https://www.scmp.com/rss/501259/feed Nick writes about business and life in China, having lived in the country for over 15 years. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com “At this time”, “now, more than ever”, “unprecedented”: most business articles (at this time) explain the hurt an industry has faced, and target future recovery. Luxury car brands in China though have found a different “new normal” as one of the few sectors experiencing year-over-year sales growth thanks to affluent Chinese consumers. In April 2020, luxury car dealers sold over 277,000 units, an 11 per cent increase on the same time last year, while the mass or non-luxury passenger market... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3090111/ferrari-maserati-porsche-mercedes-how-young-women-china-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3090111/ferrari-maserati-porsche-mercedes-how-young-women-china-are?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Jun 2020 03:00:08 +0000 China’s production of new billionaires is happening as quickly and efficiently as its output of manufacturing. No real economic expertise is needed to see that a couple of decades ago there were fewer yuan available – and now, there’s lots more. While Chinese billionaires have been able to accrue massive amounts of wealth domestically, one of their favourite hobbies is packing away their offspring to overseas landmarks of education. Their legacies may be defined by not only wealth creation but... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3089290/how-chinas-billionaires-are-investing-their-childrens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3089290/how-chinas-billionaires-are-investing-their-childrens?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Jun 2020 22:00:16 +0000 As international travel and investment is on hold until the Covid-19 crisis passes, property companies are looking for what is going to happen when markets, hopefully, bounce back. Wealthy Chinese have long been reliable investors in the market, and looked to the UK, specifically London, as a stable and reliable point for investment. London was the top destination for Asian outbound capital in 2018, according to last year’s report from commercial real estate services firm CBRE. In 2018, 18 per... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3077770/london-still-biggest-draw-where-else-uk-are-rich?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3077770/london-still-biggest-draw-where-else-uk-are-rich?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2020 18:00:08 +0000 The outbreak of the coronavirus, known as Covid-19, has brought the world almost to a standstill as countries continue to close borders and airlines cancel flights around the world. As the crisis takes its toll on the global economy, it already has been wreaking havoc on the fashion industry as luxury brands scramble to react. Since January, international luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Burberry and Chanel have been quick to react by cancelling shows and exhibitions. Louis Vuitton... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3075024/how-vlogging-live-streaming-and-gestures-support-could-help?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3075024/how-vlogging-live-streaming-and-gestures-support-could-help?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2020 12:00:35 +0000 The 2010s saw China move assertively to the centre of the world stage, while Chinese consumers overtook Japan as the largest market for luxury goods in 2012. As we enter a new decade, China either leads or is close to leading sectors from outbound travel to beauty, to fashion to luxury cars. Yet this new dawn of national pride, optimism and the Chinese economic juggernaut has been sharply jolted by the social impact of the coronavirus. The business battleground for brands was already a minefield... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3074893/coronavirus-china-luxury-brands-turn-wechat-ai-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3074893/coronavirus-china-luxury-brands-turn-wechat-ai-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2020 01:22:42 +0000 The massive wealth increase among Chinese consumers and big number stats are often in the news – just Google “Double 11 shopping festival 2019” and stand back as the headlines flow. Strategy heads and innovation senior vice presidents over in Paris and London could be forgiven for thinking that the streets of second-tier Chinese cities are paved with gold, all the way to the Bund restaurants that they’ve tried and loved on their immersive quarterly work trips. View this post... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3037937/fine-dining-dead-chinas-gen-z-eaters-think-so-its-all?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3037937/fine-dining-dead-chinas-gen-z-eaters-think-so-its-all?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Nov 2019 04:00:05 +0000 Thinking of Brexit, a classic Tom and Jerry episode springs to mind: “The Cat Concerto”. It is on YouTube if you haven’t seen it, but – spoiler alert – the highlight of this 1947 animation is the ending, when Tom thinks he has finally come to the end of the tune, but Jerry’s antics force him to keep going, and going, and going. By the end, the whole thing is a comical mess and the protagonists are in some pain. Brexit in a nutshell. While at times all you can do about British political... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3031431/how-british-brands-are-beating-brexit-blues-luring?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3031431/how-british-brands-are-beating-brexit-blues-luring?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Oct 2019 02:00:12 +0000 Nick Withycombe Nick Withycombe While the rapid development of Chinese society is a truism that gets rolled out in many China-related articles, it is also true that the country holds tight to traditions, beliefs and social norms. Still clutched tightly in the grasp of this cultural trifecta are all things related to the family unit, especially marriage. We are seeing an evolution of wedding ceremonies in China, thanks to social-media savvy Chinese millennials and Gen Z. But what exactly do these brides and grooms want on the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3021471/why-chinas-millennials-and-gen-z-are-saying-i-do?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3021471/why-chinas-millennials-and-gen-z-are-saying-i-do?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Aug 2019 02:05:24 +0000 While there is an endless stream of news articles about China published in the international media, there remains a gaping chasm between the image of China and the reality. While the quantity of pieces in international news titles is high, the accuracy is low – partly thanks to the online clickbait world we live in today, and partly thanks to some people who put the concept of “modern China” back 30 years. Why Justin Sun thinks a US$4.57 million lunch is a good deal Jack Ma, executive chairman... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3015158/sorry-jack-ma-996-working-week-does-not-reflect-reality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3015158/sorry-jack-ma-996-working-week-does-not-reflect-reality?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Jun 2019 02:00:11 +0000