SHENZHEN, China - Anime character-themed gold accessories known as "tongjin" are captivating young women in China, with the bean-sized ingots sometimes selling for double or triple the price of other gold jewelry, according to local media.
The appeal of these accessories, which are typically worn as charm bracelets, lies in the emotional comfort of keeping one's favorite characters close at hand. But some of these products appear to use unlicensed Japanese intellectual property.
The use of "tong," meaning "painful" or "cringe," is said to come from slang describing forms of fan activity that others might find embarrassing. "jin" means gold in Chinese.
With the kanji for "tong" reading as "ita" in Japanese, Japan already uses terms like "itasha" to describe cars decorated with anime decals, and "itabags" to refer to bags covered in anime badges and accessories.
The tongjin trend can be seen as a fusion between the Chinese preference for gold as a symbol of prosperity and Japanese "otaku" culture.
At a large commercial complex in Guangzhou, southern China, "Hello Kitty" tongjin line the shelves of major jewelry retailer Chow Sang Sang. Through a licensing agreement with Sanrio Co., the company sells bracelets made from approximately 0.5 grams of pure gold for 2,370 yuan ($350).
Next door, rival retailer Chow Tai Fook sells officially licensed tongjin featuring characters from the popular "Chiikawa" franchise. Customers had flocked to the store ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays earlier this year, causing stock shortages.
"Gold retains its value, which makes (tongjin) appealing. Looking at it when work gets stressful helps me calm down," said a female office worker in her 30s who regularly wears tongjin of the Disney character LinaBell.
Meanwhile, in Shenzhen's Shuibei, one of China's largest gold markets, retail shops prominently display tongjin featuring popular Japanese characters such as Crayon Shin-chan and Ultraman, but the quality is shoddy. The items appear to be counterfeit.
One shop owner said the tongjin circulating in the Shuibei market are "purchased from factories in Shenzhen, but they probably don't have licenses," while admitting that their store also stocks knock-offs of official products.
