LiAnne Yu is a Strategic Director in the Technology Studio, and brings more than a decade of experience in anthropological research and design ethnography to Cheskin. LiAnne specializes in designing user experiences and brand positionings based on deep understandings of the cultural, emotional, and technical needs of people in their everyday contexts. LiAnne has conducted design research in China, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, and across the U.S. LiAnne speaks Mandarin fluently, along with conversational Vietnamese and Japanese.
25 October 2007
While doing research in rural China, my team heard about a very special place in Henan provice called Nanjie Village. Nanjie Village is one of a handful of truly Communist-run villages left in China. I begged our local Chinese partners to take us there (they gave in but thought I was nuts). What we found was a far cry from the market-driven energy of Shanghai or Beijing.
11 October 2007
Shanghai is a dazzling city, no doubt about it. I’ve heard it described as Manhattan on steroids. But when it comes to really understanding the vast majority of China’s emerging economy consumers, I would recommend getting out of the first tier cities like Shanghai and Beijing, and visiting a 2nd, 3rd and even 4th tier city. The “tier system” in China is based on both population and average income. First tier city residents tend to make more money and live lifestyles associated with the rising middle class. But even when we get down to the 4th tier cities, we’re not talking about sleepy little towns with only one mom and pop store. In fact, China has over 160 cities with populations of 1 million or more (compare that with the US, which only has 9). These are vibrant, rapidly developing places that represent China’s future prosperity.
While 3rd and 4th tier cities like Shaoxing (a three hour drive from Shanghai), Luohe (in Henan province), Dujiangyan (in Sichuan province), and Xintai (in Shandong province) may not enjoy much press, it is in these places where we can observe some of the most drastic changes in Chinese lifestyles over the last few decades. Here are a few things I observed during a recent trip to China’s smaller cities:
6 September 2007
Here in the West, we often take for granted that computers are primarily personal devices. Even if our computers don’t belong to us but come with the job, there’s a strong sense that “this is my computer” and I can put “my stuff” on it, which nobody else has the right to access without my permission.
In Emerging Markets, however, the expectations around computer usage are drastically different.
21 December 2006
China has a long tradition of guanxiwang, the concept of a personal connection between people in which each may prevail upon the other for a favor or service. In a recent trip from Beijing to Shanghai, we personally experienced how guanxiwang works.
20 September 2006
Congratulations to Renee at Down the Avenue for recently surpassing her 2000th post!
I can personally connect to her musings in the entry “Pen to Paper or Blog”. Although typing and blogging are so much more immediate and ‘fresh’ than taking the time to write things out in longhand, “the return to a notebook from time to time can be both rewarding and refreshing.” When I have a lot to think through or I've just had a particularly vivid dream, I still reach for my journal and favorite pen by the side of my bed. Reaching for my laptop just doesn't seem right.
And thanks Renee for the kind words regarding our recently published book, China’s New Culture of Cool.
8 August 2006
Under Mao, individuals gained status by adhering to socialist doctrine. Displaying Mao’s image at home and carrying around his Little Red Book were signs of correct thinking. Those symbols are largely irrelevant to today’s young urban Chinese except as kitschy fashion statements; other icons are gaining power in their place. As young Chinese come to view what they buy as symbols of their growing prosperity and engagement in modern lifestyles, products, brands and celebrities have become the newest signs of correct thinking.
China calls this generation of status-seekers the “xin xin renlei,” meaning the “new” new generation. The label describes those young adults whose lifestyles include designer clothing, the latest technology, cars, pampering through spas and a host of other luxury goods and experiences. No longer limited to buying generic goods from state-owned department stores and markets, these status conscious consumers can shop in some of the largest and most elaborate stores in the world, choosing from an expansive selection of domestic and foreign products. Although still a relatively small percentage of the population, these high-end consumers are very visible and influence a wide swath of followers who emulate them with “knock-offs.” A foreigner strolling down one of Shanghai’s downtown streets could leave with the impression that most of the city’s population can afford Chanel sunglasses, Rolex watches and Louis Vuitton handbags. In most cases, it would take an expert to tell that these aren’t the real thing.
