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Column[China] Shaoxing wine, Chinese cocktails, and small local dishes are popular / "One Person" Pub Evolving in Unique Ways in Shanghai
“One Person" style Chinese pubs run by locals
In the past few years, in Shanghai there has been an increase in the number of pubs and small restaurants that serve local cuisine as well as drinking establishments where you can quickly grab some drinks. For example, "浮生酒館", "三酉小館", "咬金", and "虫二酒肆" are the famous ones. These restaurants are not owned by Japanese capital and are run by local Chinese. The menu includes drinks such as Shaoxing wine and Chinese cocktails, and local dishes such as edamame preserved in Chinese wine, fried duck hormone, and red roasted pork belly, all served in small portions for one person. The restaurant, "浮生酒館", is located in the basement of the coworking space and is privately run by a Shanghai couple. You can often see nomadic workers enjoying a meal or a drink after finishing their work at the coworking space. The restaurant is so popular that it is fully booked on weekends, and the budget per person is around 150 yuan (about 2,400 yen).
Japanese Dramas "Gourmet of Solitude" and "Midnight Diner" Draw Attention to Eating-Alone Culture
A couple of years ago, the Japanese TV dramas "Gourmet of Solitude" and "Midnight Diner" were a huge boom in China. "Midnight Diner" has been reproduced in China and made into a movie. Also, "Gourmet of Solitude" became a social phenomenon, and Mr. Masayuki Kusumi who is the author of the drama had his talk shows packed full to capacity (the freshness of Japan's eating alone culture was supported). In Shanghai, there are countless Japanese-style pubs run by Japanese people where you can stop by for a drink by yourself, but none of them serve Shaoxing wine or snacks familiar to Shanghainese people. On the other hand, the restaurants that serve Shaoxing wine are usually for large groups, and you can't just walk in there by yourself.
Restaurants that cater to the needs of those who want to enjoy a familiar taste while drinking alone have emerged and are becoming popular.
Also, one of the reasons for the popularity of this kind of restaurant is that the number of young entrepreneurs and freelancers in their 20s and 30s is increasing, and it is not typical for them to eat out after work with a large group of people, but to eat alone.
The Market Potential of Chinese Young Singles
According to statistical data from the United Nations, the percentage of married women in their 20s throughout China is 52.3%, and the percentage of married men in their 20s is 37.5%. Although the age at first marriage is comparatively lower than in Japan, the fact that about 60% of men in their 20s are unmarried, which means that the market targeting singles is large in terms of absolute figures.
Marriage rates in coastal cities such as Shanghai and Beijing will be lower than in China as a whole. “One Person" style Chinese pubs that have appeared in Shanghai are probably targeting the potential of this single, young consumer market.
Married rate by age and sex_China
United Nations, Statistics Division. "Population by marital status, age, sex and urban/rural residence".
Retrieved June 23 2020 from https://bit.ly/3dvz2Ky
* Taiwan
Taiwan Dept. of Household Registration Affairs, MOI., Accounting and Statistics "Statistical Yearbook of Interior"
Retrieved June 23, 2020, from https://bit.ly/2Z5elQq
Married rate by age and sex_China
This article was co-written by TNC Lifestyle Researcher （http://lifestyle.tenace.co.jp/ ）and INTAGE Global Researcher.
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TNC ASIA Trend Lab
株式会社TNCが運営する、アジアのトレンドを研究・発信する情報機関。現地の生活者の暮らしや生活習慣に根ざしたトレンドからインサイトを見出し、企業のマーケティング活動の支援を行っています。
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Editor profile
Yang Yan
Chinese researcher living in Japan, reporting on the living conditions of overseas consumers, mainly in China. While in Japan, he shops from China using an e-commerce application called Aliexpress.
- Apr 18, 2019
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