Coronavirus has changed China’s entertainment habits, but consumer spending is still weak
- Stagnating income growth and job losses have seen many Chinese turn to cheap online entertainment during the pandemic
- Sales revenue in China’s games market last year increased 20.71 per cent year on year to 278.69 billion yuan, according to Gamma Data
With international travel off the cards and cinemas intermittently closed, young Chinese like Jiang Tang have been spending more time entertaining themselves online since the coronavirus pandemic hit.
When not at home, scores of young people gather during the evening at milk tea cafes to play online games in the southern city of Guangzhou.
“To attract young consumers, the cafes are equipped with fast internet speed and are rushing to launch one-litre packages of drinks and snacks that cost about 50 yuan per person,” said Jiang, a 27-year-old administration executive.
Although China was the first major economy to bounce back from the pandemic, income growth has slowed in recent months, forcing many working and middle class residents to seek out cheap online entertainment to amuse themselves. For others that can afford it, weekend getaways have replaced trips abroad.