Seeking Tide Dongguan Selected as | Trend | Dongguan
"A dozen, half a dozen free!" A large plate of grilled oysters was served, and inside the hot oyster shells, the oyster meat covered in garlic sizzled. Swallowing a mouthful of fresh fragrance, sipping a sip of cold beer, and chatting with friends, the tension of the day dissipates in pleasure... In Dongguan, there are 100 ways for young people to pass the night, and a barbecue house decorated with oyster shells is always a good choice.
"I came from a small island with grilled oysters," wrote in "Fengshi China Chronicle: Dongguan. As early as 5000 years ago, grilled oysters may have been the most popular "Dongguan snack".
Dongguan was born in the tide. The surging the Pearl River water system and the surging South China Sea spring tide have formed the the Pearl River Delta in the struggle of year after year. The first generation of "citizens" in Dongguan happily picked up oysters, built oyster houses and piled up oyster shells to form oyster hillock on the islands and mudflat bred by the combination of river tide and sea tide. In the center of Dongguan, archaeologists excavated the site of oyster hillock in the Neolithic era, calling it "the first village in the Pearl River Delta".
The sea changes greatly, and one is accustomed to watching the salty and light tides. The residence of ancient humans in Haogang has now become a vibrant city with a population of millions and an average age of only 33.4 years old. This famous manufacturing city at home and abroad is now striving to shine the new business card of "trendy Dongguan".
Can a city's genes easily change as the "world factory" takes the forefront of the trend? Someone is puzzled.
Entering this city reveals that trends have always been embedded in the genetic code and urban texture of the millennium old Guanyi.
A trendsetter of the times
A swaying grass for thousands of years, a dusty handbag for decades, a trendy doll overlooking the city... Walking through Dongguan, one inadvertently travels through centuries of fashion trends.
Dongguan is named because it is located to the east of Guangzhou and is rich in Dongguan grass. What does Guancao look like? Many old Dongguan people are also unaware. The first sight of Guancao was a popular tourist attraction newly built in the Binhai Bay New Area of Dongguan four years ago. On the shallow shore of Lingdingyang, in a small patch of Guancao field, egrets dance gracefully, and the tall and flexible Guancao style is beautiful, allowing "trendy" tourists to meet this famous product of Guanyi.
Goodbye Guancao, it is in the bustling non heritage market of the city center that exquisite bookmarks, tea mats, and desk lamps have been woven by inheritors of intangible cultural heritage.
Guancao has also led the international trend! In the Ming Dynasty, there was a poem called "The Grass of Guan": "The grass of Wan is like the grass of Guan, and its color is like Peng Peng. It does not grow or branch, so it is suitable to sit on a mat or a table. The name of the town is truly beautiful." It tells the story of this coastal small town, which has long been famous for its exquisite products of Guan grass. In the Qing Dynasty, Dongguan served as an important gateway for Lingnan sea trade, with a wide variety of Guanxi dishes selling well in Southeast Asia, Europe and America along the Maritime Silk Road. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, some grass weaving factories actively captured the changes in foreign lifestyles and aesthetic needs, innovated with determination, and their products have always been at the forefront of international trends, shining brightly at the "China's First Exhibition" Canton Fair every year.
In the late 1980s, as if overnight, the fashion of Guancao disappeared. Continuous grass fields, planted with economic crops such as bananas; Grass textiles in daily life have been replaced with plastic and other products; Many skilled weavers have gone to "three come and one make up" enterprises.
In Humen Town, Dongguan, the exhibition hall of Taiping Handbag Factory, China's first "three in one supplement" enterprise, displays handbags exported to Europe and America in the 1970s and 1980s. A continuous stream of tourists walked by, all praising: this style is not outdated even today!
The female worker recalled that year, Hong Kong businessman Zhang Zimi came to Taiping Clothing Factory, took out a popular European and American style women's handbag, and gave a special test question: copying the handbag without any drawings or instructions. Several female workers who had never seen such handbags stayed up all night. The next day, an identical handbag appeared in front of Zhang Zimi. So in September 1978, the Hong Kong funded Taiping handbag factory was put into operation, laying the first brick for the "World Factory". Since then, the wave of compensation trade for foreign parts, materials, and samples has surged from here to the Pearl River Delta and even the whole country.
This handbag has opened up an era of trend gathering. International brands such as Hitachi from Japan, Samsung from South Korea, Nokia from Finland, and Nestle from Switzerland have all settled in Dongguan. In the exhibition hall of Taiping Handbag Factory, there are still high-end sewing machines made in the United States that can still be used today. Hong Kong designers and technicians dress and pose like stars in group photos, and workers buy Hitachi washing machines and Panasonic televisions. Back then, young people from Humen Town rushed into the handbag factory, and young people from all over the country flew southeast to Dongguan, not only to support their families, but also out of the temptation brought by trends. A female worker recalled that after the groundbreaking "pay per piece" reform, her unchanged monthly salary of 38 yuan gradually rose to over 300 yuan, higher than that of factory directors and government officials. Once the salary is paid, the whole city becomes a sensation. Luxury goods like imported household appliances can also be purchased by ordinary workers.
