诡域新娘

Alo steps up China expansion as US consumer brands tap growth, highlighting market’s strong appeal_我的网站

一 |     

    Liu Mengfei at Beijing's Homoludens Archive Photo: Courtesy of Liu Mengfei
Inside Beijing's Homoludens Archive, shelves are filled with books, game consoles, game cartridges and other materials tracing the history of video games. For Liu Mengfei, the archive's director and chair of the academic committee of the Gamification Professional Committee, these collections preserve more than the evolution of games, they also capture the cultural memories of a generation.
A PhD in history from Tsinghua University, Liu has spent more than a decade studying the social impact of games, the role of games in history and digital humanities. Throughout her career, she has continued to explore the relationship between games and people: Why do humans create games? And how do games shape culture and society?
Books, meanwhile, have been an important gateway through which Liu has come to understand the world of games.
"The real value of a book lies not simply in what it tells you, but in whether it can change the way you understand the world and people," Liu told the Global Times.
Books meet games

In 2007, being an undergraduate history student, Liu wrote her thesis on the links between ancient Celtic religion and modern digital games.
To study original sources such as The Gallic War by Roman author Julius Caesar, she taught herself Latin. As her research extended into modern games, she also began reading the rulebooks of Dungeons & Dragons, a tabletop role-playing game.
"From historical texts to game rulebooks, these reading experiences seemed to belong to completely different worlds, but they gradually led me to realize that games are not simply entertainment products. They also contain history, culture and the relationships between people and society," she said.
Later, Homo Ludens, by Dutch historian Johan Huizinga, further transformed the way she understood games. The book gives a theory that humans are not only Homo sapiens, or "rational beings," but also Homo ludens, or "playing beings," and that games are deeply intertwined with human culture, from language and art to religious rituals and sports.
The book had a profound influence on her. It points out that the foundations of human society — language, civilization, religious rituals, sports and art, are all connected to play and games, because we are Homo ludens, "the playing human."
"The idea prompted me to view games from a broader perspective," Liu said. "Games are not an appendage outside human civilization, but are deeply connected to cultural creation and social life." 
"It also showed me that games and game-based thinking could extend into broader fields, including education and technology," she added.
She later read other works on game studies, including Play Between Worlds: Exploring Online Game Culture, Half-Real and Rules of Play Game Design Fundamentals. Play Between Worlds, in particular, opened up another possibility for game studies at a time when discussions about "internet addiction" were prevalent in China.
"Games are not simply a form of entertainment that needs to be restricted or criticize;. they can also serve as important media for storytelling, cultural expression and exploring relationships," she said.
These reading experiences gradually shifted Liu's focus from simply asking "What are games?" to a deeper question: What can games bring to people?
Beyond time and technology
Periodically, Liu still returns to Homo Ludens in her free time, finding new insights from the book as society changes. In the age of artificial intelligence, she has revisited one of its fundamental questions: As AI becomes increasingly capable of handling repetitive tasks and surpasses humans in efficiency, what does it mean to be human?
"As AI takes over more monotonous and repetitive work, the time freed up should be devoted to creativity, experience and human relationships," she said. "The time we gain should actually be used to become better at 'playing humans.'" 
For Liu, this also requires people to maintain their ability to think, imagine and reflect -- abilities that cannot be gained through simply receiving information. This has also prompted her to reconsider the meaning of reading.
In an era when AI can quickly summarize an entire book, Liu believes people still need to read the original works in full, because the value of reading lies in more than simply acquiring knowledge and conclusions.
"Reading a book is like a form of cultivation. You have to immerse yourself in it, patiently allow the author to take you on a journey, and find your own island along the way," she said.
For Liu, the value of reading is not limited to books on paper. As media evolve, so do the ways people encounter stories and understand culture. Some digital works are now becoming new vehicles for reading.
Chinese-developed games such as Genshin Impact contain hundreds of thousands, and even more than a million Chinese characters of text, while Black Myth: Wukong uses its "Journal" system to tell the stories of individual monsters through written entries. 
"Digital games are carrying forward traditions inherited from literature and film, becoming new gateways, through which young people can enter the worlds of literature, history and traditional culture," she said.
"An important reason why Black Myth: Wukong has succeeded in communicating Chinese culture is that it does not simply insert traditional cultural symbols into a game. Instead, it draws on the original Journey to the West, contemporary works inspired by the classic, as well as the game's own rules and interactions, allowing players to develop a new understanding of traditional culture through their actions," she noted.
