1. Shenyang Market
April 2013

2. Executive Summary
Character and Behavior:
Shenyang people are loud, blunt and friendly (sometimes getting too friendly too).They are
down-to-earth (some say “unsophisticated”) and straight talkers. They love to drink and are
proud of their drinking prowess. They also love eating big portions of heavy, salty food.
Believing themselves to be masculine and strong, Shenyang people don’t really appreciate
the sophisticated Shanghainese culture, cuisine or lifestyle.
Shopping and Leisure Habits:
Shenyang people love to buy luxury goods. It is the third largest luxury market in China. It is
also the largest secondhand luxury market in China. Most luxury consumers are female and
their favorite brand is LV. Luxury handbags are the most popular item.
According to Dianping (the biggest review site in China), Shenyang people spent RMB 65 per
person when they ate out in 2012. BBQ buffet is their favorite cuisine. Shenyang people love
Chinese style spas and swim in their spare time. Wan Xiang Plaza and Joy City are the two
most popular shopping malls in Shenyang.

3. Character and Behavior

4. Shenyang people are loud, blunt and friendly (sometimes getting too friendly too fast)
Shenyang people are classic Dongbeiren (“Northeasterners”).
Scores of adjectives are routinely used to describe Dongbeiren:
friendly, loud, drinkers, and straight-forward are just a few. Many
of these stereotypes are accurate and they are titles in which
Shenyang people take pride; however, residents love to point out
their reputation for friendliness. It takes only a few encounters
with strangers on the street to discover this stereotype holds true
with most of the people one meets in the city.
Though Dongbeiren are also quite loud, locals prefer to describe
themselves as being “reqing”, or “enthusiastic.” In most
restaurants, Shenyang diners converse with intensity that takes
visitors by surprise. Old friends who are in the midst of affable
conversation can appear to outsiders to be in angry argument.
This tendency towards loud and spirited conversation raises the
decibel level in most public places, especially restaurants.

5. Shenyang people love to drink and are proud of their ability to imbibe
Beer!
Another phenomenon sure to be noticed in
Shenyang restaurants is serious drinking.
Dongbeiren are well known throughout China for
their ability and willingness to drink. Again, they
attribute this to their “reqing”. In restaurants shouts
of “Ganbei!”, literally meaning “Dry your cup!”, can
be heard from all directions. To Dongbeiren, a
willingness of new acquaintances or potential
business partners to get drunk can be an important
first step in deepening a friendship or a business
relationship. When people are dining together it is
considered rude to take a sip of any alcoholic
beverage without inviting at least one other person
at the table to drink, which inevitably results in more
shouts of “Ganbei!”
Check out this video: How do Shenyangers
drink beer for a casual dinner?!
http://v.pps.tv/play_31N4LY.html

6. Shenyang people are down-to-earth (unsophisticated?) and straight talkers
The people in Shenyang also consider themselves to be
down-to-earth and straight-talkers. Chinese culture is
indirect – people often hint rather than directly state what
they want. Residents of Shenyang claim that they are not
this way. To westerners they still seem quite indirect, but
compared to other regions of China, Shenyang residents
are perhaps more to-the-point in their interactions. This is
why many in Shenyang will claim that when it comes to
business, the Northeastern Chinese aren’t as crafty, or as
successful, as their counterparts to the south.

7. There is a “thing” between Shenyang and Shanghai people
In China, the stereotype of Northeasterners is that they are quick to resort to
physical violence. Shanghainese, especially men, are stereotyped as
people who may argue verbally but will rarely resort to physical violence.
Some say this shows that they are more refined and civilized. Others say
this shows they are soft and weak. People in Shenyang don’t really like
Shanghai food because it is too sweet and portions are too small.
The male Shanghai stereotype
In Shanghai people’s mind,
Dongbei is a place
filled with violent
people.

8. Shenyang people love to eat heavy food (pork) and portions are huge

9. Er Ren Zhuan, also known as song-and-dance duet,
is a folk art form popular in the northeast of China. It is
characterized by the performances of a man and a
woman who integrate speaking with dancing and
singing. As the saying goes in Shenyang, "We'd rather
give up our three meals than our song and dance
duets." Local people enjoy going to these kinds of
opera performances. The song-and-dance duet
became popular in the early 18th century.
Shenyang people are proud of their own folk art: Er Ren Zhuan

10. Shopping and Leisure Habits

11. Shenyang people love to buy well-known luxury goods: style doesn’t matter, the logo does
Shenyang people love to spend money on luxury goods, mostly
because owning luxury goods give them face. No matter
rich or poor, Shenyang people won’t hesitate to buy luxury
brands, normally with big logos.
Shenyang surpassed Hangzhou last year to become the third
largest single luxury market in China with sales totaling 1.5
billion yuan (US$229 million), behind only Beijing and
Shanghai. The most popular brands are Louis Vuitton, Gucci,
Prada, Chanel, Coach, Hermes and Dior, with with the most
frequent transactions involving handbags, watches,
sunglasses, jewelry, and scarves. Far and away, the most
popular items are women’s handbags. The consumer base is
predominantly female.

12. Shenyang people love to buy well-known luxury goods: secondhand items are popular
One factor that sets Shenyang apart from other
fast-growing second-tier cities is its increasingly
sophisticated second-hand luxury market.
While Beijing and Dalian are seeing the number of
luxury consignment shops increase
rapidly, Shenyang is becoming a more popular
shopping destination for consumers in Dalian or
Harbin, who previously had to travel to Beijing or
Hong Kong to get their second-hand luxury fix.
According to Liu, manager of the biggest second
hand shop, last year Shenyang’s 20 second-hand
luxury shops saw turnover of more than 10 million
yuan (US$1.5 million), making it, in Liu’s
estimation, the undisputed second-hand luxury hub
of northeastern China.1,470,000,000 search results for “secondhand luxury bags
in Shenyang” on Google

13. Shenyang people spend RMB 65 per person when they eat out, with BBQ buffets as
their favorite
Cuisine Cost per person
Seafood RMB 101
Buffet RMB 95
Western RMB 83
Japanese and Korean RMB 77
Local (Dongbei) RMB 59
Local snacks RMB 23

14. Shenyang people love Chinese style spas and swimming in their spare time
Buffet 30%
Chinese style spa 60%
Food Leisure
Sports
Swimming 40%

15. Wan Xiang Plaza and Joy City are the two most popular shopping malls in Shenyang
Wan Xiang Plaza Joy City

16. Wan Xiang Plaza is liked because of the luxurious feel, convenient location and a
great variety of F&B choices
108 out of 308 reviews about Wan
Xiang Plaza are
excellent.
“So many people eat in the restaurants and food courts in
the mall, but they are not noisy and messy, very clean.
You can watch performances while eating, so many choices,
very good! “