4 . Chinese buyers used to prize foreign brands, thinking that products made by American or European companies are of higher quality (质量) than Chinese ones. Increasingly, that’s no longer the case.
Chinese people born before 1985 generally think that foreign brands are better than Chinese ones, billionaire William Li told Business Insider during a recent interview on CCTV 9. But for those who were born after 1985, it is a different picture.
“When I first went to the United Kingdom in 1997, I thought that the difference between China and Europe was quite big,” Li said. “But for those born in the 1990s, when they visit Europe or the US, they do not think there is a big difference.”
The change in thinking among Chinese buyers is showing up in many markets in China where western companies used to control. A study by Credit Suisse published in March found that young Chinese buyers are increasingly showing a “home brand bias”.
More than 90% of young Chinese buyers would prefer to buy home appliance brands, according to the study. Meanwhile, home companies producing food, drinks, or personal care products increased their share of the market by 3.3% over the last ten years to nearly 70%.
“Chinese buyers, especially the younger ones, don’t just believe that foreign brands are better. Right now, Chinese buyers think China is good and ‘Made in China’ is not bad at all,” Charlie Chen, head of China buyer research at Credit Suisse, told South China Morning Post in March.
The Chinese smartphone market is controlled by home companies- Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi. Apple is the only foreign brand in the top five, but it has lost large ground to the home brands in recent years. Its market share is believed to be down to 37% from a 2015 high of 54%.
1. What is this passage mainly about?
| A．The quality of “Made in China”. |
| B．The change in Chinese buyers’ thinking. |
| C．Chinese products in the eye of foreigners. |
| D．The difference between older and younger Chinese buyers. |
2. Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．More and more foreigners go to buy Chinese products. |
| B．Foreign products are more expensive than Chinese ones. |
| C．More and more Chinese buyers prefer Chinese products. |
| D．Older Chinese people don’t like foreign products any more. |
3. Which fact best explains “
home brand bias”?
| A．Apple had a market share of 54% in 2015. |
| B．More than 90% of young Chinese buyers prefer home brands. |
| C．Chinese people born before 1985 think that foreign brands are better. |
| D．William Li found a big difference between China and Europe in 1997. |
4. Who did most of the research for this report?
| A．Credit Suisse. |
| B．CCTV 9. |
| C．South China Morning Post. |
| D．Business Insider. |
5. What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．Chinese products get more popular at home |
| B．Young Chinese are crazy for foreign brands |
| C．Made in China is welcomed all over the world |
| D．Apple has lost large ground to Huawei in China |
