Courtesy of Southern Metropolis Daily

The term “Chinese Dream” went viral when Xi Jinping used it in his inaugural address as president. The Economist called Xi’s use of the term an attempt to unite the country as belief in Marxism dies.

“Glory! Communist Youth” was comissioned in 1987 and performed on television in 1988 in an attempt to make patriotic songs, also known as Red Songs, popular again. It was written by lyricist Hu Hongwei and composer Yu Leisheng. Yu, now 81 years old, attended the event.

The lyrics translate as:

We are the flowers of May,
Use our youth to embrace this age;
We are the rising sun,
Using our youth to kindle the future.
The torch of May 4,
Has awoken our nation.
Magnificent things,
Spur us on in our march.
Glory, communist youth!
Glory, communist youth!
Mothers, think of the communist future when you name us
We are creating this future

The May 4 demonstrations were in reaction to conditions of the Versailles Treaty such as handing Shandong Province from Germany to Japan instead of China. The movement that was the forerunner of the founding of the communist party itself became known as the May 4 movement.

His ease in front of the camera, his worldliness and his eloquence have already set Xi Jinping apart from his predecessor.

Vivien Zao (left) and Lei Sheng Nan (right) holding up their new purchases

As large crowds gathered for the opening, the British fashion retailer was already amassing high levels of interest with more than 4,500 followers on Weibo.

One female shopper almost feinted standing in the long queue to use the changing room. She was determined not to lose her place.

While store manager Jeffrey Zhang said the demand had beaten his expectations, some shoppers had a mixed response to the new store.

Lei Shengnan, 26, from Shenzhen snapped up some purple denim hotpants: “I waited half an hour to use the fitting room but I did because I really like the style. It’s exotic compared to other native Chinese fashion shops.”

Vivian Zao, 24, also from Shenzhen wasn’t as complementary, describing the store as small compared to her Topshop experience in Singapore.

Li Yue from Shanghai

Li Yue, 20, from Shanghai, said: “I think the clothes Topshop produced aren’t good this season. I’m expecting better in Shanghai, but I don’t know if Topshop will open there. I just heard it will.”

With all of the momentum and hype, Topshop’s innovative ‘pop-up’ concept store will be on the move in a couple of months’ time. It’s the first brand of billionaire Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia Group retail empire to set foot in the greater China region.

The opening is seen as a test ahead of possibly launching more pop-up stores. Beyond that, it expects to open its first flagship store in China next year.

Fei Space’s Ray Lee, who brought the Topshop and Topman brand to China, explained to The Nanfang why he opened up in the Pearl River Delta. “We know the Beijing market, we know the Shanghai market. Shenzhen is a really different market. It’s also a very modern city as opposed to a very traditional one like Shanghai or Beijing.”

The Topshop store