Why China’s Birdwatching Trend Is an Unlikely Flagship for Female Empowerment — HOT POT CHINA

Written by Lu Zhao | Aug 29, 2024 9:00:00 AM

Birdwatching, historically rooted in 18th-century Britain, has evolved into a global pastime enjoyed by millions. In China, this activity has recently gained significant traction, especially post-Covid, attracting a younger and more diverse audience.

The number of bird-watching enthusiasts on the Chinese mainland has reached 340,000 in 2023, where the previous survey conducted in 2018 reported 140,000.

This trend offers a golden opportunity for outdoor and athleisure brands to tap into a burgeoning market. Furthermore, the activity is becoming a surprising platform for female empowerment, encouraging more women to participate and fostering discussions about gender equality.

Judy Zhu’s journey into birdwatching began on a spring day of 2023 in Beijing’s Olympic Forest Park. Through her friend’s binoculars, she spotted a great spotted woodpecker for the first time. Despite not knowing the name of the bird, she was captivated by its bright colours.

“I saw another world,” Zhu remarked.

Excited by this new discovery, Zhu bought her own binoculars the next day. Within 10 days, she organised her first bird-watching event.

She created a WeChat official account named “Go for a Walk 出门散步去,” and her first post attracted over 100 people to sign up. She led 20 participants in her initial group and organised 20 events in the following six months.

“Everyone felt great,” Zhu recalled. “We were captivated as soon as we stood still and looked through the binoculars.”

Now, her Beijing-based bird-watching group boasts over 300 nature lovers, regularly organising trips to city parks. Most participants join for recreational or social reasons, as a natural way to understand the urban environment and engage with other enthusiasts. Zhu attributes her group’s success to the outdoor boom post-Covid.

“People are looking for new lifestyles,” she said. “And they want to socialise and meet new people.”

Beyond fostering nature awareness, Zhu’s group actively promotes gender equality and feminism through bird-watching activities. Zhu would share with her group, for example, that women have historically played significant roles in the development of birding. Phoebe Snetsinger was the first person to document more than 8,300 bird species, and The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Europe’s largest nature conservation charity, was founded by Emily Williamson as an all-women movement.

Zhu aims to bring more women into birding and facilitate open discussions about gender issues through her activities. It seems a natural choice for Zhu to combine nature with feminism. “It’s safer to host gender-related events outdoors than finding a venue in Beijing,” she noted. She has since seen similar feminism-focused birding groups appear in Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Shanghai.

Bella Zhang, director at Alpinebirding, a Chengdu-based birdwatching group offering tours for worldwide clients, started birding in 2016. During the pandemic, she had more opportunities to go bird-watching in the wild and eventually became a birder and bird guide after Covid.

“Sichuan is an important spot for birding,” Zhang told Hot Pot China. “The region has the most endemic species in China.”

Beyond Sichuan, national parks and reserves like Shangri-La, Qinhuangdao, and Dongting Lake are all popular birding spots. The activity has boosted the economy in some regions, such as Baihualing Ecology Tourist Zone, where the village hosted over 140,000 tourists in 2020, generating tourism revenue exceeding RMB 40 million ($6 million). Some villagers have even become bird guides to cater to the trend.

Zhang has witnessed a surge of interest in bird-watching among Chinese youth. Schools and local communities would organise birding clubs or hire professionals like Alpinebirding for guided tours. “The government has required schools to lower workloads and add more outdoor activities to curriculums,” Zhang explained.

Although Zhang hasn’t seen much gender difference in the increasing group of birding enthusiasts, she noted that there are very few female bird guides in China.

“It’s a tiring job that requires strength and experience,” she said. “In general, women have fewer job opportunities in the birding community.”

Zhang joined the inaugural International Conference for Women Birders last year in Uganda, where global representatives discussed women’s perspectives and experiences and hoped to bring more job opportunities and empower local female birders.

Summer Wong, a bird guide for more than a decade and founder of Summer Wong China Bird Tours青鸟自然旅行, echoed Zhang’s sentiments. When Wong started, she was one of the only female bird guides in China and was underpaid compared to her male peers. She even questioned if she was suitable for the demanding job.

“It’s demanding both physically and mentally. You need to find birds quickly and effectively by their sounds and arrange the whole trip. Every step involves tasks,” she said. “Once, I fell asleep standing on the road because I was too tired. It was very scary as there was a slope right beneath.”

Now, with experience, the job has become easier for her. “I learned faster than my peers and now possess more knowledge and better skills than many male peers or international guides.”

Nevertheless, Wong has seen more female guides and a growing interest among female birders in China over the years.

“You don’t need to be physically strong to participate in birding,” Wong explained. “Birds are pretty, flying around, and attractive. There are different ways of birding too, you can just develop the hobby by watching birds in parks or home gardens or join tours to further areas.”

She added that many of her clients in China are female, sometimes outnumbering males in tour groups. Wong also noted that more birders are now taking photos with cameras as they become lighter instead of watching birds with binoculars.

Wong regards stamina, attentiveness, and affinity as advantages female guides possess. “Female clients like to come to me because it’s comfortable to go with someone professional but also easygoing,” she said.

Now she has two group chats with nearly 1,000 members, staying in close touch with her Chinese clients. “I really like Chinese female clients because they’re naturally keen on taking care of others. Older women always bring me food and gifts, and they have everything in their suitcases when travelling.”

All images provided by interviewees

Hot Pot’s Hot Take

Although birdwatching remains a niche activity in China, its popularity has been rapidly growing.

This emerging trend presents a prime opportunity for brands, especially in the outdoor and athleisure sector, to connect with a new audience of outdoor enthusiasts and champion gender empowerment.

By collaborating with influential figures in the birding community, brands can effectively engage with local audiences and position themselves at the intersection of nature appreciation and social progress.

Many birders start with basic equipment, but as their passion deepens, their demand for higher-quality gear, such as premium binoculars, cameras, and telescopes, increases. This progression creates a natural market for upscale products.

In addition to physical products, there is also a strong demand for community-building and educational platforms. WeChat mini program Bird ID Master懂鸟 and mobile app Wren have helped Chinese users identify birds and listen to bird sounds. Collaborating with platforms like these could be a strategic move for brands looking to deepen their engagement with this audience who seek educational content and a sense of community.

If your brand is in the outdoor sector and aims to achieve scalable marketing and commercial success in China, now is the time to tap into the birdwatching trend. Reach out to our team at nihao@hotpotchina.com to explore how we can help you make the most of this dynamic and meaningful movement.

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