In this combo photo, a cooperative member sews clothes with a sewing machine in Taoan County of northeast China's Jilin Province in 1980 (L, photo taken by Yuan Zhaoyi), and a craftsman makes qipao (cheongsam) at the first China International Consumer Products Expo in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, May 8, 2021 (photo taken by Jin Liwang). Chinese buzzword "sandajian" refers to the "big three" items idolized by a couple planning to marry. In the 1970s, it was a bicycle, watch and sewing machine. A decade later, "sandajian" evolved to be a refrigerator, color television and washing machine, while in the early 1990s it represented a cellphone, air conditioner and computer. At present, the scope of "sandajian" has remarkably extended. The ongoing first China International Consumer Expo has attracted more than 1,500 companies from about 70 countries and regions, displaying and trading high-end consumer products. It is a boutique trading platform gathering quality products around the world, a feast for the eyes of Chinese consumers. Here are a group of combo photos showing the tremendous change in Chinese consumption behavior over the past decades. (Xinhua)
