From jewelry to divination spells: “metaphysics” becomes the new code

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The incense in the temple is burning more and more vigorously, and the crystals in the live broadcast room are selling more and more crazily.

Yi Nengjing sold a crystal array worth 6,999 yuan during a live broadcast, earning 2.66 million yuan in a single session; Yu Zheng was even more ruthless, selling a 58,000 yuan pendant for 5 million yuan in a single session.

This generation of young people, while forwarding messages on their WeChat Moments saying “Save me from wasting time”, polish their crystal bracelets until they are covered with patina. They say “My fate is in my own hands”, but their bodies honestly contribute real money to the metaphysical economy.

According to authoritative forecasts, the scale of metaphysics-related consumption in China will exceed 110 billion in 2023.

Metaphysics is no longer a secret business in the streets, but a wealth-making movement sweeping the entire industry: from luxury goods to fast-moving consumer goods, from offline experiences to online services, businesses are using “mysticism” as a knife to reap the emotional dividends of the anxious age.

Luxury goods & jewelry: Transformed into energy currency

For luxury goods and jewelry accessories related categories, metaphysical factors are subverting previous pricing rules.

Craftsmanship, materials and design are important, but if you can attract good luck, it will obviously be easier to sell and get a high price.

A typical example is crystal. Judging from the sales list, crystals with “natural” properties tend to be affordable, while expensive crystal products have some metaphysical elements, either for the sake of wealth or for love.

Some metaphysical bloggers and merchants will also conduct one-on-one horoscope and five-element analysis for consumers, and then hand-customize a string of carefully selected beads and corresponding spiritual accessories. This customized consumption model allows consumers to pay for the emotional value of the crystal while paying for the crystal itself.

When an unconscious and natural mineral is responsible for the cause and effect of hundreds of millions of people, its value increases countless times.

Luxury brands have also benefited greatly from this. Van Cleef & Arpels’ four-leaf clover necklace was originally a symbol of wealth, but some people interpret it as a talisman that “enhances the energy field of interpersonal relationships”; Tiffany’s key pendant is no longer just a token of love, but a metaphysical key that “opens up life opportunities.”

Laopu Huangjin, which has been in the spotlight recently, attributes its ability to make money to its “leading product strength shaped by aesthetic value and cultural connotation”, but a closer look at the products reveals a completely different picture.

The fully-diamond butterfly worth 11,800 yuan sounds like “福叠” (blessings stack), and butterfly belongs to wood, which produces fire. It corresponds to this year’s “九紫离火运” (nine purple fire luck) and can bring wealth and fortune. The gourd of the same price implies “a ringing gourd is worth a ton of gold”, and the buyer can also become a person who enjoys happiness (“ringing gourd”).

There is also a golden sword of the King of Yue that is priced at 680,000 yuan. It is said that a rich man bought it to take home as a talisman.

Gold is valuable, but jewelry is even more valuable. If it is for good luck, you will pay any amount of money.

The jewelry industry may have quietly completed a value reconstruction: materials and craftsmanship have taken a back seat, and “metaphysical efficacy” has become the core of pricing.

Immerse yourself in metaphysical experience, from divination to spells

As young people get used to paying for “energy consultations,” traditional metaphysical services are experiencing a digital rebirth.

The tarot blogger on Douyin charges a consultation fee of 400-800 yuan per hour, and the live broadcast can be charged by the minute, with the income from a single live broadcast alone exceeding 1,000 yuan.

Feng shui masters who are proficient in fortune-telling can also attract traffic to private domains through “9.9 yuan luck change” videos and make money through advanced services. For example, emotional diagnosis is quoted at 399 yuan, and corporate strategic consulting can even be as high as 8,888 yuan.

Some people think that the efficiency of individual businesses is too low, so they developed an AI fortune-telling mini program. Users can generate a “fortune report” by entering their birthday. The content is actually generated randomly by an algorithm. The one-time fee is 9.9-99 yuan. Some platforms have more than one million users and annual turnover exceeds 10 million.

This wave of metaphysics has also brought turning points to many offline businesses, especially bars.

The “Taoist Bar” in Wanda Beijing is always crowded with young people in front of the bar. The ceiling is covered with talisman paper. The “Lihuoyun Special” on the five-element wine list sells for 98 yuan a cup, and queuing for two hours on weekends has become the norm.

In Luoyang’s metaphysics bar, a “Taoist priest” holding a cigarette interprets divinations for guests, and the night shows during the winter vacation are always packed; a dying bar in Changsha hung up a Bagua mirror and launched a “water sign special drink”, and its revenue soared by 40% that month.

Do young people really expect the blessing of gods? In the comment section of the 50,000 “Metaphysical Bar” notes on Xiaohongshu, the hottest discussions are which camera position is the best for taking photos and whether there are alcohol-free models. As for whether the divination is accurate, almost no one takes it seriously.

After all, what this generation of young people wants is not the protection of gods, but the nine-square grid in the circle of friends and the “sense of certainty of destiny” that can be bought with money late at night.

Traditional cultural IP puts on a metaphysical coat

Young people’s pursuit of metaphysical elements has also inspired many traditional cultural IP operators.

The ultimate form of metaphysical cultural creation is to sell the symbols of our ancestors by weight.

For example, the “consecrated” coffee cups from the Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou were sold by scalpers at three times the price; the “Tai Sui Fu” bookmarks launched by the Forbidden City had annual sales of over one million pieces; and the “Ci Cup” coffee from the Lama Temple could even sell 2,000 cups a day.

The Dunhuang Research Institute made the Nine Star Gods in the “Transformation Picture of the Sutra of the Blazing Light of Buddha” into blind boxes. The “swords, spears, and halberds” held by the kings were replaced with calculators, coffee cups and other work tools, and were accompanied by star explanation cards with the words “Mercury retrograde retreat” and “KPI must be achieved”. All 3,000 sets were sold out on the first day of pre-sale.

The Sanxingdui Museum is even more amazing. The large bronze standing man is transformed into a “rock singer”, and the vertical-eyed mask and sunglasses form a “psychic band”. Buried in the archaeological blind box is an oracle-bone beer opener engraved with “Sichuan Mahjong will win” and “Get out of single life soon”. After it was sold out, the scalper price tripled.

The pricing power of metaphysics is also evident in the field of cultural and creative products.

Some merchants admit that in Yiwu, posting a Bagua map can make a keychain have a 30% premium, and printing the phrase “pass every exam” can double the wholesale price of a bookmark. It can be said that if you talk about the design principle, you can’t get a single order in three days, but if you change it to Feng Shui effect, you will get a huge order immediately.