‘Incomparably nice’: why China’s shoppers are obsessed with an obscure local supermarket

Lunar New Year, arguably China’s biggest annual holiday, can be seen as a barometer for the country’s economy. As more than a billion people travel, shop, eat and give gifts to family and friends, their preferences and habits paint a picture of the nation’s consumption over a few festive weeks. This is the fourth story in a nine-part series.

It is a bitterly cold afternoon in Xuchang, a small city in northern China’s Henan province. A persistent wind swirls around the street, bringing shivers from the bundled figures hunched on the pavement.

But the shoppers refuse to be put off by the wintry conditions. There are dozens of them lined up outside the mall – and they are prepared for a long wait. A nearby sign states that the doors will not open for another 90 minutes.

“In the mornings, people start waiting from 6am or 7am, which is hours before the mall opens,” said a staff member supervising the queue, who declined to be named, citing company policy.

The scene looks like a product launch for a new smartphone, but the store that has inspired this excitement is in fact a local supermarket named Pangdonglai.

Pangdonglai has become an unexpected viral sensation in China over the past couple of years, making its stores go-to destinations ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, which begins on January 28.