The End of Copycat China: The Rise of Creativity, Innovation, and Individualism in Asia

7China's Expanding Consumer Class

Her face had the excited flush of imminent motherhood as she opened the door. “Welcome to my home,” the 27-year-old Vanessa Zhu beamed. She handed us disposable slippers saved from some hotel trip. The lingering scent of spicy Sichuan food from last night's dinner hung in the air.

Accompanying me was Maureen, the chief operating officer of one of the world's largest consumer goods companies. We were in the middle of a six-month project translating insights from home visits and in-depth interviews into new products and packaging designs.

The first home we visited was Vanessa's in a newer section of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, famed for its fashionable women and a laid-back tea culture. Vanessa's husband, Xiao Wen, was off at his $800-a-month job as a sales executive in a multinational firm, so Vanessa was showing us through their home.

A sheen of sweat beaded up on Vanessa's forehead as she waddled through her two-bedroom, 70-square-meter (approximately 700-square-foot) home. Although she had a Haier air conditioner unit installed, it was turned off. She told us she usually had it switched off and other electric appliances unplugged “to save on electricity costs.”

Vanessa spent most of her time preparing for her baby's arrival. Family and friends had bought gender-neutral items for the baby, because nobody knew whether it would be ...