Observer: The Realm of Pleasure and the "Vape Culture" Created by Merchants

In China, where smokers are everywhere, e-cigarettes have quietly occupied the mainstream market in the past two years. Domestic and foreign merchants are aiming at China and believe that this is the future of e-cigarettes. In this era, new popular culture and lifestyles are created with consumption. Like cigarettes, e-cigarettes contain smokers 'desire to reach happiness and release depression. Photography/Editor by Yang Wenbin/Liu Shuqi

In China, where smokers are everywhere, e-cigarettes have quietly occupied the mainstream market in the past two years. Domestic and foreign merchants are aiming at China and believe that this is the future of e-cigarettes. In this era, new popular culture and lifestyles are created with consumption. Like cigarettes, e-cigarettes contain smokers 'desire to reach happiness and release depression. Photography/Editor by Yang Wenbin/Liu Shuqi

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E-cigarettes were patented by China Han Li in 2004 and sold by his own Beijing Ruyan Company the following year, followed by other manufacturers. By 2009, as e-cigarettes became increasingly popular in the United States and Europe, more and more e-cigarette factories emerged. The picture shows a newly opened bar-style e-cigarette shop in Beijing.

2

The picture shows Chen Jie, the owner of the e-cigarette shop, introducing the products to his visiting colleagues. Chen Jie first came into contact with e-cigarettes when he quit smoking, and slowly entered the circle of e-cigarette users in Beijing. Later, he began to try to run an e-cigarette shop. According to him, many cities have a small e-cigarette circle with a variety of social figures.

3

Some China merchants will use a healthy and popular electronic product to define e-cigarettes, saying that it can both quit smoking and be cool. The picture shows the e-cigarette products displayed in Chen Jie's store.

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However, experts say that whether e-cigarettes are harmful has so far lacked certification from an authoritative organization. There is a heated debate surrounding e-cigarettes. Although there is no evidence that they are completely harmless to smokers, they are undoubtedly less harmful than tobacco. The picture shows a high-end e-cigarette made of resin.

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Even so, e-cigarettes are just an alternative to cigarettes, not a medical-grade product with therapeutic effects, so they are not smoking cessation products. Various businesses promote the ability to quit smoking just using it as a publicity stunt. At present, many people in the e-cigarette circle think that e-cigarettes are a toy.

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Since the failure of the smoking cessation marketing strategy of e-cigarettes, e-cigarette manufacturers have begun to package e-cigarettes into steam culture, trying to promote public consumption and allow e-cigarettes to enter more people's lives. The picture shows cigarette oil packaging designed into different cultural styles.

7

The picture shows a Malaysian tobacco oil producer. He initially came into contact with e-cigarettes by quitting smoking. Later, after a deep understanding of e-cigarettes, he found that they had considerable profits and great market potential, so he entered the tobacco oil industry.

8

The legal status of e-cigarettes is currently waiting because it is related to tobacco laws and medical drug policies. The relative novelty of e-cigarettes in many countries and public health issues related to their use have resulted in significant differences in current regulations on e-cigarettes. In February 2014, the European Parliament passed regulations requiring e-cigarettes to standardize and control liquids and atomizers, label liquid components, and carry out child proofing and tamper-proof liquid packaging. In April 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced proposed regulations for e-cigarettes along similar lines.

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Regulation of e-cigarettes in the mainland of China is still in a missing stage, while Taiwan has included e-cigarettes in drug management since 2009, the same as the recent practice of Western countries. The picture shows a Taiwanese cigarette oil designer. Since Taiwanese law prohibits individuals from producing nicotine products, cigarette oil designer Mr. Gou brought his products to Beijing to find sales opportunities.

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In this era of consumption, merchants will always take great pains in design and promotion for product sales, as will e-cigarette merchants. The picture shows Mr. Gou's tobacco oil product, designed in the shape of a wine barrel.

11

Many countries such as Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Hong Kong, and Thailand use regulations on medical supplies to control e-cigarettes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued new regulations in 2016 to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to people under the age of 18 to curb the surge in e-cigarette use among teenagers in the country. The picture shows a tobacco oil producer from New York, USA. Restricted by the new law, foreign market conditions have dropped sharply. Against this background, the domestic e-cigarette industry has been promoted.

