Young pioneers: Children and the making of Chinese consumerism

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Abstract
This article explores the cross-cutting forces shaping the emergence of consumerism in contemporary China through a detailed study of the craze for the Transformer range of toys among Chinese children in 1989, drawing on original fieldwork and translations from Chinese sources. It argues that rather than viewing the craze as evidence of an accelerating trend towards ‘cultural imperialism’ and Americanization, it should be understood as the product of a complex interplay between three cultural formations: the long-standing and still active legacy of Confucianism; past and present experiences of ‘actually existing’ Communism, and the emerging potentials of the new market oriented economy. The detailed evidence collected for this study suggests that ‘cultural globalization’ is a highly uneven process that must be investigated with proper regard to the specific historical and social dynamics of particular situations.