Following China’s implementation of visa-free entry for South Korea, a large number of South Korean tourists have been flocking to Shanghai for sightseeing. However, this unexpected influx has bruised the “pride” of many young locals known as “small pink” in Shanghai, with luxury cars heading to the popular tourist spot Wu Kang Road, triggering heated discussions both domestically and internationally.
Numerous online videos show that recently, a large number of young men and women in Shanghai dressed exquisitely, driving luxury cars to show off on the streets, attracting crowds of onlookers.
According to a netizen named “Backbone in Shanghai,” Korean chaebol daughters who visit China tend to spend hundreds of thousands of yuan as soon as they land, sparking envy among China’s rich second generation and official second generation. As a result, these individuals have been parading their own million-dollar luxury cars on the streets of Wu Kang Road in Shanghai, which is now filled with various colors of McLaren, Porsche, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Ferrari, and more.
It is reported that this action is aimed at giving Korean tourists a “long-lasting impression” and showing them some “high intensity.”
“For the sake of showing off,” the netizen said, within the luxury car group, they even have a detailed schedule for shifts, working three shifts a day, taking turns to hit the streets from 7 am onwards. There are even many luxury cars coming from other cities to “support” the cause. Some netizens who wanted to drive their own Porsche to join the show were stopped by their group, stating that “cars costing less than 5 million yuan are not allowed to embarrass us.”
Some Korean tourists have captured these scenes and shared them online, sparking discussions among Korean netizens. Some have commented that Korean chaebols usually go out for entertainment at night, so why are they all out during the day? It seems they are just showing off for the Korean tourists. Many netizens have expressed their opinions, calling it “shallow,” “speechless,” “ridiculous,” and “hard to understand.”
Many mainland Chinese netizens have also scoffed at this behavior, feeling embarrassed. Some netizens questioned, “In 2023, the minimum monthly salary in Shanghai is 2,692 yuan, while in Seoul it is 13,000 yuan. China’s per capita GDP is around 90,000 yuan, while that of South Korea is about 240,000 yuan. Who needs to show off to whom?”
Others have said, “Looking at it from a small perspective, a group of people are causing traffic disturbances. On a larger scale, is real national pride really upheld by a few cars? “Even the poorest countries have a handful of people driving luxury cars, and most onlookers are locals, after all, there are more poor people among us.” “A man’s gotta eat.” “Most luxury car brands are imported.”
Some have argued, “You can’t just call people in to laugh it off, and then expect others to respect you internationally in the future?” “Those who are truly wealthy keep a low profile, while those who lack it flaunt it everywhere. I saw someone say they work 24-hour shifts to show off, their tires have worn out, a tire picture was posted twice on their friends’ circle, surely someone stole the picture or found it online pretending to be wealthy. In fact, most people in Shanghai think this behavior is very rustic.”