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Amy, an American professor, said: Although some e-cigarette manufacturers have no relationship with the tobacco industry, tobacco giants are playing an increasing share of the e-cigarette market. History shows that the principle of harm reduction is applicable to society, which means that many risks cannot be eradicated. It is best to focus on minimizing the harm caused by them. It reminds us that supervision is better than bans. rdquo;

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At present, e-cigarette specialty stores in China are emerging in a low-key manner. They are no longer limited to smoking cessation, but more a symbol of taste, fashion, and luxury. 90% of the owners of e-cigarette physical stores in China are born in the 1990s. Many of them have the concept that young people need to be frivolous, and they themselves linger in the e-cigarette circle.

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Foreign dealers are also keenly aware of this business opportunity. The picture shows exhibitors from Russia at the Beijing E-Cigarette Expo. There were many foreign faces from merchants at the expo, all expressing their optimism about the potential of China's e-cigarette market.

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E-cigarettes have become increasingly popular in recent years, especially among young people, yet hundreds of e-cigarette manufacturers operating in China are almost unregulated. Experts said that the heavy metals, carcinogens and dangerous compounds of lead, tin and zinc that have been detected in some e-cigarettes may be related to defective or negligent production processes. The picture shows a booth at the Beijing E-Cigarette Expo.

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As a result, e-cigarettes also have some safety hazards. One study found that the content of harmful substances nickel and chromium in e-cigarette vapor was four times that of traditional cigarette smoke; another study found that half of the e-cigarettes sampled were malfunctioning, and some e-cigarettes released vapor containing silicon fiber. There have been previous reports in the United States of overheating of lithium batteries or chargers causing e-cigarettes to explode, which caused burns. The picture shows different types of tobacco oils displayed at the Beijing Electronic Cigarette Expo.

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But this has not prevented e-cigarettes from gradually occupying the mainstream market in China. With the promulgation of smoking bans in various parts of China, e-cigarettes have attracted more and more attention in China, and the number of users is also growing by geometric orders of magnitude. China is gradually becoming an emerging market for e-cigarettes.

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Domestic and foreign merchants have high expectations for the China market, even if e-cigarettes have only begun in China and even around the world. The picture shows the products displayed by a manufacturer specializing in making household e-smoking sets in Hangzhou at the Beijing E-Cigarette Expo.

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There are two types of e-cigarette consumer groups. One category is young people who pursue trends, and the other category is middle-aged people who hope to rely on them to quit smoking. The picture shows the e-cigarette sales site, with an old man crowded at the forefront.

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Merchants will always bind consumer goods to some popular images. Similar to the relationship between cars and beautiful women, e-cigarette merchants will also bind the public's perception of e-cigarettes and beautiful women. The picture shows models posing on the platform on the display cabinet of an e-cigarette shop.

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In the 21st century, new popular culture and lifestyles are created with consumption. The consumer group of e-cigarettes is growing, and the Steam Experience Hall or Vape Club is also born. It can be understood as an open e-cigarette social place. Here, e-cigarettes are often combined with parties, which merchants claim can allow customers to better experience steam culture. The picture shows a smoke ring competition set at the expo based on steam culture. Such competitions are often held in e-cigarette circles, and merchants hope to create a steam culture to attract young consumers.

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The picture shows a young participant in the smoke ring competition. He comes from a media company in Shenzhen that promotes e-cigarette culture. This company is supported by a domestic e-cigarette company.

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Steam culture is gradually becoming popular around the world. The annual e-cigarette festival attracts the attention of e-cigarette players, and interests drive merchants to create one new festival after another. From ECC in the United States in August every year, to vapex International in Malaysia in September, vapexo in Paris, France, and then to vape summit in Houston, the United States in October, the opening of China's e-cigarette carnival takes place in the coastal open city of Shenzhen in the Pearl River Delta. The picture shows the competition site where gifts are being distributed at the Beijing Electronic Cigarette Expo.

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According to the New York Times, more than 90% of the world's e-cigarette production areas are in China, and the production of e-cigarettes in China is still in a regulatory vacuum. The picture shows the exterior view of an e-cigarette factory in the Pearl River Delta region.

