Of course China's upper middle class (who would think we would ever say that!) will fall for luxury brands. Just the same as their expatriate bretheren...

A current Far Eastern Economic Review piece on branding begins..

...How times have changed. Thirty-five years ago, Chen Yifei painted some of the most inspiring propaganda canvases glorifying the socialist dream of the Cultural Revolution. Today, the 56-year-old artist is disobeying all the slogans of his youth.

Chen has become one of China's boldest entrepreneurs. Just as Martha Stewart did in the United States, Chen is energetically building a lifestyle brand around his own personality.

An excellent piece on branding in China...