For Liu, the forms of reading may change, but the desire to understand the world and discover oneself will not. From books to digital worlds, what matters is not only what people read or play, but how they think, create and find meaning through these experiences.
。         Photo: VCG
US-based premium activewear and lifestyle brand Alo stepped up its expansion in China on Wednesday, launching an exclusive flagship store on Tmall while preparing brick-and-mortar stores in cities including Beijing and Shanghai, adding to a growing number of US consumer brands entering or expanding in the Chinese market. 
With Chinese actress Zhao Lusi featured on its homepage, Alo's Tmall flagship store marks its first official sales channel in China and its only official e-commerce channel on the Chinese mainland, giving consumers direct access without relying on overseas agents or cross-border purchases.
Sales on its Tmall store topped 10 million yuan ($1.4 million) within one minute after final payments for preorders opened at 12:30 am, setting a new opening-day sales record for a new brand in Tmall's sports and outdoor category, the Securities Daily reported.
Industry observers attributed Alo's growing appeal in China to the rise of yoga and Pilates, as well as its blend of performance wear and everyday fashion, which resonates with younger consumers and lends itself to social-media-driven lifestyle marketing.
Industry data showed that China's yoga apparel market is projected to reach $2.65 billion in 2026, suggesting significant growth potential despite intensifying competition from established players such as Canada's Lululemon.
Alo is not an isolated case. A growing number of US consumer brands are entering China or deepening their presence, from opening their first stores to expanding retail networks and testing new formats, highlighting the enduring appeal of China's vast market, increasingly sophisticated consumers, and diverse consumption scenarios.
US fast-food chain Five Guys has also expanded its footprint in China, recently entering Beijing with two stores opening simultaneously at Chaoyang Joy City and Xidan Joy City. The launches drew long queues, with waits exceeding two hours during the lunch rush and scalpers reportedly charging up to 100 yuan to hold spots in line, according to media reports.
Five Guys is far from cheap, with a regular burger priced at 70 yuan and even a small order of fries at 32 yuan. But its 16 customizable toppings offer novelty and choice, helping attract Chinese consumers despite the premium pricing.
Meanwhile, Walmart, which has operated in China for 30 years, reflects the continued commitment of long-established multinationals to the Chinese market. 
Walmart has recently opened 20 new community stores in Shenzhen, expanding its presence through a format designed to serve everyday needs in neighborhoods. The company told the Global Times that the format is now expanding beyond Shenzhen, with the first stores in Suzhou and Guangzhou set to open in the second half of the year.
At Walmart China's 30th anniversary event on Wednesday, Walmart China President and CEO Zhu Xiaojing said that the retailer has built an integrated omnichannel network spanning hypermarkets, community stores, Sam's Clubs, front warehouses and distribution centers, with online sales accounting for more than half of its China sales last year.
"We remain confident in the Chinese market and will continue to increase our strategic investment in China," Zhu said, adding that Walmart will further expand its omnichannel presence, deepen community engagement and work with suppliers to strengthen differentiated product offerings, according to The Paper.
The latest corporate moves are also reflected in broader investment data. Actual US investment in China rose 24.5 percent year-on-year in the first four months of 2026, according to China's Ministry of Commerce. More than 3,000 foreign-invested companies increased their investment in China during the period. 
Meanwhile, a 2026 survey by the US-China Business Council found that 95 percent of US companies regarded their China operations as important to remaining globally competitive, underscoring China's continued role in their global business strategies. 
Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that at a time of sluggish global growth, China offers multinational companies a relatively stable source of revenue, while its mature supply chains, logistics networks and large consumer base allow brands to respond quickly to changing demand.
Wang said that the appeal of the Chinese market has also moved beyond sheer population size. Foreign brands are increasingly drawn to opportunities created by more segmented consumption across different city tiers, age groups and lifestyle categories. China's highly developed digital retail ecosystem, including social-commerce marketing, instant retail and integrated online-offline channels, also gives companies a testing ground for new products and business models.
Despite uncertainties in China-US economic ties, Wang said that companies ultimately make investment decisions based on market demand, growth prospects and competitiveness. For many global consumer brands, pulling back from China would mean giving up a vast customer base and leaving more room for competitors.
。

二 |

Current article:http://30imu.zhouangnaoguangsundianzhenmou.cfd/list_h9h/5f5.html

Published on:15:20:47