Why are China's big spenders so difficult to figure out?

In China, the only thing that may be more important than being rich is looking rich. There are two Chinas and the Chinese – particularly the middle class riding between them both – have developed a sense of urgency to distinguish themselves from the majority of the country's population, which is still desperately poor. "China's consumers represent an archipelago of wealth amid a sea of rural poverty," says Arthur Kroeber, the editor of the Beijing-based China Economic Quarterly.

More than 77 percent of the country work the land or have menial jobs that allow them to buy little more than food and clothes. But it's the middle class that represents a potential gold mine for global brands. But, before these brands can cash-in, they need to understand the consumers they're selling to.