Cultural products inspired by relics discovered at the Sanxingdui Ruins Photos: IC

Cultural and creative products related to aerospace, enamel spittoons (or chamber pot) and décolletés for vaccination made in China and incorporating Chinese culture and patriotic elements unexpectedly ranked in the top 10 in the shopping carts of China's Generation Z — generally defined as people born in the 1990s and 2000 — as shown by the year-end reports released by online platforms, which experts think reflects young people's maturity and confidence in Chinese brands and products and the growth of China's power. 

As the end of the year approaches, all kinds of online platforms are releasing their annual reports on keywords, most searched hashtags and trending topics of 2021 in succession. 

An all-around research report on intelligent information for Gen Z in China released by searching platform Quark shows that the Olympic Games, vaccination and guofeng guochao (domestic brands and products incorporating Chinese traditional style and culture) were the most popular topics this year. 

Many trending topics cover a variety of daily consumables including clothing, food and entertainment.

According to the list of top 10 commodities popular among young Chinese released by Taobao, China's Gen Z are no longer obsessed with renowned international brands but are more willing to pay for more personalized products and satisfy their own spiritual pursuits. 

At the beginning of 2021, a nationwide vaccination campaign in China led to the popularity of dresses that expose one's shoulders among Chinese young women. Many women bought décolletés so that it was convenient for them to receive a jab. Some male consumers even left messages to retailors on Taobao asking when "vaccination garments for men" will become available. 

After a series of major breakthroughs in China's aerospace industry were made in 2021, cultural and creative products related to aerospace also became popular among young people this year. 

Besides, the Chinese enamel spittoon which was sold early this year as an "enamel fruit basket" on US e-commerce platform Amazon at a price nearly 30 times higher than its original price in China, trended on Chinese social media for a long time and made the domestic enamel industry revitalized. 

Chen Yuefeng, an industry observer with new media platform lingshouke.cn, told the Global Times on Wednesday that after decades of development for the Chinese economy, young generations have a higher degree of acceptance for domestic products than previous generations and their choices are more personal. 

"They are unwilling to go with the flow, nor will they blindly pursue foreign brands. They would rather follow their own preferences and desires," Chen said. 

Besides, due to ideological differences between China and the West, Western products have left some negative impressions on some Chinese people, Chen noted. 

"In recent years, China has made some efforts in consumption innovation, or in guiding new consumer groups and satisfying their consumption habits; thus many Chinese brands have gained more trust and recognition among Chinese people. Meanwhile, young people have more confidence in Chinese brands, which is a sign of the growth of China's power," Chen said.