China's consumers are pushing the nation to the top once again. Bloomberg News.

　　中国的消费者正在将中国推上另一个高峰。

　　It will overtake Japan this year to be the country with the biggest appetite for luxury goods, HSBC predicts in a research report issued late last week. The broker said that it expects China's consumers to keep spending, even if their affluent counterparts in the West stop.

　　汇丰银行上周公布的一份研究报告称，中国将在今年超过日本，成为奢侈品需求最大的国家。据汇丰预计，就算西方富人停止购买奢侈品，中国消费者的支出仍将继续增加。

　　The reasons are, at least in part, cultural. “Displaying wealth has become a trend in China, and we think this will continue to translate into growing purchases of luxury goods for oneself, or as gifts,” HSBC said. “We think consumer habits may not necessarily always correspond to income levels due to the need to socially fit in and show off wealth.”

　　其原因（至少部分的原因）在于中国的文化。汇丰认为，炫富在中国已经成为一种潮流，这将继续体现为个人奢侈品消费上的增加。出于社会认同和炫富等原因，消费习惯不一定总和收入层次相挂钩。

　　It added a historical note: “In Chinese and Russian communist societies, individual property was not allowed and private wealth was traditionally suspicious. With the liberalization of the economy, a new class system was created where your place on the ladder may depend on how much money one earns, and owning luxury goods can help display the level of one's wealth.”

　　汇丰还提及了历史方面的原因。过去，在中国和苏联这样的社会主义国家里，政府不允许个人拥有财富。传统上来说，私人财产是很可疑的东西。经济放开之后，新出现了一系列社会阶层划分体系，你在这个体系中的位置决定于你赚多少钱，而拥有奢侈品有助于显示你的富有程度。

　　Social changes occurring around the world, such as people marrying later, women's growing financial independence and increasing brand awareness, may also be fueling the growth in China, HSBC said.

　　汇丰还说，全球范围内社会的变化，如婚龄的推迟、女性经济独立性的增强、品牌意识的提升也促进了中国消费者对奢侈品的需求。

　　China has some 1,363 people with wealth of more than 1 billion yuan (roughly $157 million), up 36% from last year, HSBC said, citing statistic from the Hurun Rich List 2010. About 189 qualify as USD billionaires.

　　汇丰说，根据《2010胡润财富报告》的统计数字，中国有1,363人拥有的个人财富超过了10亿元（约合1.57亿美元），人数比上一年增加了36%。其中大约有189人的个人资产达到或超过了十亿美元。。

　　Watches and jewelry, in particular, stand to benefit from growing luxury demand in the region. In the first half of 2011, China overtook France as the third-largest importer of Swiss watches, growing 49% from the year-earlier period, HSBC said.

　　奢侈品需求增加尤其令手表和珠宝等产品受益。汇丰称，在2011年上半年，中国已经超过法国成为全球第三大瑞士手表进口国，比前一年同期增加了49%。

　　Hong Kong, where watch retailers line some streets of upscale neighborhoods like Central, saw imports grow 28%. In addition, watchmakers such as Richemont and Swatch may gain from expected cuts to import taxes in China.

　　在手表零售店遍布中环等高档社区街道两侧的香港，手表的进口量增加了28%。此外，如果未来中国进口税降低，历峰集团(Richemont)和斯沃琪集团(Swatch)（）等手表制造企业将从中受益。

　　Jewelry is even better poised than watches, according to HSBC, with the growing spending power of Chinese women working in the industry's favor.

　　根据汇丰对预测，珠宝业的形势比手表业更加向好。中国女性日渐增强的消费能力对这个行业越来越有利。

　　“There were almost 197 million women between the ages of 30 and 49 in 2009, representing almost 17% of the total population. This target audience,” HSBC said, “has huge potential as these women become more-engaged luxury consumers.” Local retailers like Luk Fook and Chow Sang Sang, as well as global players like Tiffany, are already catering to these consumers.

　　汇丰声称，2009年，30岁至49岁之间的中国女性人数为1.97亿，接近全部人口的17%。这一目标群体潜力巨大，因为她们在奢侈品消费上将会变得更加活跃。六福和周生生等本土零售商和蒂芙尼(Tiffany)等国际珠宝商已经在为这一庞大的顾客群体提供服务了。