The Culture Of Chinese Luxury Consumption In The Globalization

Contemporary Western consumer society and consumer culture representing its operating mechanism have been spread and diffused all over the world with the economic globalization. In the process of its complex modernization, China not only rises to the challenge of both global economic integration and scientific and technological revolution, but faces the impact caused by the spread of Western consumer culture and culture values. Luxuries, as the special commodities imported from the West, occupy Chinese market rapidly carrying the symbolic meaning and value. Western and Chinese luxury consumer cultures are continually and gradually developing and changing after clashing and mixing to each other.This thesis analyzes and discusses this issue applying the study of document and qualitative analysis and comparative approach. From the cultural perspective, this thesis compares and contrasts the characteristics between Western and Chinese consumer culture and the characteristics of the latter in different historical times and periods of China, and then it elaborates how the Western culture influences on the Chinese consuming behavior. Finally it explains how the Chinese mass media products the symbolic meaning of luxuries and what the production is characterized by.The framework is as followed: Chapter 1. Introduction about background, purpose and significance of the study, existing research results and major research study, related theories, main research methods, innovation and shortcomings; Chapter 2. The culture of Chinese luxury Consumption, including development of the culture and the distinct characteristics in Face culture, gift presenting and consumption in the trend of younger; Chapter 3. The culture of Western luxury Consumption, consisting of development of Western luxury and Western luxury industry and characteristics of it, such as hedonistic and individualistic characters, consumption in specific groups and stratums and mature consuming values; Chapter 4. Influences on the culture of Chinese luxury Consumption from the Western culture by explaining how the Western culture-ideology of consumerism affects Chinese customers via the mass media;Chapter 5. The change of the culture of Chinese luxury Consumption: from luxury articles to goods, by elaborating the rise and development of Chinese luxury articles and goods, analyzing the relative reasons; Chapter 6. The producing of symbolic meaning in the culture of Chinese luxury Consumption, including establishment of luxury symbolic meaning by mass media and meaning production in display space, advertisement, body and new media so as to elaborate how the meaning becomes sick, and criticizing this culture; Conclusion.