Brands turn to traditional Chinese culture to attract young customers

To celebrate the Year of the Rabbit, time-honored Beijing snack brand Daoxiangcun launched gift boxes featuring festive snacks and traditional Chinese packaging.

One of the gift boxes that has been particularly popular among young customers due to its cute appearance and trendy contents, features rabbit cake with soybean cheese carrot fillings, among other items.

Shi Yan, deputy general manager of Beijing Daoxiangcun, said that in addition to the brand's 200 or so regular snacks, it is creating new products to tempt the taste buds of younger shoppers, in addition to launching seasonal products such as autumn red-leaf cake.

"For those snacks that have been lost over the years, we are trying to replicate them by checking old recipe books and materials, as well as asking folklore experts about them," she said. "The current Chinachic trend is not just about a cool appearance, it has to resonate with traditional Chinese culture."

Chinese pastry brands are looking to this trend to attract young customers through inheriting traditional Chinese culture, creating stylish products, and collaborating with other domestic brands.

In August 2021, Daoxiangcun launched Location Zero, a renovated store in the Chinese capital's Dongcheng district, where a variety of authentic Beijing pastries with new twists are available.