Usually in January most monthly magazines do stories on what was the year that was. For many writers, there is little to report, like successful TV shows on American networks. But here in Shanghai, I feel like we need more than annual reviews, here it seems quarterly reviews are more in line with how fast things are changing.

So some hot news from China in the last quarter of 2007 and how it affects affect those of us who move the slower lane, such as… the expat who lives here?

In Government – South China evacuated over 2 million during a hurricane warning last fall. Preventive measures have not been a strong suit in the local culture but evidently the whole world learned a lesson or two from Hurricane Katrina.

Consumer protection has been on the rise for a number of years, especially in first tier cities. From the new labor contract to the new national recall laws (yes, food and sub-standard products can be recalled now), are all aimed at protecting the population.

I won't make any comment on the separation, not between the rich and poor, but in what's on the books and implementation. Suffice to say that I personally feel much safer crossing the street in Shanghai since the traffic monitors have made it possible to cross at the green light.

In Finance – KQED (a California public broadcast station, reported in December that
Chinese Billionaires went from 16 last year to 116 this year .

Statistically to the population, the chances of you sitting next to a billionaire the next time you dine out is still slim, but China now has more billionaires second only to the United States. And this is in a country where wealth is more hidden than anywhere else. For every billionaire, there might be 2 or more ones undeclared.

For all of you in the luxury business, or those who are trying to find China's "super-rich," remember that "target marketing" and "super-rich" is not yet a direct link in this country. Elsewhere in the West, the rich have been enjoying their special status for generations. There are entire market research studies on such topics as from where they live to what brand they prefer in the bedding.

In China, fathers of the super-rich might have been bus drivers. They themselves might have started as a laborer. I know of one in Guangzhou (ok, not super-rich but rich enough) who arrived in Guangzhou and lived at the railway station for a week. When I knew him five years after that, he owned a construction firm. Most do not speak English. As an expat, you have access to the MBA managers who work for them, but never directly to them.

A friend's English-Chinese niece interned for a foreign man's luxury clothing brand in Shanghai. That clothing company received a call. A Chinese tycoon with his own chateau, in an area of China not typically considered an urban center, wanted that brand, and a number of others, to set up shop at his home for the weekend. He was having a weekend get-together and his friends were all flying in on their private jets.

I know antique a dealer who invited some potential buyers to a dinner. The sellers focused on speaking English to those who appeared the most presentable. It was only during a private chat that I happened on someone who spoke no English. He looked did not dress the part and yet was considering one of the most expensive pieces at the show. "But the style might not match with my home décor," he confided.

In Social Responsibility – President Hu Jintao shakes the hand of a woman with HIV during a visit to a Beijing hospital in December. It is the only photo in Chinese history where the person shaking the hands of the country's leader is not posing for the camera.

Good news for Kathleen's 5, as it was the first business in Shanghai to organize a fundraiser for the International Aids Candlelight Memorial Day in May. When we first organized it in 2006, we encountered much shock and resistance even at the mention of the word AIDS. Although many companies and individuals supported us, many worried about being linked to such a theme.

It was the same stigma that I had experienced living in New York City in the 80s. Back then we finally understood that lack of education about the disease was helping its rampant spread. Public education made the difference between containing and allowing the disease to spread.

Today, China faces the same challenge and they play catch up. Hopefully having Hu shakes the patient's hand takes the stigma away and allow more media to report on AIDS related issues.

As we look for company sponsors to this year's AIDS Candlelight Memorial, we hope that multi-national firms who support such efforts in their home countries will be brave enough to step up here. Chinese companies too, are being more socially responsible. There are consultants who are specialized in creating a social responsible image for many foreign and local companies in Shanghai.

While not everyone will agree that all these changes are good. In the words of someone I know whose home was torn down by the government, "My grandfather lived there, my father spent over 50 years there, I lived there for 23 years, and it's gone. But with the money they gave me I went to Japan for four days. I never knew places like that existed in this world."