{
  "id": 6835999,
  "title": "Taobao’s ‘ugly’ goods find a growing market among China’s young consumers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/taobaos-ugly-goods-find-a-growing-market-among-chinas-young-consumers-6835999",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-12T01:00:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3367218/taobaos-ugly-goods-find-growing-market-among-chinas-young-consumers"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In recent years, \"ugly\" or \"bizarre\" products have gained popularity on Taobao, an e-commerce platform owned by Alibaba Group Holding. Since 2020, when Taobao introduced the Uglies Award to celebrate creatively unusual goods, cumulative sales of such products have exceeded 230 million yuan (US$34.3 million). This year, Taobao is hosting its second Treasured Uglies Art Exhibition, themed \"Ugly, But Mine,\" in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, where Alibaba is based. The exhibition, nearly twice as large as last year, will run from September 23 to September 27.\n\nHu Yu, the project lead for the Uglies Award, explains that consumers are not only purchasing oddly shaped goods but also the emotions, stories, and self-expression that these items evoke. These offbeat designs enable consumers to connect with similar individuals and express their unique identities. Small, medium, and micro enterprises contribute to 85 percent of all products on Taobao, which allows for a diverse range of non-standard offerings to attract a large base of young consumers.\n\nAn example of this trend is the 3D reimagining of legendary figures from ancient cave murals in Dunhuang, Gansu province, brought to life by the Dunhuang Academy, which oversees a UNESCO World Heritage site. One such figure, a winged figure inspired by an ancient mural, has sold over 70,000 units through online and offline channels. Another example is the Hot Nipples Club, a women's wear store on Taobao with nearly 100,000 followers, which sells quirky dresses using humor, irony, and rebellion to respond to consumers' emotions.\n\nOne such store, Out Side Window, sells unconventional goods like a guitar-printed apron inspired by a Spring Festival incident. Prized at 12 yuan (US$1.79), the apron has sold more than 2,000 pieces. Xia Weiyi, the owner, notes that \"ugly\" does not mean the opposite of beautiful, as it represents a break from a single aesthetic order, allowing for individual differences, chance, and humor alongside mass production and consumption.\n\nThe exhibition's curator, Liu Tian, a professor at the China Academy of Art's School of Intermedia Art, emphasizes that \"ugly\" is not about replacing one standard with another, but rather a pursuit of individuality and a broader spectrum of aesthetics.",
  "summary": "Products widely considered “ugly” or “bizarre” have gone viral online in China as millions of young consumers embrace the items’ quirky humour and distinctive character. Cumulative sales of such products on Taobao – an e-commerce platform of Alibaba Group Holding – have surpassed 230 million yuan (US$34.3 million) since 2020, when Taobao launched its so-called Uglies Award to celebrate creatively…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "SCMP Business",
        "title": "Private equity’s Fang Fenglei on investing in China, capital market reforms",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/private-equitys-fang-fenglei-on-investing-in-china-capital-market",
        "published": "2026-09-11T23:01:04.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}