中國消費者都是冤大頭:賺着賣白菜的錢，付着買奢侈品的價
Chinese at all socioeconomic levels try to "win"—that is, climb the ladder of success—while working within the system, not against it. In Chinese consumer culture, there is a constant tension between self-protection and displaying status.
各個社會經濟階層的中國人都在努力“贏”──也就是攀爬成功的階梯──他們都在適應着體制，而不是去對抗它。在中國人的消費文化中，一直存在着自我保護 和彰顯身份的矛盾。If you picked up your cup of joe from Starbucks this morning, you might have noticed that it cost a little more. Just when inflation was beginning to ease here in China, the coffee chain says: not so for its business and raised the prices on certain types of its drinks sold in China - starting from this morning.
如果你今天早上從星巴克買了杯咖啡的話，你就會發現星巴克漲價了。雖然中國的通脹情況剛剛有所緩解，星巴克卻不買賬，開始在中國的連鎖店對部分產品進行漲價。Hey, don't try to rip me off. I know what this is worth. I can get this cheaper at other places.
別想宰我，我識貨。這樣東西我在別的地方可以買到更便宜的。
To win a following among Chinese buyers, brands have to follow three rules. First and most important, products that are consumed in public, directly or indirectly, command huge price premiums relative to goods used in private.
要贏得中國的消費者，品牌需遵循三個規則。第一點也是最重要的，公開使用的產品，無論是直接公開還是間接公開，價格都要高於私下使用的產品。Luxury items are desired more as status investments than for their inherent beauty or craftsmanship. The Chinese are now the world's most avid luxury shoppers, at least if trips abroad to cities like Hong Kong and Paris are taken into account. According to Global Refund, a company specializing in tax-free shopping for tourists, the Chinese account for 15% of all luxury items purchased in France but less than 2% of its visitors.
購買奢侈品更多的是身份投資，而不是爲了其本身的美觀或工藝。中國目前是世界胃口最大的奢侈品買家，把前往香港和巴黎等城市的出境遊算上的話至少是這樣。據免稅購物公司Global Refund統計，在法國，佔遊客總數不到2%的中國遊客消費了15%的奢侈品。China has raised gasoline and diesel prices by 350 yuan per ton, in a bid to reflect rising international crude-oil prices. It's also a move that could shake the country's taxi industry, as it pushes up operating costs.
爲了應對國際原油價格上漲，中國汽柴油應聲漲價，每噸漲價350元。此舉對於出租車行業是一大打擊，因爲這會推高出租車的運營成本。Stagnant earnings growth has combined with an ever-increasing burden of VAT, income tax and other Government-related charges to put heavy downward pressure on living standards.
收入增長緩慢，稅收負擔卻越來越大，尤其是所得稅和其他政府相關收費嚴重擡高了生活成本。Luxury buyers want to demonstrate mastery of the system while remaining understated, hence the appeal of Mont Blanc's six-point logo or Bottega Veneta's signature cross weave—both conspicuously discreet. Young consumers want both stylishness and acceptance, so they opt for more conventionally hip fashion brands like Converse and Uniqlo.
奢侈品消費者既要表現自己對體制遊刃有餘的掌控，同時又要保持低調，因此萬寶龍的六角星標識和寶緹嘉標誌性的編織皮革頗受歡迎，二者都是低調的奢華。年輕消費者既想要時尚，又希望被人接受，因此選擇匡威（Converse）和優衣庫（Uniqlo）等比較傳統的時尚服裝品牌。
