Discussion keeps the world turning.
This is Roundtable.
You're listening to Roundtable with myself, He Young.
I'm joined by Steve Hatherly and Yu Shun in the studio.
Coming up, from TikTok unboxing videos to celebrities swearing by their crystals.
A crystal craze is taking over social media around the world.
But what's the economics behind the sparkle?
We take a dive into the crystal world and figure out whether these glittering gems are just good lighting and clever marketing.
And need a boost to crush the weak?
Our special segment Motivational Monday is your ultimate adrenaline shot to kick things off strong.
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Now let's switch gears and turn to a different topic.
Have you noticed the global obsession with crystals on social media these days?
It's hard to scroll without stumbling upon posts asking, which crystal should I get to boost my career, attract wealth or even find love?
Sparkly stones are all the rage and the internet is flooded with videos claiming they hold the key to good vibes and spiritual healing.
Celebrities are on board and influencers are dishing out crystal healing tips like they are the biggest wellness trend.
But with so much hype surrounding these stones, we have to ask, is it all just trendy marketing or is there something deeper, perhaps ancient behind the sparkle?
So recently, the crystal craze has caught the attention of Yuxuan because of a lot of livestreams in China, huh?
Yeah, so some celebrities and influencers and also KOLs, which I mean a key opinion leaders, have started selling crystals during their livestreams and the sales figures are quite impressive, see?
So according to media reports, one actress sold a crystal set priced at almost 7000 yuan with a single livestream session generating sales of 2 .66 million yuan.
That's about 364 ,000 US dollars.
Oh, wow. And also another TV producer, while they're all doing livestreams, sold a 58 ,000 yuan crystal pendant with the special livestream session exceeding like 5 million yuan.
That's about 685 ,000 US dollars in sales.
In one livestream. In one session.
Goodness me. So what's happening in these livestreams then?
So the hosts and the hosts...
Yeah, and they call them crystal healers.
Oh, OK. Yeah. So what are they doing?
I guess it's like home shopping in a sense.
They're on camera. They're talking about what the crystal is, what the benefits of the crystals are, what they can do for you.
So if they're just selling the crystals and just showing you how crystal these crystals are, people would not buy it, right?
Look how crystal this crystal is.
Right. So they will explain how the energy of crystal bracelets is linked to astrology or the five elements, wuxing, or kind of a...
...cary Chinese, like.
And more. Also, different types of colors of crystals are believed to have various effects, such as the popular Super 7 crystals, which are said to promote health, attract wealth, and help you find your true love.
Yeah. I mean, this is a big deal.
This is a big industry.
And the popularity of these crystals has extended into similar and related industries.
Crystal recognized training, for example.
Crystal recognized certification for crystal healers.
All of that is a real thing, and it's happening.
And I know it's happening because my cousin is a crystal healer.
Oh, wow. I was going to say certification, from which department, under which government organ, may I ask?
But there are some of these, you know, civil organizations that do exist as well.
So that's interesting, what you just brought up, Steve.
Oh, yes. Don't let that stop you from holding back your true opinions on this topic, though, simply because I have a family member related to the industry.
Then you must experience it, then.
I did, yeah. So I went to visit my family, and I hadn't seen him in a long time.
And when I saw him, he explained to me what he was into.
And he was doing this these days.
And he has a collection of, and he continues to collect all of these different types of crystals from around the world.
So what he said to me at that time was, I can see that your energy is blocked.
This is what he said.
He said your chakras are blocked.
And chakras, if you're into yoga, then you'll know what that term is.
It's like the energy centers in your body.
There's seven or they say even more located at different points around your body.
But he said, do you want me to open them for you?
You can't open it with crystals?
Yeah. I mean, listen to her.
She's laughing. No, you got me a chakra.
I'm sorry. It's like, yeah, in ninja world, chakula is just...
Not just ninja world.
It's a whole belief system for a lot of people around the world.
Okay. Keep going. Yeah.
