1 . 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 is taking hold in China-guochao or “China-chic”.

According to a recently published report, searches related to guochao on Dianping, a lifestyle information platform, have risen by 170 percent from the same period last year, and reviews have risen by nearly 40 percent. China-chic is happening, 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 (审美) offered by homegrown Chinese brands, according to CGTN.

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. As a result, the company recorded 20 percent revenue growth in 2018, marking the first time the brand’s revenue had hit the 10-billion-yuan mark since its founding.

The trend to embrace (欣然) domestic brands has since spread rapidly to various sectors (领域) 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 (香水) and lip balm (唇膏). “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.

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 (认可), according to Kerra Zhou, founder or brand strategy consultancy Kerrisma.

This March, several Western brands boycotted Xinjiang cotton over “forced labor” allegations (指控). To show national pride and cultural confidence, the “I support Xinjiang cotton” campaign spread across the country. Many Chinese boycotted these Western brands and turned to Chinese domestic brands support Xinjiang cotton, like Li-Ning and Anta.

“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.

How is everything going?

Best wishes.

Yours,

Li Hua

7 . The 15-day Spring Festival is the biggest holiday of the year for many Chinese to leave from their jobs to travel home and see their loved ones. But along with gathering come a lot of traditions aimed at making sure the year ahead is lucky and happy.

Here are some key dos and don’ts that many Chinese follow before and after the Lunar New Year.

The more fireworks or firecrackers you set off, the better.

Not only do you light up the night sky with a symphony of color, but the loud banging sounds are thought to scare off evil spirits.

Eating dumplings is a popular tradition in northern China because dumplings not only taste good but also look like pieces of gold.

Sweep, mop, vacuum, steam-do anything and everything to make sure your home is clean before the midnight on Lunar New Year eve. The aim here is to free your home from any bad luck that’s accumulated over the past year.

Leave your hair as it is on the first day of the New Year.

The Chinese character for hair is the same first character in the word for prosperity(发达).

This means washing or cutting it off is seen as washing your fortune away.

Cleaning of any kind on the first day is strictly forbidden.

You clean your home to avoid any bad luck before the New Year - now you want to be sure not to wipe, sweep or wash away any of the good luck that arrives after midnight.

It’s bad luck to buy them during the 15-day Spring Festival.

The Chinese word for "book" (shū) sounds exactly the same as the word for "lose’"-so buying a book is considered an invitation to bad luck.

Also, avoid giving books as gifts to anyone, because it’d be like wishing bad luck upon them.

Yours,

Li Hua

    1    (achieve) the rejuvenation(复兴) of the Chinese nation     2     (be) the greatest dream of the Chinese people since modern times,     3     is called the Chinese Dream. Its basic idea is to make the country prosperous and     4     (strength), rejuvenate(使恢复生命活力) the nation, and enable the people to lead a happy life.

The Chinese Dream is     5     dream of peace,     6    (develop), cooperation and mutual benefit, and its realization will do good to     7     the Chinese people and the people of the world.

    8    (realize) the Chinese Dream, each and every Chinese has to work as     9    (hard) as they can     10     only hard work can make dreams come true.

10 . What’s in a logo?

What attracts customers?    1     It is not only the image provided by the packaging that counts but the whole corporate identity (企业形象) of the company.

There are now many products and services on the market which are similar in content though produced by different companies. It is important, therefore, for a company to distinguish itself from its competitors by having a strong company image which is immediately recognizable.

Logos are part of this image.    2     The logo establishes a visual identity for the company, just as different groups of young people express their identity through hairstyles and clothes. All groups from all cultures and throughout the ages have used colours and symbols to show their identity.

    3     Some colours may be connected with coldness in one culture and with warmth in another; some colours represent life in one culture but death in another. International companies have, therefore, to make sure that their logos will not be misunderstood or misinterpreted in different countries.

The logos of large international companies are instantly recognizable throughout the world.    4     The design of the words “Coca Cola” has not changed since 1886, although the surrounding design has been changed from time to time.

Companies need to have a strong corporate identity. The logo helps to promote this image and to fix it in the minds of the consumers.    5