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大妈军团。
很多人应该听说过保洁大妈拿出600万拯救公司的故事。
图 via 网络
当然也有业务员靠在广场上跳舞与大妈们打成一片，从而实现业绩月月翻、走上人生巅峰的故事。
可千万不要认为大妈们就只有这点能耐。她们可是国家经济的重要力量。
In China, elderly women between 50 and 70 years of age with deep pockets and plenty of leisure time have been empowered along with the countrys remarkable economic rise, and they are growing to become a major force in the countrys economy.
随着经济的显著增长，在中国50至70岁、财力雄厚、闲暇时间充足的老年女性也随之获得了不少权力，她们正成长为国家经济中的一支重要力量。
The group, called "dama" in Chinese (meaning "big mama"), gained global fame with a victory against financial titans in 2013 by bottoming out gold when its price plunged, crushing Wall Streets dreams of short-selling the metal on the global market.
这个汉语中名为“大妈”的群体，在2013年一战成名。她们在金价暴跌时抄底入场，从而战胜了金融巨头，粉碎了华尔街在全球市场做空黄金的梦想。
图 via 网络
But their influence has since expanded far beyond that.
随后，她们的影响力便一发不可收拾。
Chinese dama, who can often be found together in parks and plazas dancing in groups, have drawn keen interest from marketers in different industries. When they sweep through jewelry stores and department stores during shopping trips to Paris and New York, they make significant contributions to local GDP. And when they descend upon property markets at home and abroad for investment, they may push up local housing prices.
经常在公园或者广场上成群结队跳舞的中国大妈也吸引了不同行业营销人员的浓厚兴趣。她们在巴黎和纽约横扫珠宝店和百货公司，为当地GDP做出了不菲的贡献。她们涌向国内外房地产市场进行投资，又可能会推高当地的房价。
The group - estimated to be about 100 million people, or equivalent to the total population of Japan - has created a phenomenon in China known as "dama economies," which have had a huge impact on the domestic and global economy.
据估，全国约有1亿大妈，这个数字相当于日本的总人口。她们对国内和全球经济都产生了巨大的影响，从而创造出中国独特的“大妈经济”现象。
Take outbound touri *** as an example. According to Xu Xiaolei, manager of marketing at travel agency Chinas CYTS Tours Holding Co, the number of dama travelers on the platform has grown steadily to account for 24 percent of total outbound tourists during the May Day holiday, ranking as the second biggest source of outbound tourists among different age groups.
以出境旅游为例。据中青旅市场部经理徐晓磊介绍，五一假期期间，该平台上的大妈游客数量稳步增长，占出境游客总数的24%，成为各年龄段中第二大出境游客源。
The elderly are spending more on travel. Chinese dama on average spend 5,813 yuan on overseas trips, 30 percent higher than the average spending of Chinese travelers, a spokesperson from Ctrip told the Global Times.
老年人在旅行上花的钱也更多。携程的一位发言人称，中国大妈在海外旅行的平均支出为5813元，比中国游客的平均支出高出30%。
As purchasing power expands, their consumption habits have also gravitated toward "shopping to please themselves," rather than buying for their children and hu *** ands, a Paris-based Chinese tour guide, who gave her name as Sarah, told the Global Times.
在巴黎工作的中国导游莎拉说，随着购买力的提升，相比以前为了孩子和丈夫买东西，大妈们的消费习惯也逐渐转向“为取悦自己而买买买”。
"During the past holidays, some dama bought up to three luxury bags each for themselves at [French department chain store] Galeries Lafayette… Several years ago, what they asked for was how to buy things for their families," she said.
她说：“刚刚过去的这个假期里，一些大妈在老佛爷一口气买了三个大牌包包... 而几年前，她们脑子里想的全都是要给家人买这买那。”
那么是什么让大妈们突然觉醒了呢?是什么让她们如此买买买而没有一丝后顾之忧呢?
Chinas improved social security scheme, which guarantees lifelong medical insurance and pension benefits after retirement, has also diminished the need for elderly Chinese to have abundant savings in their later years.
中国完善的社保制度保证了老年人退休后的医疗保险和养老金福利，也减少了他们对大量储蓄的需求。
"I will be given a 6,000-yuan retirement pension every month after retirement. The social welfare scheme raises my confidence for the future and lends me the courage to spend," said Chen Qiaozhu, 53, who lives in Xiamen, East Chinas Fujian Province.
来自厦门的陈巧珠今年53岁，她说：“我每月能拿到六千块的退休金。社保制度让我对未来有信心，也让我有勇气花钱。”
Chinas booming dama economy also mirrors the rising social and economic status of women, as more and more well-educated and financially independent women, including older women, have gained a say on family wealth.
中国蓬勃发展的大妈经济也反映了妇女社会经济地位的提高。越来越多受过良好教育和经济独立的妇女，包括老年妇女，在家庭财富方面都有不小的发言权。
Chen Qiaozhu, who budgets her familys spending, has been "cautiously testing the waters" in purchasing jewelry and precious metals as a way to preserve and increase family assets.
在陈巧珠的家里，她是掌管财政大权的人。她一直在“谨慎地试水”购买珠宝和贵金属，希望能借此让家庭资产保值甚至是增值。
In past years, Chen has bought several properties, not only in Xiamen, but also in Hangzhou, capital of East Chinas Zhejiang Province. Thanks to her "financial sense and instinct," her family wealth has at least doubled amid Chinas housing price hikes.
