As published in FOCUS magazine’s December issue.

Just as Western companies use Valentine’s Day to capitalise on budding – or established – relationships, Single’s Day celebrates anoth- er special someone: me, myself, and I. Instead of an evening of flowers, chocolate, and gourmet cuisine, this holiday sees pyjama-clad consum- ers sitting at midnight in front of lit computer screens, hoping to snag deals from top online retailers.

Born in universities during the 1990s, the day has its roots in Chinese culture. The four “ones” in 11 November reminded students of the character for ‘bachelor.’ Translated, the word means ‘bare branches’; in China, the parents are the trunk of a tree that may or may not bear fruit.
Holiday folklore credits four bachelors playing the popular board game mahjong on 11 November from 11am to 11pm with the four columns card (11.11) always winning. However, this quirky coincidence did not become the year’s biggest shopping day until 2009, when e-commerce conglomerate Alibaba decided to cash in. Last year, 10 million shoppers visited Alibaba within the sale’s first minute. The subsidiary Tmall hit RMB 100 million by the end of minute number two.

After the midnight deals, singles kick off the next morning with four youtiao, deep-fried dough sticks, to represent the four ones, with a steamed, stuffed bun as the middle dot. For dinner, [men and women] will split the check; unlike Valentine’s Day, this is acceptable as it shows their independence.

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