So he had me lay down on the ground and he surrounded my body with these crystals.
And it took about an hour.
And this is what I can say.
And this is honestly what I experienced.
For the first 59 minutes, nothing.
Literally nothing. In the last 60 seconds, he said, okay, this is the last part.
And he said, you're going to feel something in your body somewhere.
So what he said he did was he took out the negative energy from my body.
Now my general opinion on this topic is really right.
It's not scientifically proven or anything like that.
But I can tell you this.
My stomach all of a sudden was felt like it was being lifted into the air and then dropped back down onto the ground.
So that's all I can tell you.
That's all I experienced in the whole one hour.
But I still felt it.
I still experienced it.
So I don't know. Take that with a grain of crystal.
I suppose. Yeah. But a lot of people are a lot of people are into it and they take it super seriously.
So who's buying these in China then?
What are the demographics there?
Yeah, I think, you know, these like what you said can be part of like what they did or what they said in that live streams.
And that's why a lot of people are going through these live streams and buying these.
So from the sales data in the actress that I mentioned live stream, the top selling item in the last 30 days was a white crystal bracelet originally priced at 428 yuan.
And that among the followers of the account, women made up 97 % with the largest group being between the age of 25 to 34 and making up nearly 37 % of the audience.
And also it's not just as we mentioned, celebrity live streams, right?
Crystal customization practitioners like Wang Meng also reported that their client is mostly female and with a large proportion of buyers being post zeroes, which means people born after 2000.
And some buyers are even as young as they born in 2009 or 2010.
Oh, that's gen alpha territory, isn't it?
Yeah. And China is a big exporter of natural crystals.
Last year, this is from domestic media outlet called Insight.
The exports reached 150 ,000 tons of natural crystals.
If you're wondering how much or how many that is, that's about the equivalent of 86 Olympic swimming pools.
So a lot. And in Western countries, crystals are regarded as kind of a combination.
Some people look at them as decorative only.
Have you been in Crystal Shop before?
I have. And I see a lot of perfume or scent stores to use crystals and you would drip something on the crystals and they can give you energy.
Yeah, right. I've seen the lamps as well.
So they look really pretty.
And for some people, it's just for decoration.
For other people, it's decorative.
But, you know, there's Western celebrities to that have publicly expressed their love for these crystals and how they even incorporate them into their daily lives.
Victoria Beckham, you know, Victoria Beckham, David Beckham's wife, former Spice Girl.
She said in a documentary that she carries one type of crystal with her obsidian.
And David Beckham, he wears green crystal wherever he goes.
Here's another example.
Adele. Adele takes this super seriously.
The singer Adele, she has stage fright, if you can believe that.
And she says that if she has her crystals with her, she doesn't feel fear on stage.
But if she doesn't have her crystals with her, something always goes wrong.
I think for performers as well as some athletes, they all have their own.
It's not a pet peeve, but they have this like little private habit of holding on to some kind of lucky charm or something or maybe a crystal.
So I think I can understand that maybe for big celebrities as well as, you know, average Joes like myself, you know, just dealing with this world is it can just be overwhelming, mind blowing, confusing and holding on to a little something that makes you feel a little bit more certain in a world of uncertainties.
It feels good. But my thing is, well, I don't like to spend a lot of money on these things.
And I'm wearing red socks today because it's just the new year and I got these from my friend.
It's actually I didn't spend a dime.
My friend spent like four, five yuan.
And it says it's in red and it says shoula yunjuan.
So I'm going to have the best kind of fortune in the year of the snake, which is coming up.
You don't need any crystal.
I don't need that. So if it's like five yuan, I think I can take it.
And I'm happy to ride this sort of good fortune, good luck trend thing.
But what's a little surprising for me is, wow, these people are really willing to invest quite a lot of money into crystals, which is, you know, essentially, I think it's the same kind of psychic psyche behind it.
But spending that much money on it, of course, is your choice.
