Global Brand Names in Capitalist China

Before I went to China, I wondered to myself what the consumption patterns of the people there would be. Would it be a country filled with low-quality items manufactured in state-controlled industries like in the former Soviet Union? What I found out is that at least in the major cities we visited, China is as capitalist as any other developed country. The rising middle classes as well as the jet-set political and economic elites consume goods, services, and ideas just like their counterparts in North America and Europe. Counterfeit Rolex watches were offered to us at just about every street corner. Copies of designer leather products were also widely available, and buying music or movies on disc, including pirated copies of yet-to-be released Hollywood titles is very possible in China.
King Kong psoter at a grocery store (above) while you can drive your Jeep Grand Cherokee to the Starbucks Coffee and order yourself a tall latte! (below).

You won't miss your favorite soft drinks in China either. Sprite, Fanta, Coca Cola, Diet Coke are all over the place and quite popular. Nestle serves chocolate and other goodies, and I wish I had gone in to see what the IKEA store in Shanghai sells. Underneath the Coke umbrellas overlooking the Bund strip in Shanghai, you can have fresh coconut juice and roasted corn on the cob too.

The Lion King was coming to Shanghai a week after our visit. All four of our tour hosts had seen the Disney movie version of the Lion King. The tickets for a decent seat in the middle of the theatre were going for about $45.

Kentucky Fried Chicken was one of the most popular fast food restaurants I saw in China. So too was McDonalds. Colonel Sanders is depicted with two different beard styles at different locations in China. At McDonalds, the menu included spicy McWings, and a MegaMac sandwich made up of four beef patties to celebrate the soccer World Cup. After 14 days of eating nothing but Chinese food, we were all ready for a good old value meal at McDonalds, and we got it!

I have never been to a Carrefour before, but apparently it is a popular department storein parts of Europe, and I saw a few branches of it during our trip. This one is located in one of the present-day expatriate neighborhoods of Shanghai.