Summer Palace's new set of lipsticks has stirred up a new buying spree among netizens and fashion lovers. (Photo/A screenshot of cosmetic brand Catkin's Tmall Platform)
The Palace Museum has achieved huge success in cultural and creative products in recent years, and Summer Palace, another Beijing landmark, seems to be following suit.
According to the Beijing Youth Daily, the Summer Palace, in cooperation with national brand Catkin, released its new series of cosmetics on Alibaba's Tmall platform, the biggest player in China's business-to-consumer market, on Thursday.
The newly launched products including lipsticks, eye shadows, air cushions and facial masks have created excitement among netizens and fashion lovers.
The set of lipsticks consists of three colors named "Fengyi Red", "Fengling Red" and "Fengshao Red", which are all classic colors in Asian beauty sense.
As of Sunday, the total sales volume has exceeded more than 6,000 pieces.
"I am among those who prefer to buy things with the retro-style. Meanwhile, when the lipstick is used up, I can collect it as a cultural souvenir," says Ma Siqi, 25, who works at a clothing company.
Meanwhile, the packaging of these lipsticks is printed using 3D technology and draws inspiration from the important cultural relics in the Summer Palace, the embroidered screen titled "Song of the Phoenix" at the Cixi Palace.
But some people also worry that cultural creative products may follow the trend of these popular make-up items.
In December last year, the Palace Museum suspended its production of cosmetics because of quality concerns among online users. Its official store later said it would continue to work on the products and roll out better ones.
Zhang Yan, a private school teacher, says that the lipsticks are not as cost effective, and the three colors are not her type. Therefore, she still prefers to buy the brand she is familiar with.
"Ideas are key to cultural and creative products. Why should the Summer Palace imitate other people's tricks and follow the path others have taken? The Summer Palace enjoys long history with profound culture, and it will just take time to create its own unique products," wrote another netizen.
