中国光棍节成为全球最大的网上购物狂欢节

AS IT IS 2015-11-11 Chinese Singles Drive the World's Biggest Shopping Day Online 中国光棍节成为全球最大的网上购物狂欢节

What’s the biggest online shopping day in the world?

Not Valentine’s Day.

Not Cyber Monday or Black Friday. They are the days that follow Thanksgiving in the U.S. and usher¹ in the start of the holiday shopping season.

The winner is China’s Singles’ Day, celebrated² November 11, or 11.11.

Singles’ Day began as a day for unmarried or uncoupled people to celebrate their lives. Single students, looking for an excuse to buy themselves presents, started it on November 11, 1993, reported The Guardian³.

It is symbolized⁴ by the four number ones in the date of November 11 – 11.11— and is also called Double Eleven, in reference to the day it was started, said the BBC.

It became a major shopping day in 2009. The CEO of an online shopping site -- Alibaba -- sought to increase sales at the e-commerce company. The CEO, Daniel Zhang, launched an annual online sale that day, said Fortune.

When it first began, “Singles’ Day was very much an offline solace⁵ for actual single people,” noted⁶ the website Atlas⁷ Obscura. “A small group of students at Nanjing University are said to have chosen 11.11 as a day that singles could do activities like karaoke together.”

It quickly became a cultural phenomenon.   

Last year, Alibaba sold more than $1 billion worth of products in the first three minutes of the sales, reported Bloomberg. Total sales on Singles’ Day soared to $9 billion within 24 hours.

That’s four times bigger than Cyber Monday in the U.S., which is the Monday after Thanksgiving and traditionally a big shopping day.

By comparison, online sales in the U.S. last year on Black Friday were just $1.5 billion, reported TechCrunch. 

Today, Singles’ Day is a retail⁸ blockbuster. Analysts⁹ predict that this year, sales on China Singles’ Day will soar to a new high.

In the U.S., Dealmoon is a shopping site targeting Chinese-Americans. Jennifer Wang is co-founder of the company:

“We expect to have 3 million people coming to our site for the Singles’ Day launch.” 

Some observers think Singles’ Day could catch on globally.

In West Hollywood, California, a group launched an American version of the event on January 11, 2014, reported Atlas Obscura. They want to make 1.11 an official American holiday, “a day of recognition for those who find themselves on the other side of the couple’s fence,” according to the website. 

Words in This Story

online – n. done over the Internet

shopping – n.  the activity of visiting places where goods are sold in order to look at and buy things (such as food, clothing, etc.)

Valentine’s Day – noun phrase February 14 observed as a time for sending valentines

usher in – phrasal verb to happen at the beginning of (something, such as a period of activity) and usually to help cause it

reference - n.  the act of mentioning something in speech or in writing : the act of referring to something or someone

offline – adj. not connected to a computer, a computer network, or the Internet

solace – n.  someone or something that gives a feeling of comfort to a person who is sad, depressed¹⁰, etc. : a source of comfort

phenomenon – n.  someone or something that is very impressive or popular especially because of an unusual ability or quality

blockbuster – n. something that is very large, expensive, or successful

soar – v.  to increase very quickly in amount or price

1 usher   

n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员

参考例句：

• The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。
• They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

4 symbolized   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• For Tigress, Joy symbolized the best a woman could expect from life. 在她看，小福子就足代表女人所应有的享受。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• A car symbolized distinction and achievement, and he was proud. 汽车象征着荣誉和成功，所以他很自豪。 来自辞典例句

5 solace   

n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和

参考例句：

• They sought solace in religion from the harshness of their everyday lives.他们日常生活很艰难，就在宗教中寻求安慰。
• His acting career took a nosedive and he turned to drink for solace.演艺事业突然一落千丈，他便借酒浇愁。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 atlas   

n.地图册，图表集

参考例句：

• He reached down the atlas from the top shelf.他从书架顶层取下地图集。
• The atlas contains forty maps,including three of Great Britain.这本地图集有40幅地图，其中包括3幅英国地图。

8 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

10 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。