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【推荐1】Men aren’t typically known for their shopping power. As the “She economy” became a buzz phrase in business magazines, the ever-expanding Chinese female middle class has been eagerly pursued by consumer brands from cosmetics to electronics. For some companies, that means there is a huge missed opportunity in the male market, especially given the fast-rising living standards across the most populous country on the earth and a male population that’s increasingly longing for a better quality of life.

Those instincts appear to be largely on point, according to the latest report on male consumption trends conducted by Suning Institute of Finance. The author of the report, the institute’s Senior Researcher Fu Yifu, concluded the male-oriented (男性导向的) market in China has great potential after observing three specific shopping habits of Chinese men in recent years: widened category, improved awareness and increased online consumption.

These trends are particularly noticeable in the country’s tech-adapted Millennial and Gen-Z populations, who have warmly embraced some special-interest consumer culture in other parts of the world through the Internet, such as the sneakerhead subculture, as a way to express their individuality. More importantly, many are willing to spend a fortune on it.

Also, nowadays, many Chinese men are definitely looking to lead more refined lives. The desire for “refined lives” has been channeled strongly through the pursuance of a more polished look-lighter skin, longer eyelashes and bigger eyes. These features are widely considered to be desirable traits for modern Chinese men.

JACB, which stands for “just a cool brand”, is one of the Chinese start-ups looking to capitalize on men’s increasing desire for a finer appearance. While most male cosmetic products today still focus on fixing skin problems such as acne (粉刺), JACB is pioneering the “men makeup” category with products such as BB cream for men. And the company mainly targets men in their 20s and early 30s, as they are more accepting of the new trends.

“The individual’s awakening in consumption has helped drive the men-oriented market to new heights that we are seeing today,” Fu said. “Chinese men have learned to buy skincare products, expensive suits, watches and luxury cars as a way to show their personal abilities.”

【推荐2】Would you believe it, Bangladesh is the happiest nation in the world! The United States, on the other hand, is a sad story: it ranks only 46th in the World Happiness Survey. That's far behind India, the fifth happiest place in the world, and others including Ghana and Latvia, Croatia and Estonia.

The research was led by London School of Economics professors into the link between personal spending power and the quality of life. It has proved that money can buy everything but happiness. The study revealed that people in Bangladesh, one of the poorest countries in the world, act far more happiness from their small incomes than, for example, the British (32nd on the list) do from their relatively large bank balances. In fact, people in most rich countries are much unhappier than poorer people in countries like the Domini can Republic and Armenia.

Most unfortunate, however, are Russians and people in some other parts of the former Soviet Union. They are neither rich nor happy, indicates the World Happiness Survey.

The study shows that although the British have twice as much money to spend in real terms compared with 40 years ago, their quality of life has not improved. Earlier surveys showed that many Britons thought money could bring happiness. The new study shows that such a link still exists in poor countries because a small increase in income can mean large improvements in lifestyle.

The researchers have concluded that although Britons are rich compared with most other countries, many suffer from an emotional poverty caused by consumerism (消费主义) and the breakdown of family life. “We are being seduced by a huge economic power and our personal needs are not being met,” said nip Marks, a social sciences researcher at survey University who also worked on the report.

【推荐3】LANZHOU-When an international olive oil competition announced its winners in Greece in late June, excitement spread across the village of Daoqi in Northwest China.

“The award-winning olive oil was made from our fruit,” said Ru Ciming, 50, an olive planter from the village under the city of Longnan, Gansu province. The variety of olive trees in Ru’s orchard (果园) was introduced from Spain. In the eyes of locals, the foreign trees have not only pulled the city, once among the least-developed regions in China, out of poverty, but they have also brought them international fame.

Olives originated in the Mediterranean (地中海地区) and their oil, often called liquid gold, is used widely in food, cosmetics and medicine. In the 1960s, the Albanian government gifted China more than 10,000 olive saplings (树苗), which were then planted in many parts of the country on nationwide trials. Longnan began to plant olive trees in the early 1970s and experts concluded that the region was ideal for the resettlement of the olive trees due to its climate and soil condition. After years of experiments and promotion, it is now the largest olive cultivation (栽培) base in China.

In recent years, the local olive oil industry has continued to expand as Longnan has improved cooperation with Mediterranean countries that have a long history of olive planting, including Italy, Greece and Spain. The improved cooperation aims to introduce better varieties and initiate technical exchanges.

Pedro J. Rodriguez Sanchez, a Spanish olive seedling expert, was one of the early contributors to olive exchanges. He arrived in Longnan in 2009, when only half of the local olive tree seedlings had survived. His technical guidance helped raise the survival rate to over 90 percent.

Zhao Haiyun, an official in charge of promoting the olive industry in Longnan’s Wudu District, said that many more European experts have arrived since Sanchez. They have visited orchards to offer guidance to farmers, and helped companies improve their processing and storage procedures.

They have helped the district, as well as the city of Longnan, to jump on the bandwagon of China’s rising demand for high-quality olive oil, especially among well-off urban families, said Zhao.