In 2007, amidst the thunderous collapse, Taiping Handbag Factory ended its glorious history of fighting against storms in the tide of processing and trade. In the past two years, a little girl named LAURA with a basketball in her hand, a headband wrapped around her head, and stars shining in her eyes has become a new trendsetter. She stands tall in the center of Dongguan, watching the continuous flow of young people pouring into the trendy street below her feet.
This original trendy IP sculpture that attracts the cosplay crowd, as a city landmark, declares that Dongguan is no longer chasing the trend of the cosplay era, but creating its own fashion.
Although Doraemon, Snoopy and other world-class "top class" IPs all have production lines in Dongguan, and Bing Dwen Dwen, the winter Olympic mascot "hard to find", is also made in Dongguan, Dongguan, which has long been unwilling to accept the ideal. In recent years, Dongguan has nurtured multiple original trendy IPs such as ToyCity, Pinku, and Modong Core, which have become popular nationwide, with fan attention and sales data ranking among the top domestic trendy IPs. This summer, Dongguan Ruwang was awarded the title of the only "City of Chinese Fashion Play" in China.
The direction of the tide is constantly changing. The wave of foreign investment economy has submerged the fashion of Guancao in the Lingnan handicraft era, and has also been washed away by the bright halo in the newly emerging trend of fashion. In the collision between the river and the sea, Dongguan has always been the trendsetter facing the tide, practicing new swimming styles in the ebb and flow of the tide.
The tide rises and all things grow
Shandong people say that pancake rolls are everything. Dongguan people say that trendy play "+" everything.
More than a quarter of global anime derivatives are produced in Dongguan, and nearly 85% of domestic trendy toys are produced in Dongguan. Trendy play is naturally chosen as the spokesperson for the urban culture of "trendy Dongguan".
Entering this "City of Youth", trendy and playful elements can be found everywhere——
"Tidal Play+Intangible Cultural Heritage", the lion and dragon boats scattered in the deep ancient villages have been transformed into trendy play IPs, transforming into popular "Dongguan gifts" for visitors from all over the world; "Tidal Play+Tourism", this summer, the theme tourism line of Tidal Play anime is on fire, and people linger in the "Tidal Play Village" to enjoy the trendy industrial culture in the water town, visit the anime library at night, and watch the Dongguan Tidal Play IP's Eight Immortals and Nine Cats perform "Meow Lives in All Forms"; "Trendy Play+City", taking the subway to immerse yourself in trendy play blocks such as Hyde Square and Langlihui to check in at one stop, releasing dopamine during trendy play, coffee, and sports, making Generation Z young people unable to extricate themselves
Chaowan has also been selected as the spokesperson for "Made in Dongguan". Dongguan has launched a leading plan for the trendy toy industry, promoting cross-border interaction with various industries such as electronics, cultural and creative industries, food, clothing, etc., allowing traditional manufacturing to take the trend as its wing and fly higher. Recently, at the 2023 Dongguan International Design Week, the Dongguan home furnishing industry and trendy toys were linked for the first time, shouting "Furniture Tide - Made in Dongguan" and creating a trendy outdoor camping life exhibition. The sparks generated by the collision of trendy and outdoor home furnishing top brands attracted many cross circle enthusiasts.
Everything can be trendy, which is Dongguan's unique confidence.
On the Yuanxiao (Filled round balls made of glutinous rice-flour for Lantern Festival) that year, the author saw the Qianjiao Lantern, a national intangible cultural heritage unique to Dongguan, in front of the old building in Guancheng. The palace lantern of the Song Dynasty, which is 4.5 meters high, is decorated with 1000 lamps on 1000 corners, which are painted with beautiful patterns such as flowers, birds, insects and fish. It integrates calligraphy and painting, Paper Cuttings, embroidery and other techniques. It is as bright as a star. It is said that only one can be made in 10 years, but now it is a withered craftsman. While marveling at it, I also lament its time-consuming and labor-intensive nature, as well as its difficult inheritance.
Unexpectedly, I quickly had the privilege of making one myself. A friend sent a DIY metal assembly model of a thousand corner lamp developed by the Dongguan trendy toy brand "Pinku". On a long weekend afternoon, while enthusiastically assembling hundreds of exquisitely crafted parts with the children, we slowly talked about the precious identity of the Qianjiao Lamp as the "Yan in front of the Old Wang Xie Tang", enjoying the parent-child time that has traveled through more than 700 years of time and space. This cool thousand corner lamp has been named one of the "Top 10 Intangible Cultural Heritage New Works of Guangdong in 2020" and has flown into the homes of ordinary people. Pinkuo, dedicated to refining traditional culture, has developed over a thousand products. The classic "Ten Mile Red Makeup" has sold over 2 million sets, and the annual sales of "Fengguan" exceed 100 million yuan.
Many trendy toy brand founders who have come from all corners of the world to Dongguan to become trendsetters say that it is Dongguan's manufacturing genes that provide a unique soil for their creative dreams.
