It is an honest coincidence that I find myself focusing on China once again. After a month-long trip to Beijing and Shenyang this summer, I have returned home with many incomplete and underdeveloped thoughts.
Those who have never visited Asia before will find it hard to digest the fact that the Asia now, especially in metropolitan areas, is not the Asia NGOs used to describe it to be. When I visited, my extended family brought me to the most expensive seafood restaurant in Shenyang. Upon asking my mother this when we were alone later, she explained that the most important thing for upper-middle and high classmen is to SHOW OFF WHAT YOU HAVE. The only way forward, in terms of promotions and raises, is by building connections.
Of course, building connections must involve freshly imported seafood, bottles of Bordeaux, a
nd expensive gifts during holidays.
This spending phenomenon is not exclusive to China, but an article by BBC focuses solely on the booming country: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13284481. I had to re-read this statement to let it register: “LVMH [Louis Vuitton] already makes about 40% of its profits from [China].”
How sustainable is this spending phenomenon?
For further reading: http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2011/05/04/china-leads-luxury-spending/
This sort of attitude is not sustainable, and think that the spending phenomenon has spread, and is what has been and is corrupting society.
This is very interesting phenomenon. Every time i go to Holt Renfrew which has luxurious stores at one building, i can many asians who want to buy luxurious goods. This attitude, which people only care about what they show off other people and they care about class in society, should be discouraged.