10 July 2006
Myths and stereotypes about the Chinese abound in the press, in marketing books, and in presentations. One of the most prevalent false characterizations is that the Chinese are a homogenous people. In truth, China is a multicultural country that recognizes 56 nationalities within its borders. Ethnic groups often cluster in geographic areas, contributing to notable regional distinctions. The great majority of the Chinese population (92 percent) is Han, but this group subdivides into many distinct groups with significant linguistic, social, and cultural differences. As individuals stream into the large metropolitan areas from all points of China, they bring their differences with them and contribute to the mix of influences brewing in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and their sister cities along the coast.
27 June 2006
China is in the news every day, but many business people we meet still don’t have a sense of the country’s magnitude. We think the simplest way to gain that is through comparison. China is geographically about the same size as the U.S., but it has four times the population. It has about 1/3 the rail and highway systems and a tiny fraction of the airports. Despite its lack of transportation infrastructure, it’s home to the only commercial MagLev train in the world. It’s also building modern subways faster than any other country.
In terms of its population of 1.3 billion, roughly half are under age 30. That’s more than twice the population of the U.S.—all under 30 years old.
Still thinking of China as an undeveloped country? It currently has 400 million cell phone users. As of the government’s last report in 2003, nearly all urban households owned a washer, a refrigerator and at least one color TV. More than half of urban households owned an air conditioner and a DVD player. Nearly a quarter of urban households owned a computer. Given the country’s astronomical growth, these percentages are undoubtedly much higher now.
18 February 2006
In China, food is love. Food represents familial ties and status between people: the elderly and most prestigious guests are always served the first and best parts of the dish. Food represents commitment: business deals and marriages aren’t sealed with paperwork but by the opulence of the dinner banquet. Food represents all that Chinese parents feel but aren’t in the habit of saying: parents will spend without limit on fancy packaged snacks to show their love for their little emperors and empresses. And increasingly, food represents China’s window to the world.
4 February 2006
It’s commonly believed that Asians value collectivism over individualism – and that’s what differentiates them from Westerners. This dichotomy is attractive because of its simplicity (and its subtle implication of Western superiority), but fails to capture the complexity of modern-day Asian consumer lifestyles. Our ethnographic research across the region has captured many of the tensions between the traditional values of group conformity and the increasingly potent desire to lead modern lifestyles based on self-expression. The most successful brands in Asia have captured the spirit of Asia’s unique forms of individualism.
6 November 2005
I recently spoke on two separate panels, both addressing China’s consumer revolution. One was at the U.S. - China Executive Summit, which included business and political leaders. The second was for World Trade Week in NYC, which included leaders in design and brand management. The key question on everyone’s mind was this: can Chinese brands compete successfully with global ones, like Nike, McDonald’s and Sony? The economists in the crowd were skeptical, citing irrational business practices and a dearth of Western style management skills in China. As an ethnographer and consumer trends watcher, I approach the question from a different angle.
25 June 2005
China is once again on the cover of Time. I’m happy to see the coverage, but I'm concerned about the media's obsession with the so-called U.S.-China “competition.” Articles focus on questions like “What does China want?” as though the country were a petulant child or indecipherable woman.
Why are the consumer longings of the Chinese always cast in a suspicious tone? For some reason, the media seems to need to portray Chinese consumerism as a political practice with the goal of toppling the U.S. That's not only inaccurate, it's inflamatory and completely undervalues the immense opportunity that China represents to the U.S.
13 June 2005
As China continues to climb in prominence as a world market, it's become common for US companies hoping to expand in China to conduct focus groups and individual interviews with customers, especially in Shanghai and Beijing. But for companies really hoping to make a significant impact in this country, deeper insights are required. As such, early mover companies are hiring ethnographers to provide a richer, more culturally complex view of the country that inspires both strategists and design teams.
The pay off is tremendous, but doing this well is not easy. Here are some tips:
6 May 2005
The term Diaspora is traditionally used to describe Jews living in different parts of the world outside of Israel. But ever increasingly in academic and mainstream publications, we hear about something called the Chinese diaspora. This diaspora consists of over 50 million ethnic Chinese living outside of mainland China-roughly the population of Great Britain, and two and a half times the number of ethnic Indians living outside of India. Why, as brand and product design researchers, should we incorporate the concept of diaspora into our methods?
