CONTACT US Wed Nov. 13, 2013

CASS 中国社会科学网(中文) Français

.  >  RESEARCH  >  SOCIOLOGY

Sociology shows cultural leisure consumption expanding

Author  :  Zhang Yunliang, Feng Jun and Liu Jiankun     Source  :    Chinese Social Sciences Today     2020-07-11

In the past over 40 years, China’s social development has changed from what is characterized by high-speed development to that of high-quality development. The social structure has changed from being relatively simple to being relatively diverse. In terms of per capita income, China will shift from the middle-income and upper-middle income stage into the high-income stage, in which modernization is basically realized. In terms of consumption pattern, the country will upgrade from being currently well-off to being relatively affluent.

The rapid rise of cultural leisure consumption has become an important symbol of the evolution of social consumption structure. It is a multi-dimensional concept that can be defined in terms of time input, leisure type and the taste of a certain social class. The taste can be understood as the preference of the public in the process of consumption activities. To understand the development, features and social roles of cultural leisure consumption from the perspective of sociology is helpful to making full use of the positive influence that cultural leisure has on consumption upgrading and social and economic development.

First of all, the needs of cultural leisure are diverse, and its consumption is inseparable from the development of the market. Promoted by the prevalence of consumerism, the aestheticization of individual cultural demand is essentially the extension of culture into the economic field. In other words, the premise of the formation of cultural leisure consumption is a certain degree of industrialization and marketization. Different from luxury goods buying which emphasizes the brand effect; cultural leisure services stress more the state of physical and mental pleasure in the consumption process.

Cultural leisure consumption is more reflected in the consumption of intangible services. On the whole, cultural leisure activities and experiences such as cultural tourism, cultural performing arts and participation in cultural scenes constitute the most important part of cultural leisure consumption. The purchase and use of related cultural and creative products is an extension and supplement to the consumption. In fact, the growth rate of business revenue of the cultural service sector is obviously faster than that of the cultural manufacturing, wholesale and retail industries.

Cultural leisure consumption is an important way to enhance people’s happiness. The general law of economic and social development shows that with the improvement of income distribution and the accumulation of family wealth, the demand for social consumption will gradually expand from traditional material needs to higher spiritual needs. Since cultural leisure can bring spiritual edification and aesthetic pleasure, and since it can effectively enhance people’s sense of happiness, it should be encouraged, and better conditions should be provided for people to engage in cultural leisure activities.

As the structure of social strata changes in China, the consumption market also presents obvious differentiation. Rural residents and workers constitute the main driving force of “subsistence consumption,” and middle-income groups constitute the main force of “developmental consumption,” resulting in two distinct types of consumption with different features. But cultural leisure consumption is unique in that all groups can find relatively suitable products and services that meet their own needs. Therefore, cultural leisure products and services should be imparted with more elasticity and inclusiveness so as to satisfy the consumption requirements of different groups.

With the deepening of marketization and the continuously expanding impact of the digital economy, new technologies and new business models are bringing about profound changes in the social structure. Meanwhile, the intersection and integration of cultural leisure with other sectors is ongoing. Therefore, it is necessary to grasp the social demand of cultural leisure regarding the forms of consumption.

Moreover, it is advisable to make use of favorable conditions such as the Belt and Road initiative, and to pay equal attention to “bringing in” and “going out.” In improving the quality of cultural leisure products and services, it is important to make the distinctive Chinese culture a continuous force attracting further cultural leisure consumption.

 

Zhang Yunliang, Feng Jun and Liu Jiankun are respectively from the School of Humanities and General Education at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, the National Academy of Economics Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and the School of Social Sciences at Tsinghua University.

Editor: Yu Hui

>> View All

Ye Shengtao made Chinese fairy tales from a wilderness

Ye Shengtao (1894–1988) created the first collection of fairy tales in the history of Chinese children’s literature...

>> View All