
Consumption as identity and politics in China w/Yaling Jiang
From Sinobabble by Edi Obiakpani
March 6, 2026 · 1h 1m
About this episode
Yaling Jiang discusses the relationship between consumption and identity in China, highlighting how consumers prioritize their roles as buyers over political citizens.
Today's guest is Yaling Jiang. Yaling is a former journalist who currently uses her research and reporting skills to provide businesses with insights and analysis on the Chinese consumer market. She is the founder of research agency Aperture China, alongside which she runs the newsletter Following the Yuan on Substack, which provides nuanced takes on Chinese consumer trends. We discuss how Chinese people see themselves as consumers first and political citizens second, the CCP's attempts to in...
People in this episode
Guest: Yaling Jiang
Topics covered
- Chinese consumer market
- identity
- politics
- CCP
- consumer trends
Keywords
- Aperture China
- Following the Yuan
- Substack
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Following the Yuan on Substack
Places: China
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