Why Has Guochao Taken Hold in China? 国潮：从何而起，何以为潮？

导读：近年来，随着中国经济社会发展，“国潮”悄然兴起。什么是国潮？国潮热由何而来，背后又有着怎样的意义？

If you look around your city， you might spot girls wearing hanfu in subways or people wearing T-shirts with Chinese characters on the streets. A new trend has taken hold in China— guochao， or “China-chic”.

According to a report， searches related to guochao on Dianping， a lifestyle information platform， have risen by 170 percent from the same period in 2021， and reviews have risen by nearly 40 percent. China-chic has happened， but what is it？

The term characterizes the rise of China's native fashion trends. It has expanded the concept of “Made in China”， which has been recognized as the representation of Chinese culture and aesthetics offered by homegrown Chinese brands， according to CGTN.

如果你环顾所在的城市，可能会在地铁里发现穿着汉服的女生，或者在街上看到身穿印有汉字的T恤的人。一种新的潮流已在中国流行起来——“国潮”。

据一份报告显示，在生活资讯平台大众点评上，关于“国潮”的搜索量比2021年同期增长了170%，评论也增长了近40%。国潮已在兴起，但什么是国潮？

“国潮”一词代表着中国本土时尚潮流的崛起。据中国国际电视台报道，人们一直认为“中国制造”是指中国本土品牌呈现出的中华文化和美学，而国潮扩大了这一概念。

China-chic came into the spotlight in 2018. Before that， big-name foreign companies dominated the world market. To win market share， many Chinese brands followed in the footsteps of these Western brands. But that year， Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning changed things up. During the 2018 New York Fashion Week， Li-Ning introduced its Taoism-inspired Wu Dao collection. The collection not only had a trendy look， but also included elements of traditional Chinese culture. It immediately grabbed attention at home and abroad.

The trend to embrace domestic brands has since spread rapidly to various sectors and products， from food and drinks to clothing， mobile phones and electric vehicles. For example， White Rabbit， whose sweet candy brings back childhood memories for many， launched its perfume and lip balm. “We want White Rabbit to be a brand that young people want to share，” Shen Qinfeng， the company's marketing manager， told People's Daily.

國潮在2018年成为众人关注的焦点。此前，世界市场一直由外国大品牌主导。为了赢得市场份额，许多中国品牌跟随这些西方品牌的脚步。但那一年，中国运动服装品牌李宁改变了这一局面。在 2018年纽约时装周上，李宁推出了以道教为灵感的悟道系列服饰。悟道系列不仅外观时尚，还包含中国传统文化的元素，立即引起了国内外的关注。

此后，从食品、饮料到服装、手机和电动汽车，国产品牌备受青睐的趋势迅速蔓延到各种领域和产品。例如，以糖果唤醒很多人童年回忆的大白兔，推出了香水和唇膏。“我们希望大白兔成为年轻人愿意分享的品牌。”大白兔的营销经理沈钦峰在接受《人民日报》采访时说道。

Now， the guochao trend is “moving to the next stage， where its success will rely， first and foremost， on gaining cultural confidence rather than Western validation”， according to Kerra Zhou， founder of brand strategy consultancy Kerrisma.

No matter how the guochao trend evolves， there's one thing that won't change： Behind the craze is people's positive attitude toward the country's development and their recognition of and growing confidence in national culture， said Yao Linqing， a professor in the School of Economics and Management at Communication University of China.

据品牌战略咨询公司Kerrisma的创始人Kerra Zhou称，如今国潮正“步入下一阶段，在此阶段，国潮的成功将首先依赖于获得文化自信，而非西方认可”。

无论国潮趋势如何演变，可以确定的是：“'国潮'热展现的是人们对国家现在和未来发展的积极心理状态，是对民族文化的认同，更是文化自信的提升。”中国传媒大学经济与管理学院教授姚林青说道。

Word Study

aesthetic /iːs'θetɪk/ n. 美感；审美观

dominate /'dɒmɪneɪt/ v. 支配；控制

He tended to dominate the conversation.

domestic /də'mestɪk/ adj. 本国的；国内的