China's new consumers : social development and domestic demand

Exploring China's consumer revolution over the past three decades, this book shows a continuing cycle leading to excess supply and disappointing demand, at the centre of which lies exaggerated expectations of China's new consumers.

Combining economic trends with the author's anthropological background, China's New Consumers details the livelihoods and lifestyles of China's new and evolving social categories who, divided by wealth, location and generation, have both benefited from and been disadvantaged by the past two decades of reform and rapid economic growth. Given that consumption is about so much more than shopping and spending, this book focuses on the perceptions, priorities and concerns of China's new consumers which are an essential part of any contemporary narrative about China's domestic market. Documenting the social consequences of several decades of rapid economic growth and the new interest in 'all-round' social development, China's New Consumers will be of value to students, entrepreneurs and a wide variety of readers who are interested in social trends and concerns in China today.

Author Notes

Elisabeth Croll is Professor of Chinese Anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. For the past thirty years, she has undertaken field studies and written widely on social development issues in contemporary China.

Preface	p. xi
1 Introduction: highlighting demand in development	p. 1
Global demand	p. 2
The American consumer	p. 4
Asia's consumers	p. 7
An old dream market	p. 9
A new dream market	p. 11
The debated market	p. 13
Comrades and consumers	p. 16
Researching consumers	p. 19
China's consumers	p. 21
Demand and development	p. 23
Part I Narrating demand: a consumer revolution	p. 27
2 Increasing demand: spending and shopping	p. 29
The first phase	p. 32
Food consumption	p. 33
The sway of fashion	p. 35
Desirable durables	p. 36
The second phase	p. 38
Shopping	p. 39
Advertising and branding	p. 42
Selling identities	p. 45
Gifts and guanxi	p. 47
The spread of consumption	p. 49
3 Weakening demand: saving and segmenting	p. 53
The third phase	p. 54
Malls and markets	p. 58
A new frugality	p. 63
Chinese characteristics	p. 67
Market research	p. 71
Part II Segmenting demand: the wealth pyramid	p. 79
4 Elite lifestyles: the good life and upward mobility	p. 81
China's millionaires	p. 84
China's elite	p. 86
A home of one's own	p. 87
A car of one's own	p. 91
Travel and leisure	p. 92
Communications and computers	p. 95
Money matters	p. 98
The middle classes	p. 101
5 An urban conundrum: impoverished workers	p. 107
State-sector reform	p. 108
The unemployed	p. 110
Job creation	p. 113
Worker resentment	p. 118
The urban poor	p. 122
The migrant	p. 124
Urban impoverishment	p. 128
Spending and saving	p. 131
6 A rural impasse: fragile livelihoods	p. 133
Widening the gap	p. 134
The depleted earth	p. 137
Non-agricultural occupations	p. 141
Movement and migration	p. 144
Cash demands	p. 146
Consumption and lifestyles	p. 150
Recent rural reform	p. 154
The peasant question	p. 160
Mass urbanisation	p. 163
Part III Profiling demand: the demographic pyramid	p. 167
7 Children first: the indulgence factor	p. 169
The single child	p. 170
Parenting	p. 172
Foreign, snack and fast foods	p. 175
Toys and play	p. 179
Reading and recreation	p. 183
Education, education, education	p. 187
A private education	p. 192
A foreign education	p. 194
The child consumer	p. 196
Familial hierarchies	p. 200
8 Chasing youthful dreams: aspirations and alternatives	p. 204
Youthful occupations	p. 206
Youth lifestyles	p. 210
China's young misses	p. 216
Face and body	p. 219
Matching and marrying	p. 223
Popular culture	p. 228
Alternative lifestyles	p. 232
9 The greying generations: shifting needs	p. 239
Greying markets	p. 239
Village elderly	p. 241
City elderly	p. 244
Pension planning	p. 247
Self-support	p. 250
Community assistance	p. 252
Familial support	p. 254
Familial investment	p. 257
Small pleasures	p. 262
Part IV Present trends: future demand	p. 267
10 Consumer confidence: stability and security?	p. 269
Confidence indices	p. 271
Social instability	p. 275
Personal insecurity	p. 281
Monetary support	p. 286
Spiritual solace	p. 289
Managing uncertainty	p. 293
11 Developing demand: from trickle to transition	p. 296
Balancing development	p. 297
Resourcing development	p. 307
Uneven development	p. 311
Uneven demand	p. 315
The demand pyramid	p. 317
The pyramid base	p. 322
The demand transition	p. 327
References	p. 330
Index	p. 361

Available:*

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Table of Contents