After spending 15 years in North America, I returned home to China and found some fascinating phenomena.  A bottle of 2006 Penfolds Bin 389 cabernet, which costs $37 in the U.S., is about $77 in Beijing. Huggies diapers cost about the same in the U.S. and China, but the ones in China are of lower quality. Why are these global brands using different marketing strategies in the U.S. and China? Why did eBay, so successful in North America, fail miserably in China? The key to answer these and many other questions lies in the understanding of Chinese consumers, their characteristics, and their changing needs. Below are just a few considerations: