I consider Chengdu the fourth largest city in China: Chengdu is trying to catch up to Shanghai and is keeping up with the world's richest cities at an alarming rate.
Consumers in Chengdu seem to be less willing to save and prefer to "indulge" in consumption by borrowing money.
There, the potential for growth presents startling opportunities for consumer goods manufacturers.
Although the city's average salary level is not high, it still ranks among China's top three private car consumption cities.
She lives in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, a city in mainland China you've probably never heard of, but her remoteness doesn't stop her from shopping like consumers in big cities like Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
On February 8, 28-year-old Wang Li walked around the crowded Chunxi Road where McDonald's and many clothing stores are located, chasing the latest fashions of "Fashion·COSMOPOLITAN" magazine.
The first store sells a novelty of striped jeans, and an adjoining store sells frilly jackets and fancy coats.
A woman finally spent $24 on a pair of brown leather shoes at a boot store at the road exit and a handbag at a store that played the pop song Gwen Stefani.
Wang Li’s recent shopping in stores and meals and drinks with friends all come from her own hard-earned money.
Since leaving my first job at a coffee shop eight years ago, my income has increased 15-fold to $7,500.
"In the past, I was very happy to have money to buy a box lunch on the street. At that time, I longed to taste KFC and dreamed of walking into a pizza shop. Now, all of this is no problem for me," said a woman.
The charm of Chengdu: What is the driving force of Chengdu?
Although it is 1,000 miles away from China's most glamorous big city, Shanghai, Chengdu offers surprising opportunities for Wang Li and her colleagues.
As the fourth largest city in China, Chengdu is catching up with the richest places in the world at an alarming rate.
The city's economy is developing very rapidly, and the city's income is rising. It has a population of 10.8 million, which is larger than New York.
Coca-Cola, General Motors and Christian Dior have seen the city's wealth grow.
Along with Chongqing, Wuhan and Xi'an, Chengdu is just one of several sprawling metropolises in mainland China that are experiencing similar booms in investment, wages and jobs.
Welcome to China's "state within a state," a sprawling city that's catching up to Shanghai and Beijing and where the potential for growth gives consumer-goods manufacturers heart-stopping opportunities.
"If you want to be the number one player in China, you must succeed in every city in China." said Zhuo Wenbin, vice president of Motorola Asia Pacific.
In the largest square in Chengdu, under the huge outstretched arms of Mao Zedong's statue, famous stores such as Cartier, Ermenegildo Zegna, and Boss have already rushed to the market.
Japan's Seibu Department Store opened in April last year. In the Seibu Department Store where loud music is playing, Italian Missoni clothing attracts customers with styles that Chinese people love.
Antonino Laspina, chief representative of the Beijing Office of the Italian Foreign Trade Commission, felt after visiting Chengdu: "Everyone who comes to Chengdu will be surprised. The life here is very similar to New York, Paris and Milan." However, just a few years ago,
At present, for many companies, China's vast mainland is a place where there is no profit and is prohibitive.
At that time, big cities like Chengdu were facing recession, and investors were considering withdrawing and moving to cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, which had attracted the attention of local governments.
Chengdu is famous for its giant panda protection base in China. Many companies such as South Korea's Samsung left in disappointment at that time, otherwise the company's expansion would be restricted.
For the government, the huge cultural differences between the East and the West are also a vexing issue.
Fearing Western disapproval, Beijing formulated a bold plan to balance the country's economy seven years ago.
The Chinese government has invested heavily in building infrastructure such as airports and highways in the western region, and has achieved good results.
"We are very concerned about airport construction." said Andy Coslett, CEO of Intercontinental Hotels.
Now, airports are expanding rapidly in Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi'an and other cities.
Compared to the past, Chengdu residents are exposed to the world through television and the Internet, learning about new clothing trends, diets and lifestyles.
In Chengdu, Starbucks is launching a coffee-education strategy to persuade customers to be proud of drinking cappuccino (the cost is only US$3.50, but they can earn no less than US$7 a day).
Starbucks has opened 7 branches in China and will increase the number to 10 to 15 in the future.
Foreign investors are being attracted by the mainland's low costs - in Chengdu, the salary of a professionally trained university graduate is 30% lower than in Shanghai.
Since Motorola established its R&D center in Chengdu in 2001, the local government has facilitated the company's construction of special buildings.
Today, the research bases of Nokia and Ericsson have settled in industrial parks on the outskirts of the city.
American bearing manufacturer Timken will also spend US$15 million to build a factory in the industrial park and will start production this year.