"One mouth, six pockets", is how the Chinese describe a typical family on the mainland today: a single, precious offspring doted on by its parents and two sets of grandparents. Soon, however, it will be more like six mouths to feed and one pocket to pick up the bill. The success of Beijing's one child policy and the fact that more of China's increasingly well-off are choosing not to have children at all, are combining to produce one of the most rapidly ageing societies ever. This will affect not only the current generation of "little emperors" but the pace of overall economic growth and the fortunes of everyone trying to sell into China's domestic market. Currently, firms selling to the Chinese mostly focus on the country's youth. This is still a huge market and, unlike their elders, China's young like to try new things and are happier to indulge themselves, more brand-conscious and more receptive to foreign ideas. A survey of 1,200 students in Shanghai and Beijing, by a public relations firm, Hill & Knowlton, found that all of their favourite brands were foreign, led by Nike, Sony, Adidas and BMW.
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