During China's Lunar New Year holiday, high-end stores in Europe were jammed with Chinese shoppers snapping up items at lower prices than back home.
As prices of luxury items remain prohibitive in China, wealthy consumers are going on sprees abroad.
Keep China's big spenders at home
When Gerth first visited China in 1986 he was a college student with barely enough money for a pizza and a six-pack of beer.
An APP development firm based in Chengdu insists the southwest inland city is quite simply unequalled as a source of the top talent.
China's foreign trade dependence ratio dropped 3.1 percentage points to 47 percent in 2012, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said.
Ling Hai has more than 10 bank cards in his wallet - all bearing the MasterCard logo but jointly issued with different Chinese banks.
Shanghai wives have more power in managing their family wealth, research has found.
In our special Year in Review, we present eight videographics to showcase different facets of China's economy in 2012.
China on Tuesday unveiled guidelines to reform its income distribution mechanisms amid growing public concern over a widening wealth gap.
There has been a boom in wealth management products and trust business, as the higher interest they offer has attracted more individual investors.
International disputes and conflicts have occurred frequently as more Chinese corporations actively carry out transnational strategies.
In its fervent bid to realize its dream to be a world-class financial center, Shanghai has established a market for almost everything.