# How long before China becomes a viable trend setter **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 12, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-china-becomes-a-viable-trend-setter/695372 "2014-08-12T15:46:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-china-becomes-a-viable-trend-setter/695372/1 "2014-08-12T15:46:10Z")
I live in So California and the influence of Chinese seems to be gaining some momentum. Not to the point where it is making a real impact yet but enough to where it has gotten my attention. I am reffering to things like fashion, hobbies, and to some extent roll models. What are some of the triggers that get others looking and emulating? The western motivation seems to center around attracting the opposite sex. The sense I gather from many of the Chinese I come in contact with and I find attractive is that they seem to seek out endeavors that supply them with personnal fullfillment. ``` This is nothing more than an observation on my part from a very small sampling of the people I come in contact with each day and very well may be meaningless. ``` ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-china-becomes-a-viable-trend-setter/695372/2 "2014-08-12T16:12:04Z")
I’m a big fan of their egg rolls, does that count? (cue someone telling me how those aren’t actually Chinese) I’m trying to think of other nations which a significant pop-cultural impact in the US. You have your Japanese anime/video games stuff and your British authors/TV stuff. Both of which were spearheaded by “nerds” (anime fans, Monty Python/Dr Who fans, etc). You’ve got things like French cuisine but that’s even more of a niche than like Godzilla movies and magic girl cartoons. I don’t see major pop-cultural influences coming from other ‘major’ nations like Russia or India… why assume that China will play a big role? I’m not trying to argue against you here, more trying to mentally dissect why some nations “make it” and some don’t. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-china-becomes-a-viable-trend-setter/695372/3 "2014-08-12T16:24:04Z")
A lot of Chinese pop culture (pop music, tv shows, celebrities) is Korean in origin. I have no idea what you are talking about in terms of the opposite sex and personal fulfillment. Most Chinese young people expect to marry by 25, so there is an enormous emphasis on courtship. In my experience, personal fulfillment isn’t a big sell in China. Familial duty and financial stability are the major motivations. People enjoy themselves of course, but it’s not generally what people organize their lives around. Anyway, the moment that struck me as the oddest in China was when I split my college class into groups and have them a group assignment. They had no idea where to start. That’s when I realized how heavily we are trained from childhood to do that type of group work. I remember in elementary school being pit into groups and assigning a notetaker, spokesman, etc. So much of the way we act on a daily basis is instilled over time, and between cultures that adds up to a lot of differences. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-china-becomes-a-viable-trend-setter/695372/4 "2014-08-12T16:27:16Z")
I’ve used chopsticks for most meals for about a decade. I don’t look good in a Mao suit, however. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-china-becomes-a-viable-trend-setter/695372/5 "2014-08-12T16:34:23Z")
China already has _been_ a trend setter. Quoting Wikipedia, [Chinoiserie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinoiserie) “is a recurring theme in European artistic styles **since the seventeenth century** , which reflect Chinese artistic influences. It is characterized by the use of fanciful imagery of an imaginary China, by asymmetry in format and whimsical contrasts of scale, and by the attempts to imitate Chinese porcelain and the use of lacquerlike materials and decoration.” (Bolding added by me.) ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-china-becomes-a-viable-trend-setter/695372/6 "2014-08-12T16:37:28Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > A lot of Chinese pop culture (pop music, tv shows, celebrities) is Korean in origin. > > I have no idea what you are talking about in terms of the opposite sex and personal fulfillment. Most Chinese young people expect to marry by 25, so there is an enormous emphasis on courtship. In my experience, personal fulfillment isn’t a big sell in China. Familial duty and financial stability are the major motivations. People enjoy themselves of course, but it’s not generally what people organize their lives around. > > Anyway, the moment that struck me as the oddest in China was when I split my college class into groups and have them a group assignment. They had no idea where to start. That’s when I realized how heavily we are trained from childhood to do that type of group work. I remember in elementary school being pit into groups and assigning a notetaker, spokesman, etc. So much of the way we act on a daily basis is instilled over time, and between cultures that adds up to a lot of differences. ``` My vocabulary sucks, By personnal fullfillment I was reffering to things like art, hobbies, leaning more toward creative things. ``` ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-china-becomes-a-viable-trend-setter/695372/7 "2014-08-12T16:38:29Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > A lot of Chinese pop culture (pop music, tv shows, celebrities) is Korean in origin. Man, I didn’t even consider British music as a pop-cultural influence in the US which was probably so blindingly obvious that it went right past me. Interesting that much of China’s pop cultural is imported from Korea. Maybe it’s just an effect of capitalistic nations with relatively free governments producing more “art” (such as it is) to export. Or at least better art – I don’t think many people were clamoring for Soviet-created sitcoms back in the day. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-china-becomes-a-viable-trend-setter/695372/8 "2014-08-12T16:40:29Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > China already has _been_ a trend setter. Quoting Wikipedia, [Chinoiserie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinoiserie) “is a recurring theme in European artistic styles **since the seventeenth century** , which reflect Chinese artistic influences. It is characterized by the use of fanciful imagery of an imaginary China, by asymmetry in format and whimsical contrasts of scale, and by the attempts to imitate Chinese porcelain and the use of lacquerlike materials and decoration.” (Bolding added by me.) Also, there is also the enduring popularity of Chinese martial arts, both as a practice and in films. And not just in movies set in China. [This film adaption of the Three Musketeers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Musketeer) had action scenes reminiscent of a Hong Kong film. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-china-becomes-a-viable-trend-setter/695372/9 "2014-08-12T16:45:39Z")
Start watching for Aircraft carrier style. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-china-becomes-a-viable-trend-setter/695372/10 "2014-08-12T17:13:46Z")
I am having a hard time identifying what it is that actually caught my attention. One item of some significance I think is that the Chinese have become more comfortable here with there own style of whats hip. They seem to be more vocal about thier philosophy and I see more Americans of all races responding to this and at some level identifying. This very well may be something somewhat unique to my neighborhood, not sure. ---
**Author:** ![get\_lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@get\_lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/get_lives)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-china-becomes-a-viable-trend-setter/695372/11 "2014-08-13T02:47:46Z")
Everything worthwhile that’s exportable in Chinese culture was created hundreds, usually thousands, of years ago. They’ve been stagnating for severa centuries now, and I don’t think that will change much in the next decade or two. China has a LOT of cultural baggage, and the cultures doing the most exporting of newly created art/trends/etc are ones that have managed to shed their baggage and do some big-time innovating. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2014, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-china-becomes-a-viable-trend-setter/695372/12 "2014-08-13T03:10:38Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Man, I didn’t even consider British music as a pop-cultural influence in the US which was probably so blindingly obvious that it went right past me. And Britain is 3500 miles away, Canadians find it even easier to blend in. Pick the American in this list Jim Carrey Kieffer Sutherland George Lucas Grace Park Ryan Gosling ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-china-becomes-a-viable-trend-setter/695372/13 "2014-08-13T15:57:09Z")
Well, I think this gunpowder stuff might catch on. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Also, there is also the enduring popularity of Chinese martial arts, both as a practice and in films. And not just in movies set in China. [This film adaption of the Three Musketeers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Musketeer) had action scenes reminiscent of a Hong Kong film. Seems like most examples of Chinese pop-culture influence on the US is via Hong Kong, which is presumably due to its links to the West via the UK, and its relatively permissive political culture. The rest of China seems to mainly have influence as a market for US blockbuster films, with those films being tweaked to appeal to a Chinese audience (and to Party censors). But Japan still seems to be the dominant Asian country as far as influence on US culture goes.