Consumption patterns of the middle class in contemporary China: a case study in Beijing A thesis submitted to the University of Manchester for the degree of PhD in the Faculty of Humanities 2011 Di Zhu School of Social Sciences List of contents List of contents ..................................................................................................................... 2 List of tables .......................................................................................................................... 5 List of figures ........................................................................................................................ 6 Abstract ................................................................................................................................. 7 Declaration ............................................................................................................................ 8 Copyright Statement ............................................................................................................ 9 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. 10 Chapter 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 11 Background and aim of this dissertation ................................................................. 11 The study of consumer culture in China .................................................................. 13 Summary of the key arguments of the thesis ........................................................... 15 Chapter outline ........................................................................................................... 17 Chapter 2 Theoretical approaches from the sociology of consumption ........................ 21 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 21 Globalisation: the global cultures ............................................................................. 23 Consumption and everyday life ................................................................................ 27 The sociology of taste ................................................................................................. 30 Material culture and the meanings of goods ........................................................... 33 Consumer orientation as interpretation of consumption practices ....................... 34 Consumer orientation in Chinese society ........................................................... 40 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 43 Chapter 3 The formation of the contemporary middle class ......................................... 44 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 44 Expansion of the middle class ................................................................................... 45 History of the middle class .................................................................................. 45 Growth of the private and the foreign economy ................................................ 47 Development of the service sector ....................................................................... 48 Renaissance of higher education ........................................................................ 49 Characteristics of the contemporary middle class .................................................. 51 Conceptualising ‘middle class’ ........................................................................... 52 The middle class in contemporary China ........................................................... 55 Regional disparities, migration and housing policy ................................................ 58 Regional economic disparities ............................................................................ 58 The history of geographical migration ............................................................... 60 Housing policy ..................................................................................................... 62 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 63 Chapter 4 The emergence of consumer culture .............................................................. 64 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 64 Emergence of consumer culture ............................................................................... 64 Consumption patterns of the middle class ............................................................... 67 Consumption practices of the middle class ........................................................ 68 Family commitments and consumption ............................................................. 70 Understanding of middle class taste ................................................................... 72 Consumption in the metropolitan cities ................................................................... 75 Sociological understandings of the consumption patterns ..................................... 78 The consumer orientation ................................................................................... 78 The embedded social relations ............................................................................ 81 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 84 Chapter 5 Research methodology ..................................................................................... 85 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 85 2 Source of the quantitative data ................................................................................. 88 Sampling design and sample information .......................................................... 89 Methods of analysis ............................................................................................. 91 Evaluation of the quantitative data .................................................................... 93 Source of the qualitative data ................................................................................... 94 Interview design and ethics ................................................................................. 94 Pilot interview, sampling strategy and fieldwork ............................................... 97 Methods of analysis ........................................................................................... 105 Evaluation of the qualitative data ..................................................................... 108 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 109 Chapter 6 Characteristics of the middle class and their consumption patterns ........ 110 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 110 Measurements of key variables ............................................................................... 110 Occupation and middle class ............................................................................ 110 Metropolitan population ................................................................................... 112 Characteristics of the middle class in the metropolitan cities .............................. 118 Occupation of the middle class ......................................................................... 118 Age of the middle class ...................................................................................... 119 Gender of the middle class ................................................................................ 120 Income of the middle class ................................................................................ 121 Industry of the middle class .............................................................................. 123 Discussion and implications ............................................................................. 124 Consumption patterns of the middle class ............................................................. 125 Measurement of participation in consumption practices ................................ 125 Use of multiple correspondence analysis ......................................................... 126 Mapping consumption patterns of the urban population in 2003 ................... 127 Discussion and implications ............................................................................. 130 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 136 Chapter 7 Everyday consumption of the middle class .................................................. 137 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 137 The discourse of ‘shopping’ and ‘consumption’ ................................................... 137 Daily expenditure and consumption ....................................................................... 139 Eating in and eating out ..................................................................................