Young people love to "go to the market" during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday: Garden fairs and urban markets call for more cultural elements. Theme | Market | Garden fairs
How would fashionable young people choose the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday?
According to search statistics from Xiaohongshu, "Dragon Boat Festival Garden Festival" and "Dragon Boat Market" are among the top ten popular searches for the Dragon Boat Festival holiday. In the hot topics, "weekend citywalk" and "roadside scenery" occupy the top two.
In recent years, various night markets, fairs, garden parties and other activities have been favored by many young people, especially those related to fashion culture, national style China-Chic, manual slow life and other topics. However, some market enthusiasts have found that with the popularity of such activities, too many commercial factors have intervened, making park fairs and markets more flavorful: "Park fairs and markets still need more cultural elements to support them."
The popular search for Dragon Boat Festival includes "Garden Festival" and "Market"
Discovering the Wilderness of Urban Life
How many parks and markets are there in Shanghai? According to incomplete statistics, during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday alone, there were many activities, including "Zhengjing Yu Paradise" on Yuyuan Road, "Xintiandi meets Xintiandi, farmers have flower heads", "Wusuo Bazaar" in Heishi Apartment, "Sinan Night Party" in Sinan Mansion, and "ITO Exchange Bazaar" on Wuding Road, involving music, reading, games, medieval goods and other categories. In addition, cities such as Suzhou and Hangzhou also have multiple markets, and many young people choose to take high-speed trains during small holidays to travel to the Yangtze River Delta to catch up with the market.
It is understood that some park fairs and markets adopt a ticket system, and young people who participate need to pay to buy tickets before entering for consumption. Why do they still enjoy this?
"The park fairs and markets I have chosen are mostly themed, gathering like-minded people from around Shanghai and even across the country to come and 'practice'. Seeing their new works, of course, it is worth spending a ticket. During this year's May Day holiday, Qiu Yu, a city resident who loves various unique toys and Gothic styles, participated in a 'dark' market, located in the old workshop of 1933, called the 'PlayerUnknown Market'.". "Many of the participants were dressed in gothic style, and the stall owners brought strange paintings, dolls, and ceramic products, such as a cloak with one eye, the skeleton of a Chinese Loong." Qiu Yu said that he was like a "mouse falling into a rice bowl". "If it were not for the market style, it would be difficult to gather so many friends in a city as large as Shanghai."
In May this year, the West Coast International Coffee Life Festival was held at the coffee market in Xuhui Binjiang
During the Dragon Boat Festival this year, the "Natural Market" will continue to be held in Suzhou in the form of "Art Museum+Market", which focuses on craftsmen and lifestyle. Some fans immediately snatch tickets when they see the official account of the Art Museum publishing the market news. Lu Wei, who works in design, and her friends have been there twice. They have handcrafted clothing, food, housing, and transportation, and have also found the long sought after "fish lanterns" and oil paper umbrellas here. What attracts her more are the small bridges, flowing water, and lighting trees. "The main theme is a sense of atmosphere.".
The Changes in Demand Behind "Market Rushing"
Various garden fairs and markets are flourishing, which is a longing for traditional lifestyles among young people and a change in their travel needs. According to data from the China Tourism Research Institute, the number of tourists visiting the Dragon Boat Festival holiday this year is expected to exceed the same period in 2019, reaching 100 million. Compared to the 5-day continuous holiday on May Day this year, the Dragon Boat Festival holiday is only 3 days long, so travel will mainly focus on peripheral and close range tours.
The China Tourism Research Institute predicts that the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, the Yangtze River Delta, the Beijing Tianjin Hebei region, the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and the Chengdu Chongqing urban agglomeration have more obvious tourist circulation and interactive flow. The main source cities will form a "3-hour golden tourism circle" around them.
"The Dragon Boat Festival holiday is only 3 days long, and it's also the rainy season. So, why not stay at home? If the weather is good, you can go out and play on the same day, back and forth." said Lv Youwei, a citizen working in the construction industry. Because most of the surrounding cities and tourist destinations are already very familiar, unconventional themed park fairs and markets bring new content experiences to the familiar scenery.
"Dahua Night Lane" opened in June this year
In the eyes of industry insiders, people's travel experiences are constantly iterating and upgrading. In the 1.0 stage, tourists mainly enjoy the scenery and visit famous historical sites, and the tourism industry is highly dependent on resources; In the 2.0 stage, tourists have personalized needs and diverse experience methods, leading to the emergence of various "check-in points" and "internet celebrity stores"; The current 3.0 stage is the era of "pan tourism", with "composite" and "cross-border" becoming new trends. Mr. Sun, who is engaged in the tourism industry, said, "Nowadays, it is not uncommon to go on a 'go as you please' trip for an exhibition, a performance, or a movie. It is not surprising that someone has recently specially checked in on Shanghai's convertible double decker bus."
The market needs more cultural elements
For many young people who practice stalls at the market, the market also provides them with relatively low-cost opportunities to make appearances. Although stall owners also have to pay for setting up stalls, this expense is still not high compared to large exhibitions or store rentals. In Japan, various markets are important platforms for young practitioners to enter the public eye. Many famous practitioners establish their reputation by being favored by consumers and art galleries at the markets, and then gradually enter shopping malls and hold personal exhibitions.
Ms. Du, a craftsman who has been working in ceramics in Jingdezhen for many years, has only started participating in the market in the past two years. In her opinion, this is a platform that is friendly to creators and craftsmen: "I am a 'social anxiety', and most of the people who come to the theme market are enthusiasts, making communication more reassuring."
In May this year, the "Modern Field - Qujianghai Market" with local characteristics was held in Fengxian
Yuan Wei, who used to work on e-commerce platforms, found that almost all stalls in the market would display QR codes, and many people have their own online stores. "Nowadays, online stores are like a sea of smoke, and it may be difficult to see them if it weren't for the market." Ms. Du doesn't have an online store, but she exchanges WeChat with like-minded buyers at the market, and some works are sold directly on her social media. She also admitted that not every "stand" can cover costs, but participating in the market every time is more like "meeting friends", making it easier for consumers and creators to connect. "The foundation of offline communication is to have a touch of the work, and handmade products are usually consumed by acquaintances."
As park fairs and markets gradually gain attention, some have also found that some markets are becoming more homogeneous. Previously, Qiu Yu participated in a "national style" market, where "eight out of ten are selling tea". Another time, some vendors sold fake perfume and other goods at the market near the river. During a trip, Lv Youwei visited a local market and said, "You can find everything on Taobao. The prices are much cheaper."
"A competitive market must have its own unique cultural attributes." Lu Wei had previously visited a popular market, but the scene was very light. It turned out that the current theme of the market was "parent-child", but the community where it was held was mostly inhabited by single young people. In Qiu Yu's view, consumers are not foolish and can feel whether they are genuinely aggregating content or making fast money. "I hope more personalized and meaningful park fairs and markets will become a part of urban life."