过去的几年里，她在厦门、杭州买了好几套房子。靠着她的“金融意识和直觉”，他们家的家庭财富在中国房价上涨的情况下至少翻了一番。
Now Chen has withdrawn from the real estate market as she says room for future appreciation is limited. "Chinas stock market has been too volatile to pour money into, so I have to find another hot spot for investment," Chen told the Global Times, adding she regrets "missing the golden era for investing in bitcoin."
不过现在陈阿姨已经退出了房地产市场，因为她认为房子未来升值的空间有限。对于股票，她表示：“中国股市波动太大，不能贸然注入资金，我得找其他投资热点。”她补充说自己很遗憾“错过了投资比特币的黄金时代”。
She, like many affluent older women in China, feels insecure holding paper notes and is eager for more profitable investment channels. A manger at China Merchants Bank in Beijings Chaoyang district surnamed Jie, told the Global Times that dama account for more than 70 percent of the clients who come to her for advice on purchasing wealth management products.
与中国许多富裕的大妈一样，她也对持有纸币感到不安全，想要找到更有利可图的投资渠道。北京朝阳区招商银行的一位姓芥的经理告诉GT，前来咨询理财产品的客户中，大妈占了70%以上。
As most of the dama generations children have entered the workforce and could potentially face financial pressure when getting married and settling down, such investment is also a way to prepare money for their children, Jie said.
芥经理说，由于大部分大妈的孩子已经进入社会参加工作了，在结婚和定居时可能会面临经济压力，这种投资也是她们为孩子攒钱的一种方式。
Shen Jian, a 50-something retired teacher in a third-tier city in East Chinas Jiangsu Province, said she aspires to "prepare a dowry for her 27-year-old daughter." She used most of her savings to snag a two-year bond issued by the local government in June last year, with an annual interest rate of 8.8 percent.
50多岁的沈健是生活在江苏省一个三线城市的退休教师，她想“为27岁的女儿准备一份嫁妆”。去年6月，她用自己的大部分积蓄购买了地方 *** 发行的两年期债券，年利率为8.8%。
She did not disclose the exact amount she bought, but the threshold for purchasing such bonds is at least 1 million yuan.
她没有透露具体的购买金额，但这类债券的起购金额至少为100万元。
Both Chen and Shen said they do not like to be identified as dama because such women are typically portrayed as uneducated, gossipy, short-sighted and brash investors. "As Chinas economy has progressed, the meaning of dama has changed significantly now. Yes, were energetic, but were also elegant, eager for novel things and have a rational approach to investment," Chen stressed.
陈阿姨和沈阿姨都说，他们不喜欢被认为是大妈，因为这样的女性通常被描绘成没有受过教育、爱说闲话、目光短浅、鲁莽的投资者。陈阿姨强调道：“随着中国经济的发展，’大妈‘的含义已经发生了很大的变化。是的，我们精力充沛，但我们也是优雅的。我们渴望新奇的东西，投资的时候也是理性的。”
Traditionally considered savers, wealthy older Chinese women, who now boast growing consumption power, have become targets for different marketers who wish to mine gold in the "dama economy."
曾经被认为是只存钱不花钱的大妈们，如今却拥有日益增长的消费能力，也成为了希望从“大妈经济”中掘一桶金的营销人士的目标。
While travel agencies, such as CYTS and Ctrip, have launched personalized travel packages that include more shopping stops to appeal to the cohort, some industry players have also spotted plenty of opportunities in the most popular sport among dama: square dancing.
比如中青旅和携程等旅行社推出了个性化的旅游套餐，其中包括更多的购物点，以吸引大妈们。而在大妈之间最流行的广场舞中也有不少人发现了大量商机。
According to a report issued by e-commerce platform Taobao.com, the online monthly sales volume of square dance-related products such as clothes, shoes and audio products totaled 25 million yuan. Based on the figure, *** ysts estimated that the market for plaza dance-related products could be as large as 2 billion yuan every year.
根据淘宝网发布的一份报告，服装、鞋和音响等广场舞相关产品的在线月销售额为2500万元。根据这一数字，分析人士估计，广场舞相关产品的市场规模每年可能高达20亿元。
Almost all the dama the Global Times talked to said they dance in public squares at least twice a week during their spare time. Their obsession has given birth to apps that offer tutorials and provide a communication platform for middle-aged dancers, such as Tangdou Square Dance, which has been called the elderly version of the popular short-video platform Douyin.
几乎所有GT采访到的大妈都说，她们每周至少去广场上跳两次舞。大妈们对广场舞的痴迷也催生出专门为中老年舞者提供辅导和交流平台的应用程序，比如被称为老年版抖音的糖豆广场舞。
The app now has more than 200 million elderly users. To further make a profit, the app, based on its wide senior user base, is now exploring e-commerce models as well as other offline business models, such as dance training and touri *** , Zhang Yuan, founder and CEO of Tangdou, told the Global Times.
目前，糖豆的老年用户已超过2亿。其创始人兼CEO张远对GT表示，为了进一步盈利，他们目前正在探索电子商务模式和其他线下商业模式，如舞蹈培训和旅游。
All industry insiders seemed to be thrilled to be capitalizing on the elderly cohort, whose spending power has largely been underestimated by the market.
所有业内人士似乎都很兴奋地能够通过老年人群体来赚钱，他们的消费能力在很大程度上被市场低估了。
"Maybe whoever wins the hearts of dama also wins the future," Jie said.
芥经理表示“或许赢得了大妈的心，才算赢得未来。”
所以，不要看不起广场上跳舞的大妈，几十年后我们都会成为大妈，为国家经济做出巨大贡献。什么，你说你是男的?没关系，你会成为大妈旁边递水伴舞的大爷。
你怎么看待“大妈经济”？
英文：Li Xuanmin
翻译：A君
图：网络
