As I stood at a busy intersection on People’s Avenue South in Chengdu, China, I am dazzled by the high-end designer labels I see. Louis Vutton, Dior, MaxMara, and many other luxury brands all opened up shop here. With the fast economic development during the last decade, there has arisen a new class of rich Chinese consumers who spend their money generously on these luxury goods.
Photo by Flickr user yachtfan | CC 2.0
Of course, those who can afford to buy luxury brands are still far and few in between. According to the World Bank, 1% of Chinese families now possess 41.4% of China’s wealth. This represents a bigger gap than that of the United States, whose corresponding number is 5% families owning 60% of national wealth. The Gini coefficient, an index used to measure income inequality, has also surpassed the warning level of 40 in China ten years ago to reach 47 today. Continue reading “The New Rich in China”