Worthiness wins

A similar consumption trend is happening among younger Chinese.

Guochao, or China chic, reflects their close connection to Chinese culture with aesthetic value and shopping experiences overtaking brand cachet, said Liu from the institute of finance.

The younger generation's greater demand for experiences is making the focus of domestic brands more international, as younger consumers are well-educated with a global outlook. This means brands will have to be more innovative to provide "extraordinary" experiences, Liu said.

Purchasing domestic brands can evolve from a one-time shopping spree to repeated purchases, he added.

"The core targets of the guochao brands, which are younger consumers aged between 20 and 30, are more rational and less easily drawn to the traditional internationally well-established brands. To them, consumption is an expression of their own value. The product's worthiness outweighs affordability when they buy something," Liu said.

According to market consultancy iiMedia Research, the guochao market size reached 2.5 trillion yuan in 2025, with the figure expected to top 3 trillion yuan in 2028.

The rise in China chic has also been boosted by inbound travelers looking for different consumer experiences in China, iiMedia analysts added.

The pursuit of new shopping experiences, however, is not restricted to categories or age groups.

China's domestic tourism market is a good example. It hit record numbers last year in both the number of trips taken and total spending, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Domestic tourists made 6.52 billion trips throughout 2025, up 16.2 percent from a year earlier. Their travel spending jumped 9.5 percent year-on-year to 6.30 trillion yuan."Immersive experiences" were listed as top priorities for traveling.

The elderly, those age 60 and above, were important contributors to the travel industry. According to the Chinese domestic travel agency HopeGoo, they accounted for over 70 percent of tourists who booked outbound luxury cruise trips and over 90 percent who took polar cruises. Their average expenditure on a single trip exceeded 12,000 yuan, higher than all other age demographics.

Their demands for tailored travel experiences have also increased.

International language training institution EF said it has seen elderly Chinese people's rising interest in overseas study programs. In 2019, only 3 percent of the program participants were aged above 50. But that ratio rose to 20 percent in 2023.

Retired doctors, engineers, teachers and company executives aged between 55 and 65 make up most of the participants.

The two — to four-week programs, priced at 20,000-70,000 yuan per person, are affordable for well-off people, EF said.

"When people have time, they can become easily bored. In other words, they are more willing to pay for experiences like studying abroad, making their life more colorful while fulfilling their childhood dream," said Wu Mianqing, CEO of data service provider BigOne Lab.

Importantly, the purchase of language courses by elderly Chinese travelers was preceded by the experience of overseas travel. "Based on my parents' experiences, they expressed strong willingness to learn English after several overseas trips. Now they have become loyal subscribers of a paid language-learning application. It forms a perfect loop for such travel service providers," Wu said.

A recovery in the capital market is likely to generate more income for Chinese consumers, making them more optimistic and confident to buy, he added.