TL;DR
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A Mid-Autumn cultural program in Hangzhou and a delayed Nanjing store opening by jewelry house Lamchiu show how some Chinese brands are treating aesthetics, craftsmanship and cultural expression as part of their business strategy. Lamchiu reported first-day soft-launch sales above 10 million yuan; the broader commercial returns from the approach remain unclear.
A Hangzhou incense brand staged a months-long cultural program with few overt sales elements, while jewelry house Lamchiu opened its first store outside Lanzhou after repeatedly refining its design. The contrasting projects point to a shift among some Chinese brands: aesthetics, craftsmanship and cultural expression are being treated as part of the business proposition, rather than as decoration around growth. Lamchiu said its Nanjing store recorded more than 10 million yuan in sales on the first day of its soft launch.
In Hangzhou, incense brand Kongshan Shi, also known as CommonSense, and lifestyle district Liuxia 1129 presented “Thirty-Two Moons: An Aesthetic Journey” around Mid-Autumn Festival. The program ran from September into November and included city walks, literature copied by hand, guqin music, incense gatherings and a banquet beneath the autumn moon. Organizers drew on classical texts and imagery to shape the experience, rather than centering it on conventional product promotion.
Kongshan Shi was founded in Hangzhou in 2023. Its approach, as described in the report, is to draw from specific cultural sources and translate them into contemporary experiences. The event’s activities connected incense with local history and literary references. Its 13-course meal was prepared by the chef of plant-based restaurant Moyu, with dishes inspired by seasonal cooking described in the book “Shanjia Qinggong.” The reported commercial proposition was indirect: the event itself, and the memory it created, formed part of the brand experience.
In Nanjing, Lamchiu, a gold jewelry house from Lanzhou, opened at Deji Plaza on Sept. 25. The opening had originally been planned for July and was delayed twice as construction details were refined. The company’s first-day soft launch, attended by a small group of the mall’s top clients, generated sales above 10 million yuan, or about $1.5 million, according to the source report. Lamchiu presents handmade jewelry as an art form; the sales figure is a reported result from one launch day, not evidence of longer-term performance.
Culture Becomes Part of the Offer
The two projects show different ways of linking design and cultural expression to commerce. Kongshan Shi emphasized place, literature and a participatory event, while Lamchiu’s store opening brought refined construction and handmade jewelry into a prominent luxury shopping center. Together, they suggest that some brands are looking beyond rapid expansion or immediate promotion as the sole measures of business activity.
That shift matters to shoppers and retailers because it changes what brands are selling alongside physical products. A visit, a sense of place or an account of craft can become part of the perceived value. The Hangzhou program also illustrates how a brand can work with a district, hotel, publisher or restaurant to build an experience around local culture. But the examples do not establish that this strategy produces sustained revenue or that it is typical across Chinese retail.
Lamchiu’s opening-day sales provide a concrete, if limited, commercial data point. The figure shows demand during a high-profile soft launch, but without details such as subsequent sales, costs or comparison with other stores, it cannot establish the store’s profitability or the broader financial return on its design-led approach.
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Two Projects, Different Measures
The Hangzhou program took place at Liuxia 1129, a historic district along the Liuxia River in Xihu district. The area’s name is associated with the phrase “let Xixi remain,” said to date to 1129. The district operator, West Lake Construction Investment Group, describes its approach as “micro-renovation, refined improvement.” According to the report, the site was not demolished and rebuilt, and commercial returns were not the sole factor in choosing tenants.
Kongshan Shi’s earlier collaborations have also linked incense to particular cultural settings, including a West Lake cultural study tour with Xizi Hotel, a gathering with Xinxin Hotel and a project with CITIC Press and its Wujie Library. Lamchiu’s opening, by contrast, marked a physical expansion beyond its home city into Deji Plaza, described in the source as one of China’s prominent luxury retail destinations. The examples therefore represent distinct approaches: building cultural experiences around a place and making a carefully designed store part of a retail expansion.
““The product was not always the point. The experience itself was the value.””
— The report, describing Kongshan Shi’s approach
The Long-Term Returns Remain Unknown
The examples do not show whether design-led programs or extended construction work lead to stronger long-term sales, customer retention or profits. The source provides no comparable revenue figures for Kongshan Shi’s event, and it does not give Lamchiu’s ongoing store performance, operating costs or sales after the soft launch. It is also unclear how representative these brands are of the wider Chinese market. The reported launch-day total is attributed to Lamchiu’s opening, but the source does not provide independent verification or a breakdown of how the figure was calculated.
Store Performance Will Test the Strategy
The next useful measure for Lamchiu will be whether the Nanjing store sustains sales after its soft launch, and how its performance compares with the costs of opening and operating the location. For Kongshan Shi and Liuxia 1129, follow-on collaborations or repeat programming could show whether the cultural experience develops into a continuing commercial relationship. The source does not specify upcoming announcements or provide a timetable for further results.
Key Questions
What is the main development in this report?
Two Chinese brands are using aesthetics and cultural expression as part of their business approach: Kongshan Shi through a cultural program in Hangzhou, and Lamchiu through a carefully refined jewelry store in Nanjing.
How much did Lamchiu’s Nanjing store sell on its first day?
The source report says the store recorded more than 10 million yuan, about $1.5 million, on the first day of its soft launch. It does not provide later sales or profitability figures.
What happened at the Hangzhou event?
Kongshan Shi and Liuxia 1129 staged “Thirty-Two Moons: An Aesthetic Journey,” a program of walks, literature, guqin music, incense gatherings and a banquet inspired by classical culture. It ran from September into November around Mid-Autumn Festival.
Does the report show that aesthetics-first branding increases profits?
No. It describes two projects and reports Lamchiu’s first-day soft-launch sales, but gives no comparable results, ongoing revenue, costs or profit data to establish long-term financial returns.
Source: rss
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