Staging luxury goods' shows for exclusive millionaire audiences might appear to be a sure way of inflaming the situation — but the organizers of the event in Guangzhou, Boya International, said it could help break down barriers by showing the positive aspects of being wealthy.
"Luxury is still a dirty word for many people," admitted exhibition organizer Liu Jidong. "There is still a big gap between the rich and the poor in our country but maybe if people learn more about these luxury products, they will begin to believe that if they work hard, they too can enjoy these better things in life."
It would have been difficult to stage the events in China's capital Beijing, Mr. Liu admitted. "There are too many old soldiers and revolutionaries there who wouldn't like it," he said.
The highlight of the Shenzhen fair was a US$400-dollars-a-head televised dinner and millionaires' auction for 800 invited guests, hosted by a Hong Kong TV comedian, to raise money for underprivileged children.
"The idea of the auction is to show that rich people really care," said Mr. Liu. "If they do things like this more often, maybe the poor people will not envy them."
Outside the auction venue, migrant worker Wang Guihua, 35, who moved to Guangzhou from Sichuan province with her husband four years ago to earn money for their 10-year-old son's education by sweeping streets, laughed bitterly when told of Mr. Liu's remarks.
"Doesn't he understand we belong to different worlds?" she asked.
RSS