"In Dongguan, you can find all the upstream and downstream supporting services within a radius of 5 kilometers." Cai Ji, the founder of Dongguan Qingguang Toys, a Beijing boy who has loved art toys since childhood, smashed his "iron rice bowl" a few years ago and was determined to create the best plush toys in China in Dongguan. Nowadays, its IP Bafengte Little Sheep has become a "healing" star among thousands of trendy toy stores across the country. Wang Dongdong, the founder of the Modong Nuclear brand, is a hardcore player of mechas who traveled south from Shenyang to Dongguan, aiming to fulfill the Chinese dream of becoming a "Chinese style mecha". Modong Nuclear's development of mecha models such as Lv Bu, Guan Yu, and Ao Bing has exploded in domestic and foreign markets since its launch. The luxury version of the Chinese wind turbine Jia Lu Bu has over 1000 parts and more than 2700 processes. And Dongguan's complete industrial chain makes everything possible.
As the largest toy export base in China, Dongguan has sent one-third of the world's Barbie dolls to markets such as Europe and America. Now, Dongguan Chaoplay confidently takes Chinese trendy culture to the sea and rushes to the world. Dongguan Weishi Company, which founded the Pinku brand, has translated its products into 7 languages and sold them to over 100 countries and regions, with a total of over 100 million users worldwide. "Made in Dongguan will become Birth in Dongguan, and our little lamb is going global with many original Dongguan IPs!" Yang Mei, the general manager of Dongguan Qingguang Toys Co., Ltd., had a glint in her eyes.
Trend Laboratory
Today, Dongguan urgently needs to master the trend code more than ever before.
As one of the youngest cities in the country, the proportion of young people aged 18 to 34 in Dongguan is as high as 77%. In the nearly 30 years of Taiping handbag factory, the youth dreams, sweat and tears of young people have built the glory of Dongguan. Standing at the crossroads of transformation towards "technological innovation+advanced manufacturing", the fate of Dongguan's future still lies in the hands of young people.
The trendy password is hidden in the hearts of young people's infinite longing. In the past two years, Dongguan has begun to explore the urban culture of "trendy Dongguan" in all aspects. Trendy play is just an endorsement, the key is to bring young people from various circles to "trendy" and "play" together——
The intensive ecological camping festival activities have created a poetic habitat for young people. Dozens of forest parks, wetland parks, and green spaces scattered throughout urban and rural areas have transformed from loneliness to popularity. Set up a tent, boil tea around the stove, observe flowers and birds, enjoy tea and coffee, go to trendy markets, and have a lively weekend.
Under the fluctuating foreign trade situation, the "Match Box" urban art TIME event has held 250 small concerts that can be seen around the corner in the past year, warming and stirring every unexpected heart. The "OPPO Night" sung for millions of industrial workers, the "Cantonese Golden Melody Night" reminiscent of the brilliant years of stars for Hong Kong merchants, and the "Developer Night" created for nearly 10000 Huawei developers gathered around Songshan Lake from all over the world... There is no rock or trend, no hip-hop or traditional Chinese music, and people gather towards each "matchbox", resonating with the city in their desired melody.
During the anxious employment season, the basketball city cultural festival burned across over 6000 stadiums in urban and rural areas, turning into a passion that never gives up. As a well-known "national basketball city", Dongguan basketball has competitions every day and also boasts the Guangdong Hongyuan Club, which has won eleven CBA championships. Last year, Dongguan created the first urban basketball culture festival in China, achieving a cross dimensional collision of "basketball+trendy play". "If you want to play basketball, come to Dongguan!" Famous athlete Zhu Fangyu, who grew up in Hongyuan, has always called for Dongguan basketball culture. "Dongguan is a city of hardworking people, and basketball is a sport of hard work. Since you have come, let's fight, no regrets!"
In March of this year, Dongguan officially launched the "Trendy Dongguan" brand project, planning and launching over 2500 events such as "Trendy formats, Trendy music, Trendy intangible cultural heritage, Trendy lifestyle". "A cultural journey of 'trendy Dongguan' throughout the year, a cultural exploration full of possibilities about 'trendy experiments', is about to set off immediately," announced Si Qi, Director of Dongguan Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports.
Where will the exploration of "trend experiments" go? It can be seen that with the continuous trend of "supply" throughout the year integrated into Dongguan's daily life, more people are coming to Dongguan to "search for trends". During this year's May Day holiday, Dongguan received 3.5046 million tourists, transforming from a "source of tourists" to a "popular tourist destination" and becoming one of the top ten most popular travel destinations in China. There are also many people coming to Dongguan to make waves. Data shows that in the first quarter, the number of college students submitting resumes to Dongguan ranked first in the country, with over 100000 new undergraduate talents added in Dongguan in the first half of the year.
At the recent Dongguan Anime Fun Night event, a new generation of singers sang a song called "Tide Dongguan, Towards the World": "Dongguan is a trendy city where new young people, as CEOs, shine on the stage of the times with their passionate attitude. The rhythm of the surging wave makes the world sway with it..."
Not defining youth, only magnifying youth, accommodating the diverse spirit and temperament of young people. The trends explored in Dongguan may not be as dazzling as those in big cities, but they will be as flexible, continuous, and never-ending as the grass in Dongguan.
