Babies born in China in 2015 (the Year of the Sheep) are thought to be unlucky. So unlucky that thousands of mums rushed to have a baby in the more favourable Year of the Horse. Superstitions still hold fast in rapidly modernising China. How can international brands avoid making cultural mistakes?

A new era of consumption, characterised by an abundance of choice, has redefined the Chinese customer’s attitude to retail. They now expect the same excellent service they receive online in the physical world. So how can brands entering China accommodate a subtle mix of tradition and innovation?

The newly-minted middle class in China is driving sales of luxury goods, and stationery is no exception. With luxury fountain pens making the perfect gift – as well as a way to convey tradition and sophistication – the writing on the wall spells out a bright future for old-fashioned stationery.

On Chinese New Year, it's custom for adults to give kids red envelopes filled with ‘lucky money’. But 2016's celebration saw a new way of giving out these gifts – by doing it digitally. And WeChat boasted more transactions over Chinese New Year than PayPal had during the whole of 2015.