Despite a widening income gap, many Chinese white-collar workers are still grasping for a little luxury, always on the look out for things that are modestly priced but offer something a little refined. Such is the demand that there’s now a growing market for high quality yet affordable luxuries called “qingshe.”
With “qing” meaning “light” and “she” meaning “luxury,” qingshe offer a little “affordability” to “lighten” people’s economic burden. In China, prices for products in this category generally range from US$300-1,000, equivalent to two weeks’ to a months’ salary depending on the part of the country.
Though much cheaper than real luxury items which often cost many thousands of dollars, qingshe are distinguished from cheap goods in term of design, materials and workmanship. Some secondtier luxury brands or the sub-brands of famous luxury brands are widely viewed as the most typical qingshe. A lipstick by a good brand, for example, is often a woman’s first qingshe product, thanks to its low price and how easily it can be used to show one’s taste.
Notably, many qingshe makers stay well away from “fast fashion” in order to keep their character and to ensure quality. Those brands often have a limited group of users who, however, remain very loyal.
Although nobody can say for certain why qingshe is spreading among the Chinese people, analysts believe it is highly related to China’s rocketing house prices. As young people have no chance of ever affording an apartment no matter how much they save, they tend to shift to a more leisurely life, treating themselves with qingshe products. This is why the term is evolving to describe an entire new style of life in China.
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