Abstract
This paper seeks to provide an understanding of Chinese economic development during the post-reform period (after 1980) following the death of Mao Zedong, when China changed directions under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping into creating a controlled market economy, which has effected new ideas of consumption of goods and services in Mainland China. \r By drawing on historical analyses of the differences between Mao’s and Deng’s China, and by following along the initial phases of post-reform economic amends, it is clear to see that China has grown into one of the most formidable countries in the world. The evolution of China into adopting a market economy has created new consumer desires that many have never seen before. With the large growth of China’s population moving into the middle class that has produced more disposable income, new forms of consumption habits have risen.\r China’s post-reform historical, economical and cultural context has also shaped how foreigners perceive this new wealth, by heavily targeting the Chinese consumer class and creating goods with Chinese consumers in mind. By looking at Western theories on consumption as well as advertising, this paper provides a quantitative analysis and insight into how Chinese consumption fits into a globalized world of the 21st century.