The End of Cheap China - Strait Times review

Shaun Rein

"Mercifully, The End Of Cheap China is not another academic tome about the most miraculous economic transformation of our times," writes Andy Mukherjee in a review in the Strait Times about Shaun Rein's The End of Cheap China: Economic and Cultural Trends that Will Disrupt the World.

The Strait Times:

These flaws, however, do not detract from the meatier parts of the book that deal with the Chinese consumer. 

It is in these sections, and in the end-of-chapter case studies, that Rein plays to his strengths as a market research guru whom Fortune 500 companies consult and large institutional investors rely on for insights into the minds of 1.3 billion Chinese people. 

Those insights also make the book a lively read. Did you know that Kentucky Fried Chicken is considered 'healthy' in China? It seems Chinese families are so scared of adulterated foodstuff - like pink-dyed shrimp - that they would rather place their trust in Colonel Sanders' deep-fried chickens. 

That doesn't mean Western brands have a free pass in China. From conversations with executives who run the dairy section at supermarkets, the author gathers that well-heeled consumers prefer local Mengniu yoghurt to Danone. A 'truly good Chinese brand', like Haier in air-conditioning, enjoys superior trust, Rein argues.

More in the Strait Times.

Shaun Rein is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers' request form.

 More about Shaun Rein and "The End of Cheap China" in Storify.