Chinese athletes show natural charm of new generation, integration to public life: experts

As the Paris Olympics concludes, the world has been captivated by the young athletes of Team China for their personalities and passion, this was interpreted by experts as a showing of natural charm of the new generation and an integration of them into the public life.

During an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Monday, Justin Downes, president of Axis Leisure Management noted how the athletes' smiles and interactions resonate with audiences globally.

"This is natural in this younger generation. People just love seeing them smile, looking at them interact with other athletes from other countries, you know, they're all, it's all part of this great community where they just love doing what they do and they love celebrating each other's success. And people feel for that and they really embrace that. It's great for our social fabric around the world to see these athletes, yes, beating tooth and nail with each other to try to win medals. But at the end of the day, they're all colleagues and they're all doing this for the love of sport," said Downes.

Paul Dong, co-founder and sports industry observer of Ei Asia Limited, emphasized this evolution reflects a shift in Chinese sports, where athletes are now integral to public life.

"They have stronger personalities. And I think maybe even their teams and team management encourages them to interact well with their followers and their fans, and so we are seeing very diverse personalities among them, and some are very cooperative, some are very mild and supportive for the media. But some are kind of blunt and the public is now is indeed stakeholders in Chinese sports. Not like in the past, you know, 1980s and 90s, they watched sports and they got inspired, do well or better in their own businesses. But now it's different, it's sports, national sports, international representatives and also professional sports on the ground. They are part of the public life," said Dong.

Chinese athletes show natural charm of new generation, integration to public life: experts

Chinese athletes show natural charm of new generation, integration to public life: experts

China's consumer market has maintained a steady upward trajectory in the first quarter, driven by various consumption stimulus policies and indicating the acceleration of consumer potential unleashing, according to the latest data from the country's State Information Center (SIC).

In the first quarter of this year, the offline consumption index, compiled by the State Information Center under the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), rose by 14.2 percent year-on-year, marking a 9.1-percentage-point rise from the previous quarter.

Meanwhile, the index tracking the small goods market saw a 16.3 percent year-on-year increase in the first quarter, with March alone experiencing a remarkable 21.6 percent growth compared to last year. This marks a strong and sustained demand for small goods closely tied to everyday life as public consumption demands continue to grow.

In the first three months of 2025, consumption in life services continued to grow, with the index tracking its performance registering an 18.3 percent year-on-year increase, up 7.4 percentage points from the previous quarter. Notably, March saw a 14.5 percent year-on-year rise.

By sector, the leisure and entertainment industry saw a 67.6 percent year-on-year increase, while the catering industry grew by 14.5 percent compared to the same period last year.

The ongoing three-day Qingming Festival holiday has fueled the consumption boom, with people's travel enthusiasm rising.

Data from the State Information Center's internet search trends showed a more than fourfold increase in searches for keywords related to the three-day Qingming Festival travel and flower viewing.

Additionally, diverse consumption scenarios emerged during the holiday, injecting new vitality into the consumer market.

Qingming Festival, a day for tomb sweeping which falls on April 4 this year, is a traditional Chinese occasion where people return to their hometowns and pay respect to their ancestors and deceased family members. It also marks a peak season for spring outings. This year, the holiday runs from April 4 to 6.

China's consumer market heats up with various stimulus policies