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[China] new retail supermarket giant 盒馬 supports the intangible cultural heritage of food

  • Release date: May 18, 2020
  • 2415 Views

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Dried persimmons, dumpling paste, dim sum... Demonstrations by artisans are also popular.

New retail supermarket 盒馬 has started selling food intangible cultural heritage from various parts of China recognized by the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Association from around the second half of 2019. Foods designated as intangible cultural heritage in various regions, such as dried persimmons from Fuping, dumpling bean paste from De Fachang, and Huangjianjian (a dim sum similar to a steamed bun) from Shaanxi province, have become popular, with in-store demonstrations by artisans.
De Fachang of Xi'an was initially approached by盒馬 to sell frozen dumplings, but he decided to only sell the dumplings in the paste and have them wrapped at home because the taste of the dumplings would be lost if frozen. Fuping's dried persimmons (24.9 yuan/approx. 382 yen), which are high in sugar and have a half-ripe, honey-filled taste, have become popular in Shanghai, Hangzhou and other urban areas, with sales of 500,000 packs sold in one month in the stores and online.

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Local dishes get TV attention

After the hit documentary program A Bite of China (Tongzhijianjue upwards的中国), which focuses on local cuisine, local venerable shops and simple, old-fashioned flavors have come to the fore in China. At the same time, however, the lack of successors and the depopulation of old establishments in towns and villages with a food culture that has been registered as an intangible cultural heritage has become a problem, and many of them have disappeared without their presence being noticed by people in cities. In order to protect such vanishing Chinese traditions and pass them on to the next generation, 盒馬 has started selling food that has been designated as an intangible cultural heritage. 盒馬 is a successful retailer in three areas: app, store, and food and beverage. 盒馬 communicates the appeal of its products to a wide range of consumers through photos, videos, and word of mouth on its app, and by showing cooking demonstrations in the store and offering freshly prepared food to be sampled on the spot.

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This article is co-authored by TNC Lifestyle Researcher (http://lifestyle.tenace.co.jp/) and Intage's Global Researcher.

Translated by DeepL, AI Translator

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    TNC ASIA Trend Lab

    TNC ASIA Trend Lab is an information organization run by TNC Inc. that researches and shares trends in Asia. It supports corporate marketing activities by finding insights from trends rooted in the lifestyles and habits of local consumers. http://tnc-trend.jp/

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    Intage Inc.

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