China’s newly rich

China’s newly rich are spending their money on lavish goods.

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July 12, 2011

People gather at a gourmet festival to experience Taiwanese food in Beijing. Gross domestic product in the world's second-largest economy grew 9.5 percent year-on-year in the second quarter, the National Bureau of Statistics said.

/ AFP/Getty Images

Aug. 5, 2011

An affluent Chinese couple pose for their wedding photos outside the Wangfujing Church in Beijing.

Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty Images

June 25, 2011

Chinese women parade in their swimsuits during a matchmaking event for wealthy men.

/ AFP/Getty Images

Aug. 9, 2011

Two women walk past a luxury jewelry store on the Wangfujing shopping street in Beijing.

Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty Images

June 1, 2011

People walk past advertising for luxury brands in Hong Kong. Some of the world's top luxury brands are set to list on the Hong Kong bourse to tap China’s deep capital markets — and draw more customers — as demand for premium goods soars in China.

Mike Clarke / AFP/Getty Images

June 22, 2011

A woman walks past a Prada shop on a rainy afternoon in Hong Kong. China's wealthiest are getting richer, with the minimum amount needed to make the top 400 rising to $425 million (U.S.) from $300 million in 2010.

Mike Clarke / AFP/Getty Images

July 28, 2011

Zhang Yan, 30, and Yu Yanrui, 27, love pricey designer handbags. But Zhang said she doesn’t go crazy about it. She doesn’t buy Hermes — "too expensive for me," she says.

Keith B. Richburg / The Washington Post

Aug. 11, 2011

People shop for gold at Beijing Caibai precious metals and jewelry store.

Stefen Chow / Bloomberg

May 30, 2011

A Chinese woman looks at items on display at a Louis Vuitton exhibition in Beijing. French labels are the most sought-after luxury products for Chinese shoppers, a survey showed, as a booming economy creates a growing legion of newly affluent consumers.

/ AFP/Getty Images

May 26, 2011

A Christie’s staff member sits near an advertisement for Chateau Latour fine wines for auction in Hong Kong. Chinese buyers spent $106 million on vintage bottles of Chateau Latour and modern paintings at the start of a week-long Hong Kong auction.

/ Bloomberg via Getty Images

May 20, 2011

As China increases in wealth, more people are turning to luxuries such as cosmetic surgery. In the photo, Li Yujie inspects a patient after performing an operation to enlarge her nose at Shenzhen Humanity Hospital.

/ Bloomberg via Getty Images

March 31, 2011

A gold-plated Infiniti on a test drive in Nanjing. China is predicted to become the world's largest luxury goods market by 2020, accounting for 44 percent of worldwide sales and bigger than the entire global market is now.

/ AFP/Getty Images

Feb. 25, 2011

A cyclist rides by a Ferrari on a street in Beijing, a sign of China's stunning economic transformation and a ticking time bomb at the heart of the Communist Party's plan to revamp the economy.

Peter Parks / AFP/Getty Images

Dec. 17, 2010

Children take ballet class at an exclusive kindergarten in Beijing.

/ AFP/Getty Images

Dec. 16, 2010

After 30 years of rapid economic growth in China, a growing number of people can afford high-end products and services. In this photo, children get golf lessons at an exclusive kindergarten in Beijing.

/ AFP/Getty Images

April 15, 2011

People pass a development of luxury housing in the southern Chinese city of Qionghai.

Ed Jones / AFP/Getty Images

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