2 May 2005
China is a multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual nation. In China there are 7 major language groups (with over 8000 dialects), 56 ethnic groups, and 200 million Muslims (that’s two thirds the total U.S. population). So why do marketers continue to refer to the country in homogeneous terms? Why is the U.S. perceived as multicultural, while China continues to be described as uniformly “Chinese”?
30 January 2005
Economic change in China has slowly brought upon increased freedom of expression. And so I find it incredibly exciting and unprecedented to see blogging culture take off among China’s 90 million (and growing) Internet users. Bloggers, called “bo ke” in Chinese, are flocking to sites such as blogchina.com and CNblog.org. In addition, China’s 320 million mobile phone users can now use “moblogging” services, to send text and photos directly from their phones to their blogs.
How will the nature of news and information exchange develop in China? How will youths in the remote regions learn about (and maybe even influence) fashion, music, art, and literature? China’s bo ke culture may give us some indication.
23 January 2005
These days I see plenty of ads for people with advanced degrees in anthropology to fill brand and product design roles. For someone like me who spent years in grad school wondering what options I had outside of academia, this is very gratifying. Truth be told, it’s fun to finally be associated with a popular discipline! Back when I was in the early stages of job hunting, it seemed only the MBA’s got the cool, international jet-setting jobs. I just got asked if I dug up bones for a living. But with popularity comes one inevitable tendency: the proliferation of fakes.
27 September 2004
Dichotomies between East and West have permeated thinking about politics, economics, and cultures for centuries. The West is thought to be dynamic, creative, individualistic, and forward thinking. The East is often portrayed as static, derivative, collectivistic, and traditional. During an event that I spoke at last week on design for Asia, these issues came up in the often repeated question: Can the Chinese develop a culture of innovation?
1 June 2004
While flying to NYC on United last week, I caught a special segment entitled “Digital Cool,” featuring Samsung’s design vision for China’s mobile market. At the heart of this was a special on Chinese women and their mobile phones. Global companies have definitely caught on to the fact that women in China are defining their work, leisure, and romantic identities in ways that are very different from the generation under Mao’s regime. And in a society where the rules of status are being dynamically rewritten through product ownership, Chinese women consider mobile phones to be reflections of their newfound femininity and agency.
13 May 2004
I read an article in Newsweek Asia recently about the new face of tourism: newly rich and mobile Mainland Chinese who are traveling outside of their country’s borders for the first time and in ever increasing numbers. It’s certainly common to see ethnic Chinese from Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the West as tourists, but Mainland Chinese have not, until very recently, been allowed to leave their country for leisure travel. The lifting of political restrictions under the Communist regime and the economic boom have created, for the first time in China’s history, a middle class with the means and the itch to travel abroad.
19 April 2004
I'm reading a fascinating book called "Something from the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950's America" by Laura Shapiro. It's a witty look at the history of women and food in the postwar era. The food industry set out to promise women that they would be liberated from the drudgery of cooking from scratch. The vision: smiling women in pretty aprons preparing frozen dinners, discovering canned soup and Jell-O, ready-mix cakes, and Spam. The author chronicles the hilarious yet tragic tale of Poppy Cannon, author of "the Can Opener Cookbook", who championed such dishes as this one: Spam placed in the bottom of a casserole, then a layer of canned macaroni and cheese, then a layer of canned asparagus, and finally a layer of grated cheese and bread crumbs. Or how about a Red Crest Salad, made from chopped tomatoes and pickles stirred into strawberry Jell-O.
24 March 2004
Whenver I travel to Tokyo, friends always see me off with recommendations on where to eat, whether it's at upscale restaurants or noodle shacks run by little old ladies. Being from San Francisco, I'm used to great Japanese food, whether its fresh sushi, crispy fried octopus, yakitori kebabs, or steaming bowls of ramen.
Despite the fact that I am in one of the world's best places for eats, I must admit that what I look forward to most in are the bentos from 7-Eleven ("sebun erebun").
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