But it's a little baffling to me.
Yeah. I mean, it's not scientifically proven to have any benefits on your body.
This morning, I put, as I was getting ready for our chat, I just put it into the Internet as a search.
Do crystals have healing benefits?
And you know, when the Internet pops out an answer, right?
Usually it's about a paragraph.
This was the answer from the Internet.
No, just one word. Oh, wow.
But I kept digging.
No, they explained later if you click on the link.
But I dug a little deeper and I found something that kind of makes sense to me.
It doesn't necessarily have to be scientifically proven to work for people who believe in it.
Perception is reality type thing.
And they even say with a lot of medicine, you know, if you believe that the medicine is helping you, then it is more likely to actually help you.
So there is that element as well.
So it might not be for everybody, but for the people who are really into it and really believe in it, maybe there is something there.
Yeah, psychological comfort can be like a big part of the healing part.
As you said, Hui Yang, you are choosing a pair of red socks and people, some of them people are choosing crystals to be the kind of a belief.
Just because crystals are more like international and universal and people can have a lot of choices and they are good looking, to be honest.
That's true. They're pretty to look at.
Yes. So in the West, crystals are believed to receive like cosmic energy, making them one of the most affordable ways to make wishes.
And some celebrities openly express their love for crystals, as you said, Steve.
So this could be a lot of psychological comfort or spiritual supports in the way that people can just have belief on it.
And it's big business, especially if you're a famous person and you say, oh, this is really useful for me.
And then look at their social media page.
There's usually a link to the product.
So I feel, yeah, I think it's difficult to hide my skepticism.
No, but you're also right to be skeptical as well, because one of the industry challenges is a lack of standards and a lack of transparency.
There's a lack of a unified pricing standard.
Right. So this can lead to really, really significant price differences, especially when you're talking live streams.
They're not standard.
They're nonstandard items, right?
Crystals. So it's difficult to assess them uniformly.
So consumers have to be aware of things like high markup.
They have to be aware of a risk of counterfeit as well.
Also, after -sales service.
You're not probably, I don't know this, but you're probably not going to get the same after -service as you would if you bought a new phone, right?
So you're not wrong to be skeptical about this.
Questions do need to be asked.
And also, there's the natural crystals, which are a little bit more expensive compared to the synthesized crystals, which can be mass produced in factories, grown in farms, and they are usually dirt cheap but sold at a much higher price.
Yeah, right. That's the markup I was mentioning.
Exactly. So while in a time of uncertainty and change, crystals and similar objects offer a sense of comfort anchoring us in moments of calm.
They remind us of the power of intention and the need for balance.
However, well, they can be uplifting, but they are definitely not a cure -all or substitute for addressing deeper challenges.
Ultimately, it's our inner strength and the support we find in real world actions and relationships that provide lasting ability, in my humble opinion.
Coming up next, Motivational Monday.
What do we have for us?
You should. So my Motivational Monday is about the New Year.
So on New Year's Eve, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered his 2025 New Year message through China Media Group and the Internet.
And one word left a particularly strong impression on me that is stars and oceans or xin cheng da hai in Chinese.
So for the first time, he said, the Chang 'e 6 lunar probe collected samples from the far side of the Moon.
The Mengqiang drilling vessels explore the mystery of the deep ocean and the Shenzhen, Zhongshan link now connects the two cities across the sea.
All of these are like reflecting the lofty spirit and dreams of the Chinese people to explore stars and oceans.
And adding to that is the to -be -world's largest airport on an artificial island, as we discussed, right?
I feel that some of these groundbreaking achievements were things we wouldn't have dared to imagine like 20 or even 10 years ago.
We would like think it something like in the sci -fi movies, but now we're just making it true.
But, you know, as President Xi said, dreams and wishes may be far, but they can be fulfilled with dedicated pursuit.
So this is my motivational Monday.
And if you're like interested in more about President Xi's New Year message, you can also search for CGTN radio or major social media platforms and take a look on it.
