Once derided as the ‘world’s factory’ that only churns out low-quality imitation goods, China has been making progress in upgrading its domestic products, altering the consumption patterns of the country’s young population.

According to a Credit Suisse survey released in March, 90 percent of the Chinese interviewees who are under the age of 29 prefer to buy electronic devices made in China, as well as other products. The percentage of Chinese clients who would like to buy domestic sportswear has risen to 19 percent.

“Chinese products used to be ridiculed as copycats and rubbish. The situation has changed swiftly in recent years, nowadays when we talk about smartphones, I personally think about Chinese brands like Huawei and Vivo, which are cheaper than Samsung and Apple yet have similar quality and even better functions,” Lin Jiazhi, a 26-year-old IT engineer told People’s Daily Online.

The preference of youth in China for domestic products is predominately caused by China’s recent landmark achievements in science, innovation and technology. According to Xinhua, every minute during the morning rush hours, China has 40,000 car-hailing journeys; 70 percent of Chinese mobile netizens are using mobile payments, and China now boasts the world's largest online shopping market.

Dockless shared bicycles, high-speed trains, mobile payments and e-commerce have all earned reputations as China's "four great new inventions" in recent times. These innovations have changed the way of living in China and are now reshaping ideas of consumption amongst Chinese.

The rising reputation of overseas Chinese companies has also attracted consumers both in and out of China. For instance, a Chinese telecom company completed the first 5G phone call in the entire world this past February, signifying that it very well may take a leading role during the forthcoming 5G era.

“Along with rising quality, Chinese products have also ignited the public’s sense of cultural identity and national pride, attracting even more young Chinese to buy them,” Xiao Xueping, member of China Association for Mental Health, told the Sputnik.