， combining VR technology with immersive applications will become more mainstream. This technology is changing many kinds of entertainment and the artificial intelligence industry， including film and TV programming， video games， video delivery and even architecture. In the coming years， it will be applied to many other fields such as manufacturing and health care.

Say Hi to AI

Artificial intelligence （AI） went very mainstream last year. In March 2016， AI computer AlphaGo defeated the world Go champion Lee Sedol 4 to 1. The win triggered a wave of intense interest in AI in China. Internet giants announced an impending “revolution” and invested heavily in its development. The technology is being applied in more and more sectors and businesses， including social networking， e-commerce， logistics， and driverless cars.