Oh, definitely. Well, thank you very much for sharing that.
And Steve, what do you have for us?
I found this little snippet and I've never thought about this before.
And when I find when somebody says something to me and I've never thought, oh, yeah, right.
I've never even pondered about this.
It really kind of makes me stop for a moment.
And here's the here's the thing that made me stop and think.
Here's the sentence.
Everything that grows holds in perfection, but a little moment.
And I thought about that.
Wait a minute. Let's think about a plant.
Right. A plant is continuously growing.
But before the flower comes out, it's just a green set of leaves.
But even that green set of leaves for that brief moment before the flower comes out, there's perfection there.
There's beauty there.
So we don't have to wait for the grand thing in our life to come to appreciate the beauty somewhere.
Think about your kids if you happen to have kids as they grow one year to the next year to the next year.
Everything that grows holds in perfection but a little moment.
There's perfection everywhere all the time if we're willing to look for it and if we're willing to see it.
Think about a relationship if you're in the first six months of your relationship or in year 10.
Well, in that little window, there's perfection there.
So I guess what motivated me from this sentence is let's not forget to stop and appreciate the beauty of where we are right now.
Sometimes the process are the most enjoyable moments that we actually need to cherish.
But we're always thinking ahead to the end as opposed to appreciating how we get there.
So I think that's why that kind of stuck with me.
And the other reason, as I mentioned, is because I've never even thought about that before.
So I thought that was kind of a great little motivator.
I think so, too. And what I'm gonna say might just sound like a little bit of a cliched summary that is, but I still think there's value to it.
It's about the journey, not the destination.
Yeah. Thank you so much for sharing.
And I like to bring your attention to something in psychology called the hallway effect.
And honestly, it probably hits home for a lot of us.
We've all been there walking alone down a dark hallway in the middle of the night, right?
And the sensor lights in the hallway are usually off.
And we are just hoping that the light will flicker on as we take a step so we can see what's ahead before we take another step.
But the paradox is if we don't move forward, the light never turns on.
And what I'm sharing here is also for someone very close to me who's facing an extremely difficult situation right now.
It's a struggle to go to sleep and even get out of bed every day.
So maybe you're in that dark hallway as you feel right now.
And you're stuck in a tough spot, unsure of what's next.
But remember, just one more step and that light could shine.
If you can just hang on, don't pressure yourself to stay strong all the time.
That can feel like so much or too much.
Instead, just hang in there for one more day.
Get out of bed, eat, do what you can, and rest.
Don't quit. That's enough for now.
And the strength will come when it's needed.
If life isn't always smooth sailing, then I wish for you the strength to ride the winds and part the waves.
May your journey be one that journeys through the darkest tunnel with courage and safety.
And when the lights finally flicker on, and I know they will, may you savor every moment of life's brilliance.
And I wasn't sure if I was going to share this, but yes, someone very dear to me is going through severe mental health challenges.
And when they say that sometimes getting out of bed is a challenge enough, that is true.
And I didn't realize that it was so severe because I could still see this person.
They were putting on a brave face for you.
Yes, I think so. And I think psychologically in a way trying to hide it from everyone else.
Which makes it even more painful for the person going through it.
Absolutely. So sometimes I know it's easier said than done.
It might actually be a big feat just to hang on one more day.
But please, please can you do that for me?
And before we go, let's carry that spark of motivation with us.
And we all have these moments when we need someone to help us see the light.
And that's exactly what this next song is all about.
So let Jesse Jay's flashlight be your reminder.
You're never walking alone in the dark and the light may just come on tomorrow.
And that brings us to the end of today's show.
Thank you so much Yuxuan and Steve Hatherly for joining the discussion.
I'm He Yang. We'll see you next time.
When tomorrow comes, I'll be on my own feeling frightened of the things that I don't know.
When tomorrow comes, tomorrow comes, tomorrow comes.
