Who have you been giving your time to?
How long has it been since you sat down to have a proper meal with your parents? How long has it been since you watched a movie with your spouse? How long has it been since you spent a joyful weekend with your child? Does a happy family life only exist in your imagination?
A survey targeting Chinese white-collar workers shows that over two-thirds spend an average of no more than one hour per day with their partners, 63% of urban professionals have fewer than three full-family gatherings per year, and 75% of young fathers miss their child’s first words due to work and other reasons. Spending quality family time together is becoming a new “luxury” in the lives of urban professionals.
The Nordic concept of FamilyTime and their views on family and life are increasingly influencing and inspiring Chinese people’s understanding of life. In response, products that meet the demand for “new family fun spots” have also emerged.
Where Has the Time Gone
At the 2014 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, the song “Where Has the Time Gone,” inspired by a series of photos showing a father and daughter growing up over 30 years, moved hundreds of millions. This heartfelt performance brought many viewers to tears. The swift passage of time and the gradual aging of parents made the audience, whose days are filled with work, suddenly realize they hadn’t spent time with their families in a long while. The average working hours for Chinese professionals are generally 8–12 hours of work, 1–2 hours of commuting, and 6–7 hours of sleep. With an annual average of 2,200 working hours, China ranks first globally. However, this also highlights, from another perspective, how family time is being relentlessly eroded by reality.
“Finding time for a family reunion is one thing, but once we’re all home and the moment gets cozy, mom goes to the living room to watch TV dramas, dad heads to the bedroom to go online, leaving me alone scrolling my phone — it’s like we’re ‘together but not really,’” one netizen complained.
The differing lifestyles and entertainment needs of family members also make “fun for the whole family” a greater challenge. It’s hard to find a place that can truly bring together everyone’s interests.
Defending FamilyTime
In contrast to Chinese families, a group of happy residents live on the Scandinavian Peninsula. An international home furnishing brand from Sweden promotes values of “family,” “life,” and “care,” selling furniture embodying the Nordic “joyful lifestyle” around the world.
From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. is the sacred FamilyTime for Scandinavians — a TV-free time when they gather for family meals. Beyond enjoying happy evenings with their loved ones every day, travel is also a crucial part of the leisurely Nordic lifestyle. Life-loving Scandinavians never spend their holidays working overtime. They value quality of life highly. As soon as the holidays begin, they eagerly enjoy the sunshine, beaches, rock climbing, skiing, cycling, and other joys with their families. Strong family values mean even the family breadwinners — the men — won’t sacrifice precious time with their wives and children under the excuse of “working overtime or attending social events.”
Countries like Sweden and Denmark rank among the world’s most frequent travelers. In Sweden, spending on entertainment, including travel, typically accounts for over 10% of an average household’s expenses — the largest expenditure after income tax and housing costs. Sun-loving and family-oriented Scandinavians head out for trips together in the sunny spring. In summer, they flock abroad for “sunshine getaways.” Some even purchase property in places like Thailand and Singapore just to enjoy the summer sun with their families.
Putting family at the center of life is at the core of a happy Nordic existence. For many middle-class Chinese families, it’s time for a mindset shift. While achieving personal dreams and values, creating a better life for one’s family is a higher level of fulfillment. But sometimes, we put the cart before the horse, stealing time that should belong to our families and getting so busy that we forget why we’re doing it all.
Advocating the Joy of “Being Together”
During the recently concluded National Day Golden Week, over 50% of families traveled together. Data from Tongcheng Travel’s booking center shows that around 56% of citizens chose self-guided local family trips during the 2014 Golden Week.
“I took advantage of the holiday to come here with my parents. We rarely get to travel together normally,” said Ms. Chen, who came to Xi'an with her family on October 2. She specially brought her parents, who are nearly 60. Although they visited fewer scenic spots due to the elders’ limited mobility, she still felt such a “filial piety trip” was essential. “It’s just a bit tough on the child,” Ms. Chen added. “My son is only eight, and he’s not interested in the historical sites his grandparents love, but he’s very understanding and happily accompanied them.”
Similar cases of whole-family travel, like that of Ms. Chen, were common during the 2014 National Day Golden Week. According to statistics from Ctrip, short-haul family travel products mainly consist of “attractions + hotels.” Nearly 60% of those traveling were parent-child groups. Theme parks and similar attractions were particularly popular during the Golden Week, with some even reaching capacity. The proportion of all-family customer groups in the tourism market is growing larger, and they urgently hope for travel products better suited for all family members.
Market demand is always the guiding force of innovation. Some companies have started creating brand-new vacation products based on this emerging market trend. Among them is the “New Wonder World International Resort,” developed nationwide by China Gold Group Co., Ltd. (000979). New Wonder World, advocating for “a new family fun spot,” aims to create a “harmonious yet diverse” resort tailored to family travelers.
Brand Ambassadors of New Wonder World International Resort: Huang Xiaoming & Angelababy
New Wonder World is not just a single theme park or resort hotel product. Instead, it organically integrates various formats such as theme parks, resort hotels, cultural theaters, children’s playgrounds, and health-care retirement communities, bringing together the different needs of family members within one resort. At New Wonder World, seniors can stroll leisurely in exclusive wellness communities; younger generations don’t have to give up their favorite adrenaline-filled activities for fear of their parents’ limited mobility; and children can enjoy the happiest times in fairy-tale-like play zones created just for them... Troubles like Ms. Chen’s “poor kid” dilemma simply don’t exist.
It is reported that the nationwide “New Wonder World” projects, while maintaining unified planning standards, offer unique experiences based on the scenic features and tourism resources of their locations — the thrill of skiing at New Wonder World International Resort · Changbai Mountain, the island beauty of Hainan Ruyi Island project, the distinctive ethnic culture of the Xishuangbanna project... And as more New Wonder World projects come online, they will be easily accessible from major cities across the country.
In the future, every holiday or weekend, we can accompany our parents and children, enjoy the endless fun brought by New Wonder World, and rediscover those family moments of joy that we once lost.