China and Luxury

How China's Return to Luxury Leadership Will Affect Their Image in the Eyes of the West

Abstract

The purpose of this comprehensive study is to show the changing perception of China in the eyes of western democracies, America in particular. The focus of this study is on luxury marketing as the driving force behind this change, as China reclaims its image of elitist culture. This is shifting the pervasive view westerners hold of China as a country plagued by poverty, driven by their communist form of government under leaders such as Mao Zedong, and now, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) under Xi Jinping. Under this form of government, China is on its way to being the number one exporter of luxury goods in the world. Big name luxury brands such as Louis Vuit- ton, Dior, and Channel are shifting their focus to China, where exports and consumerism are increasingly growing. This is significant for two reasons. First, luxury marketing is selling the Chinese lifestyle as one of affluence and exclusivity – a lifestyle that westerners had previously deemed impossible for the everyday Chinese person to obtain. Second, perception can help shift the global balance of power, and as China is shifting the scale in economic factors, its shift in perception is helping drive this change further. This study was completed by analysis of several journal articles, news articles, and books. The role of communism in China and democracy in Ameri- ca, seemingly incompatible systems, are being bridged by an age of consumerism, with luxury marketing showing that each form of government is capable of creating wealth for individuals, thus bringing a new light to China in the eyes of the West.