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In 2014, China manufacturers shipped more than 300 million e-cigarettes to Europe and the United States, where they appeared on the shelves of Walmart, 7-Eleven, gas station stores, and so-called e-cigarette stores for purchase by European and American audiences. The picture shows the office of the general manager of Youde e-cigarette factory.

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A survey on the production and operation of e-cigarettes in Shenzhen shows that most factories are legally produced and efforts are being made to strengthen quality control. However, some factories are low-end operations. Some of them do not have safety testing equipment, and some specialize in counterfeiting brand-name products, usually using cheap parts. The picture shows an employee of a large e-cigarette factory cleaning up sales from bad sellers on the online sales platform, reporting stores whose prices are too low to the platform official.# p#pagination title #e#

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Bosses of legitimate Shenzhen manufacturers often complain that people sell fake goods to wholesalers and online traders, who then mix them with bulk orders for real goods. There are concerns that some smaller manufacturers will use poor-quality insulating coatings on heating coils, which could be dangerous if the coating seeps into e-cigarette liquids. Poor quality e-cigarettes produced by small factory-like factories contain heavy metals and industrial substances, which pose a serious threat to health. The picture shows various e-cigarettes and tobacco oils placed on the coffee table in the office of the factory's sales department. At present, there is a serious game of interests between e-cigarette cigarettes, but China has no review standard for the content of cigarette oil.

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“This is a very chaotic industry.& rdquo; Zhuang Zhiqiang, deputy general manager of Shanghai Tobacco Flavor Company Huabao International and an expert on the e-cigarette market in China, once said. ldquo; I hope that this industry can be effectively controlled soon." rdquo; The picture shows the original warehouse of a legally produced factory in the Pearl River Delta.

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Because of the chaos of the industry itself and the real safety hazards, some factories in the Pearl River Delta are working hard to strengthen production management. Although the management is to continue and gain a firm foothold in this just-started e-cigarette profit battle, doing so by merchants is undoubtedly not a bad thing for e-cigarette consumers. The picture shows the employees managing the warehouse.

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In August, the Pearl River Delta region is full of trees and the air is hot. The workers of the e-cigarette factory are working busy and orderly on this land, producing batches of consumer goods and transporting them to home and abroad. The picture shows workers on the assembly line of an e-cigarette factory.

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The workers here are divided into two groups, one is young people who have just grown up, and the other is middle-aged people whose entire family lives in the Pearl River Delta. The picture shows a young worker on the assembly line of an e-cigarette factory.

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Unlike imitation workshops, Shenzhen's large e-cigarette production plants are relatively clean, with rows of workers sitting on plastic benches next to fast-moving assembly lines. Some tiny start-ups buy components from suppliers, set up assembly lines, and hire low-skilled migrant workers. The picture shows two young workers assembling e-cigarette filters.

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The positioning of e-cigarettes is changing from a cigarette replacement product to a smoke-like product. The picture shows e-cigarette accessories. E-cigarettes have formed a certain export volume in Shenzhen, so they have also received the attention of the government.# p#pagination title #e#

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At the same time, many factories in China are accelerating, hoping to make profits and gain market share before they come under the attention of regulators. Because regulatory measures may force many e-cigarette manufacturers to close down. The picture shows the inside of an e-cigarette factory.

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Starting in 2015, large e-cigarette manufacturers in the United States began to transfer their manufacturing processes from China to the United States or Europe. China international tobacco companies have also made similar moves. Some China manufacturers have also begun to move their production facilities to the West. ldquo; Many people don't trust China's air or water sources.& rdquo; A foreign owner of an e-cigarette company said, So why should they trust our e-cigarette liquids? rdquo; The picture shows a supervisor inspecting an e-cigarette factory.

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But no matter what, domestic and foreign businesses are well aware of China's ability to manufacture consumer goods and the people who consume them. E-cigarettes satisfy the desires of consumers and also satisfy the desires of merchants. They indeed have huge potential in the prosperous era of consumption in the China market. The picture shows an employee in the sales department taking a selfie. He had just started working and was temporarily responsible for managing the e-cigarette forum. This was his first time smoking e-cigarettes.

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