A sexual awakening is occurring in China. As young people experiment with sex, drugs and civil disobedience, this shift has shades of the West’s cultural upheaval in the ‘60s. But are conservative values still shackling the majority? And to what extent can China’s youth really cut loose?

Whether driving Lamborghinis or splashing out at Louis Vuitton, the 20-something sons and daughters of China’s wealthiest business moguls are living the life. But as a nation in the midst of an anti-austerity drive, no one in China likes a show-off. Are the fu’erdai really as bad as their rep?

For the last decade, Chinese magazines, sites and government bodies have been labelling unmarried women over 27 as sheng nu –‘leftover women’ – in a bid to counter a social trend seen as destabilising society. But who are these leftover women? And why should brands be paying attention to them?

Trawling through markets while being assaulted by assorted sights, smells and sounds has always been a part of Chinese city life, and now swiping a smartphone to pay for items could be, too. Chinese consumers are using their smartphones to pay for anything and everything.