Inside Asian Culture

Chuppies -- the young, affluent professionals of China -- are helping to move the country's economic growth forward. Chuppies are the first generation in years to have disposable income, and with that money, they are driving much of the 10% growth in China's consumer spending. Read on to learn why I think Chuppies will continue to lead China's consumer strength for the next decade.

Since we'll be hearing a lot about Beijing in the coming months as the Summer Games approach, I want to take an in-depth look at the city. Beijing is an interesting place full of history and culture.

On August 8, 2008, the world will witness the start of the most widely anticipated international sporting event of all time: the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games. An estimated 3 billion viewers and 30,000 journalists from around the world will tune in to what is expected to be a spectacular show...

It's been heavily publicized that Beijing has spent an incredible amount over the past seven years -- more than $33 billion -- on Olympics-related infrastructure projects. I'll tell you what to expect from China's big spending spree and which effects will spillover to after the Games.

I plan to visit Beijing at least twice a year. Beijing's cultural and artistic sophistication draws me back to the city again and again. Beijing can be a fun city to visit, but visitors need to know their way around in order to get the most out of their experience there. Here's a short list of things that you need to know if you plan to visit China's capital city:

The 2004 Olympics reminded the rest of the world that Greece is thriving in the increasingly global economy of the 21st century. The billions of dollars in free publicity more than made up for what Greece lost from poor ticket sales and empty hotel rooms. I expect a similar result from next year's Beijing Olympics.

The Chinese stock and real estate markets have been red-hot, but there are also other investment areas that are gaining strength in China, thanks in large part to a group of tech-savvy consumers that I like to call "Homebodies."

One of the most startling transformations in China during the past decade has been the incredible wealth creation that's taking place there. On this visit to China, I wanted to observe firsthand the impact of the vast wealth creation and social upward mobility in the country.

Several members of our China Investing Tour group expressed an interest in moving to Asia. I told them that where they move depends on what they want from China. If they want to make money in finance, Hong Kong is probably the top choice. If they want to get into manufacturing, Shenzhen is a good bet. Here's why...

Many people associate the idea of "go with the flow" with laziness -- they think that going with the flow requires no thought or work. But this couldn't be further from the truth.

Up until 1997, Hong Kong was a British colony. I want to fill you in on the rest of the story. The events that happened next were significant because they cemented China's status as a rising economic superpower.