QING DYNASTY PSYCHOLOGICAL PREFERENCE OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR IN LATE
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Revista Argentina de Clínica Psicológica
2020, Vol. XXIX, N°1, 1169-1175 1169
DOI: 10.24205/03276716.2020.167
PSYCHOLOGICAL PREFERENCE OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR IN LATE
QING DYNASTY
Liang Zhao1,2, Dahua Yu 1, Hongna Li 2*
Abstract
During the late Qing Dynasty, the psychological preference of consumers in business activities changed
significantly with the society, politics, economy and culture. To identify the psychological preference of
consumer behaviour in that period, this paper analyses the consumer life styles in the late Qing Dynasty and
discusses the relationship between consumer psychological preferences and life styles, referring to relevant
literature and the consumer behaviour theory. The results show that, in the late Qing Dynasty, consumers
become increasingly favourable of new things, and increasingly dependent on advertising; with the social
development, the consumers raise a growing demand for the use value of products; the psychological
preference of consumers are easily affected by the popularity of products; the main influencing factors of
psychological preference of consumers include social and political environment, type of products, and cultural
environment. The research findings lay the basis for further studies on the relationship between the business
model and consumption features of the late Qing Dynasty.
Key words: Late Qing Dynasty, Consumer Behaviour, Western Food, Tea House,
Psychological Preference.
Received: 15-02-19 | Accepted: 23-08-19
INTRODUCTION rapidly developed at major trading ports, which
further drive the local people to explore the
Chinese diet has a long history and profound
Western food consumption (Xiao & Tang, 2011).
culture. It has a very important significance in
exploring history and cultural changes (Yan, At the same time, Western powers were very
2009). Especially after the Opium War, with the interested in Chinese teahouse culture,
gradually forming a consumption pattern that is
imperialist powers carving up China, the rise of
unique to the late Qing Dynasty. According to the
foreign trade, and the invasion of foreign
powers, the domestic tea and porcelain market literatures (Janssen & Jager, 2003; Norton,
Rucker, & Lamberton, 2015), in the late Qing
had begun to prevail in Western countries
Dynasty, the people started to explore different
(Maheswaran & Shavitt, 2000), which promoted
forms of consumption, and showing consumer
the communication between the late Qing
culture and the world. Following the expansion psychology with different characteristics in line
with the current social status. The literature
and invasion of Western capitalism in China
(Zhang, 2009) shows that in the late Qing
(Leung, 2013), the number of westerners
gradually increased, and western food was Dynasty the culture of different consumption
forms in China and the West has a positive
influence on promoting the cultural exchanges
1 School of History, Culture and Tourism, Liaoning Normal
University, Dalian 116081, China. 2 School of Business
and foreign trade between the two sides.
Administration, University of Science and Technology Therefore, the study of consumer behaviour in
Liaoning, Anshan 114051, China. the late Qing Dynasty has far-reaching
E-Mail: zhaolaingwoe@163.com
significance for studying the history of the time,
and it also has considerable value for exploring
REVISTA ARGENTINA
2020, Vol. XXIX, N°1, 1169-1175 DE CLÍNICA PSICOLÓGICA1170 LIANG ZHAO, DAHUA YU , HONGNA LI
the exchange of Chinese and Western cultures. results using different research objects (Marano-
In view of the significance of consumer Marcolini & Torres-Ruiz, 2017). In this paper, with
behaviour in commercial activities in the late reference to the existing literature data, the
Qing Dynasty, this paper analyses consumer literature and induction analysis methods were
behaviour and psychological preferences in the carried out to study the consumption psychology
late Qing Dynasty based on modern consumer of the consumer. Then, combined with the
behaviour theory (Puranam, Narayan, & Kadiyali, research object, historical status, life style and
2018), deeply studies the consumption other content on the basis of the EKB and HSD
characteristics of consumers, and explores the models, the main feature points of the research
relationship between consumer psychology object were selected to establish the theoretical
preferences and social activities at that time. model, as shown in Figure 1.
This study also provides suggestions and
methods for the integration and development of Consumer behaviour psychology
Chinese and Western cultures. Consumer behaviour, initially proposed by
psychologists (Malkoc, 2012), refers to that
consumption is a concentrated expression of
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR THEORY AND consumer's psychological preference
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR PSYCHOLOGY characteristics, and consumer behaviour is a life
state that can be used as an importance
Consumer behaviour theory
reference to describe changes in a person's
Consumer behaviour theory is the theoretical
basis for describing the causal relationship of the consumer psychology. Its essence is a broad
concept, which represents the consumption
consumer’s purchase preference in their
characteristics of a certain category of people in
purchasing process. Many scholars at home and
a certain society. The theoretical characteristics
abroad have conducted in-depth research on the
models of consumer theory (Park, Hahn, Lee et of modern consumer consumption behaviour are
based on the basic principles of marketing, in
al., 2018), and proposed different types of
which the market is the method of assertion,
consumer theory models based on the research
Figure 1. A theoretical model of consumer behaviour
Information and
experience
find
cultural
evaluation
atmosphere
criterion
Understand Selection
Family income
process
Consumption Social stratum
Attitude
memory
evaluation
criterion
decision-making process
Cognitive Selection Selective
issues assessment evaluation
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2020, Vol. XXIX, N°1, 1169-1175 DE CLÍNICA PSICOLÓGICAPSYCHOLOGICAL PREFERENCE OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR IN LATE QING DYNASTY 1171
Table 1. Matrix Table of Consumer Psychological Choice
Activity Interest Opinion Variable factors
Occupation Family Politics Age distribution
Social contact food Economics Education level
An association media education Family status
entertainment achievement business urban environment
motion Fashion Culture geographical position
and the products and consumer services are re- with the consumer activity table (Table 1) to
positioned, so as to study the consumer study the psychological preference of
behaviour on classification by the psychological consumers' consumption behaviour in later Qing
tendency of consumers. This is more based on Dynasty. This shall provide theoretical research
the mutual expectation value of individual and basis and guidance for consumer psychology
social groups reflected by social culture. Thus, research.
the tendency value of psychological Table 1 above can be summarized as a matrix
consumption is defined, to determine whether table of consumer behaviour choice, which is
to consume and calculate the consumer market classified in terms of the activity, interest,
according to the consumer's psychological opinion, and variable factors. Each of the
preferences, so the speculative study of behaviours has five different activity
consumer psychology can predict the product characteristics. In actual analysis, the relevant
consumer market. Based on related literatures consumer behaviour was selected according to
(Mick, 2016), psychology impact factors of the actual consumption characteristics of
consumers mainly include the types of consumer consumers in Table 1, and the consumer
products, form and interest of consumer activity, psychological behaviours and trends were
value orientation of consumers, and consumer qualitatively determined based on the selected
attitudes toward the product etc., which can be combination of consumption characteristics.
judged using the table of AIO consumer Finally, the selected consumption types were
consumption pattern choices. In this paper, the further compared and studied according to the
transformed AIO model (Figure 2) was combined process in Figure 2.
Figure 2. The process of consumers' psychological choice of consumption patterns
Determining Research
Culture and Society
Objectives Form of scale
Social Expected Consumption
Identifying research models Major impact facets
Value
Determining research Major forms of
consumption Life Form and Value
variables
Data collection and analysis Consumption Decision
Analysis results and
Consumer Market Demand
Application
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2020, Vol. XXIX, N°1, 1169-1175 DE CLÍNICA PSICOLÓGICA1172 LIANG ZHAO, DAHUA YU , HONGNA LI
characteristics, commodity characteristics,
external environmental characteristics, and
CONSUMER LIFE STYLE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL
PREFERENCE IN LATE QING DYNASTY media communication. Through comparative
analysis, the concern extent of tea and western
Analysis of consumer life styles in the late food consumption to the above four
Qing Dynasty characteristics was summarized, showing the
Based on the literature review, among the trend features in Figure 3 below.
representative consumer products in the late Before the 1840 Opium War, there were only
Qing Dynasty, the two categories of 26 foreigners in concession territory of China
consumption: the western food attractive to the according to the historical records, and they
western middle-class consumers after the mainly maintained the western dietary habits.
invasion of Western countries, and the tea After the Opium War, the number of westerns
market in Western countries' foreign trade and increased mainly in Guangzhou and Shanghai
domestic traditional teahouse can better reflect etc., and also the number of western food
the characteristics of consumer behaviour in the restaurants increased accordingly. At that time,
late Qing Dynasty. In view of the historical Western food, as a “family feast” of the upper-
documents that can be consulted in the late Qing class society and officials in Guangzhou, had the
Dynasty, these two types of representative consumption tendencies with obvious social
consumption of the late Qing Dynasty were functions and conspicuous characteristics, which
studied combined with theory and psychological was relatively unfamiliar to the Chinese citizens.
characteristics of consumer behaviour using the It was curious and exploratory consumer
literature and induction analysis. Then, the psychology at this stage. With the increase of
collected data were screened to classify the foreigners in the concession, western food
consumer consumption behaviours, use the AIO consumption gradually spread to the market in
model to counter-infer the classification analysis the 1870s, and western food had expanded from
data, and conclude the consumers’ focus of private space to public space (Figure 4).
