Single’s Day? Double Eleven? Why is 11.11 special?

现在,每年的公历11 月 11 日(简称“双十一”)已经成为了中国甚至全世界华人的“线上购物狂欢节”;在这一天,淘宝、京东、当当等中国各大电商平台纷纷进行打折促销活动。截至2012 年,在消费额方面,“双十一”已经超过了美国线上购物节日“网络星期一”。每年当“双十一”近在眼前时,大家都开始摩拳擦掌,准备在第一时间“清空购物车”了。但是,你知道“双十一”是怎么来的吗?

 

在中国的网络流行文化中,11 月 11 日因其阿拉伯数字全部是“1”,宛如形单影只的四个“光棍”,最早被称呼为“光棍节”。与 2 月 14 日“情人节”相反,“光棍节”是为诸多“单身贵族”量身定做的;单身的男女会在这一天聚在一起,用自己的方式庆祝这个非官方节日。

 

2009 年 11 月 11 日,为了填补从“十一”长假到圣诞节期间的这段销售淡季,阿里巴巴以美国的感恩节促销为蓝本,在旗下的“淘宝”网络商城发起了“淘宝商城促销日”活动。11月11日当天,淘宝商城上注册的商家都会进行不同程度的打折包邮活动。第一次的“双十一”给阿里巴巴带来了前所未有的巨大盈利;从此,“双十一”从“庆祝单身”的文化节日,演变为了让更多人参与其中的大型“剁手节”:因短时间内购买了太多东西而超支。可即使因为心疼钱包而发誓“再买就剁手”,最终也禁受不住这么多福利的诱惑呀!

 

明年“双十一”,你也要一起来“剁手”吗?

 


 

Nowadays, November 11 (also referred to as “Double Eleven”) has become an annual online shopping frenzy for people in China and even for overseas Chinese. On this day, Taobao, JD.com, Dangdang and other major Chinese e-commerce platforms offer various discounts and promotions. As of 2012, sales revenues generated on “Double Eleven” has exceeded the American online shopping festival, Cyber Monday. Every year, everyone is undoubtedly eagerly awaiting to empty their shopping carts on this annual time of the year, but do you know how this shopping holiday came to be?

 

In the Chinese internet culture, it is said that because the Arabic numerals for the date November 11 (11/11) consists of four “ones” resembling four solitary bare sticks, it was termed “bare sticks holiday” or “Singles’ Day”. Contrary to Valentine’s Day on February 14th, “Singles’ Day” is a celebration for single-status people. On this day, men and women who are single gather in celebration of their pride in being single on this unofficial holiday.

 

On the eleventh of November, 2009, Alibaba launched a “Taobao Promotion Day” on its Taobao online retail website in order to address the period of slow sales lasting from National Day to Christmas Day. This event was based on promotional events occurring around Thanksgiving in the United States. On that day, online merchants on Taobao offered a range of discounts and promotions. The first-ever “Double Eleven” generated record-breaking revenues for Alibaba. From then on, “Double Eleven” evolved from a singles’ celebration day to a day where consumers spend money with no remorse in a short period of time, or the so-called “hand-chopping festival”. This is coined from people declaring that they will “chop” their hands if they purchase with little consideration for their bank account, but they fail to resist the allure of sales nonetheless.

 

Do you intend to join the “hand-chopping festival” next year on Double Eleven?

 

Written by: Shaoyu Xiong (熊劭瑜)
Chinese editor: Alexandra Hu (胡艺涵)
Translated by: Doris Li (李心怡)