I don't buy your definition of need and luxury, but I agree that words like 'need', 'desire', and 'want' should be defined a bit more clearly. Yeah, my use of the word 'need' is perhaps a bit vague, but these words are used in a vague sense all the time.
Let's just say that working to produce things you can't afford to buy annoys a lot of people.
I think the discussion has started off topic in that it's about materialism - consumerist-materialism, anyway - in China specifically and the discussion (that I guess I veered off into) is about the consumerist-materialist impulse in China specifically.
If you want to discuss the subject in general terms, by all means start a thread, I'll be happy to kick in my point of view.


Forgotten Flying Tigers headquarters and barracks found in Kunming
发布者Was his name, I think.
Update: Kunming Metro Line 3 open as of August 29
发布者Focusing only on 'sites' is no way to come to understand a city, even in a short time.
Yunnan chemical factory becomes testing ground for citizen lawsuits
发布者I hope this is well-publicized in the Chinese press.
China cracks down on pyramid scheme "epidemic"
发布者YES - hammer these greedheads!
But it might be better to consider that societies that reward the greedy with what is considered to be 'success' are very likely to see greed proliferate, which will, in turn, piss a lot of people off, sooner or later.
Film Review: Animation Dahufa stirs up controversy in China
发布者For really interesting works on the history and development of Chinese animation over many years, see the works of Weihua Wu, including CHINESE ANIMATION, CREATIVE INDUSTRIES AND THE DIGITAL CULTURE (another possible title: THE AMBIVALENT IMAGE FACTORY: ANIMATION, CULTURAL INDUSTRY AND THE I-GENERATION CHINA).