consumer products, mainly including the four Meanwhile, local raw materials were added in
categories of consumer consumption western food
Figure 3. The Concern Degree of Different Consumption Types on Consumption Characteristics
70
65 Western Food Consumption
Tea consumption
60
Proportion of concern
55
50
45
40
35
Consumer Consumption Commodity External environmental Media Communication
Characteristics of Consumption Types
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2020, Vol. XXIX, N°1, 1169-1175 DE CLÍNICA PSICOLÓGICAPSYCHOLOGICAL PREFERENCE OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR IN LATE QING DYNASTY 1173
Figure 4. The changing trend of Western people's dietary consumption in China in the late Qing
Dynasty
16000
14000 Number of Westerners
Number of Western Food Consumers
12000 Number of Chinese Dietary Persons
Total number of persons
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
-2000
1840 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920
Particular year
as new elements, which indicates that consumer for ordinary people. Through the initial
behaviour has been integrated into the cultural exploratory attempt, it also turned into a place
atmosphere, and consumer psychology is closely of commercial activities for consumers.
related to the social environment at that time. In Guangzhou citizens and foreign businessmen
contrast, the consumption trends in traditional opened tea houses in places of prosperous
Chinese tea houses were also gradually business and geographical friendliness, among
recognized and accepted as an important which Guangzhou’s Sanyuan Teahouse was more
medium for business activities (Figure 4). famous. Since then, the number of tea houses in
Following the social development and the impact Guangzhou in the late Qing Dynasty had also
of Western culture, the focus of consumer gradually increased, and the rising number
lifestyle changes from the gradual development reflects the consumers' pursuit of consumption
of products to the consumption patterns such as psychology for emerging things and places
the recipes, advertising, and services etc. For during this period. Figure 5 shows the number of
instance, the prevailing newspapers such as teahouses in Guangzhou from 1860 to 1910. The
Shengjing Times, Shenbao, and Ta Kung Pao have results show that the behaviours of consumer
available service descriptions for advertisements preference and teahouse consumption was
and consumer items in the consumer market in gradually increasing in the late Qing Dynasty,
the late Qing Dynasty. Thus, with the and the proportion of consumer consumption
development of society and the entry of new trends was analysed (inductive analysis method).
foreign things, as well as the fusion of Chinese The right trend chart of Figure 5 shows a
and Western cultural elements in the lifestyle of consumer material culture and conveys the
consumers at all levels, the consumption fashion popular in the society at that time, with
behaviour of consumers at home and abroad in its proportion on the rise, and its consumption
the late Qing Dynasty gradually formed the behaviour would match the city with the social
consumer behaviour characteristics of consumer development of the time. It also indicates the
culture and sociology. basic characteristics of consumer behaviour at
that time, that is, the unconscious automatic
Relationship between consumer acceptance of a new social trend, which is used
psychological preferences and life styles in late as a mass culture to attract consumers, thus
Qing Dynasty reflecting the consumer behaviours in the late
According to John Henry's Walks in The City Qing Dynasty, e.g., some consumers dare to try,
of Canton, tea houses first emerged in 1863. As some begin to show their uniqueness in public,
the number of tea houses increased gradually, it or exhibit their social superiority.
gradually became a place of mass consumption
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2020, Vol. XXIX, N°1, 1169-1175 DE CLÍNICA PSICOLÓGICA1174 LIANG ZHAO, DAHUA YU , HONGNA LI
Figure 5. The proportion of the number of teahouses opened and consumption forms in
Guangzhou during the late Qing Dynasty
140 25
Teahouses Increasing with the Year
120 Percentage Change of Teahouse Consumption Form
20
100
Drink tea and listen to the theatre%
Number of teahouses
80 15
60
10
40
20 5
0
0
1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910
Particular year
Figure 6. Classification and Degree of Consumers' Concern about Consumer Product Value in
Late Qing Dynasty
70
Western Food Market
Tea Market
Other markets
60
50
Degree of Concern%
40
30
20
use value social value Status Negative effects Hedging value
Value Composition
With the continuous expansion of the tea essence. It can be seen from Figure 6 that the
market and western food market, the number of consumer's consumption behaviours is
tea houses and western food stores increased highlighted by the value of the consumer goods,
continuously, the exclusive “family feast” of the which indicates that the consumer's
upper class gradually was popularized, and its psychological preference for the consumer
use value and usage method also changed. goods in the late Qing Dynasty depends on the
Figure 6 shows the utility quantitative trend of usable value of the commodity, that is, the more
the Qing tea market and the western food popular the consumer goods, the higher the
market consumption, which means the utility consumer’s shopping preference of such
value of two typical types of consumption in product, and then the more clear the behaviours
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2020, Vol. XXIX, N°1, 1169-1175 DE CLÍNICA PSICOLÓGICAPSYCHOLOGICAL PREFERENCE OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR IN LATE QING DYNASTY 1175
of consumer purchase and voluntary Development Matching Model Based on the View of
consumption; otherwise, the product to Type Structure” (L18AGL001).
purchase will be unclear and the decision-
making behaviours will be random.
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