Shaun Rein, The End of Copycat China: The Rise of Creativity, Innovation, and Individualism in Asia, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., October 20, 2014

Sensationalist stories about Chinese copycat products never cease to make captivating headlines. These articles are entertaining to read, but nevertheless, they are far from enough to show the real situation of the Chinese economy. Knowing that the old growth model that sustained China's fast development for over 30 years has to be improved, China is moving away from heavy investments and exports and seeking to move up in the value chain.

Although many analysts still spread inaccurate pictures of the Chinese economy, there are scholars, especially those who have real business experience in China, sensing the subtle but fundamental changes in the Chinese economy. Shaun Rein, a bestselling author and the founder and managing director of the China Market Research Group, a strategic market intelligence firm focused on China, is one of them.

In his new book, The End of Copycat China: The Rise of Creativity, Innovation, and Individualism in Asia, Rein has provided insights about how the Chinese economy is moving from a heavy investment-based model to a service and consumption-driven one. The impetus for this is ramping up the efficiency of Chinese economy.

This is not a textbook that tries to enlighten readers by enumerating a batch of mystifying economic terminologies or financial models.

The composition of this book is based on a large number of interviews with entrepreneurs, investors, venture capitalists, private Chinese companies and multinationals. Such a large survey guarantees that it will reflect the big picture of the Chinese economy which is now entering its "2.0" model development phase.

This insider perspective adds much value to this book, which has become a must-read for international investors and business executives.

They should understand how much profit they could gain from a growing consumption-driven Chinese economy, and should know how many opportunities China's new actions, such as the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone and ending the dominance of State-owned enterprises, will bring to them.

Therefore, this book could serve as a practical guidebook for any international businesses which are eager to look for chances in the Chinese market, be they familiar with or new to this market.

It is like a roadmap for them to navigate the changes and the emerging trends in the Chinese economy. It is also a warning to foreign companies and investors, with a message underlined throughout the book that do not stubbornly assume China will always be a cheap place to produce copycat products. China and Chinese firms are shifting their strength, which has been built over the past three decades, to innovations.

This book could also be used as reference for international businesses when they observe other emerging markets. As energetic elements in emerging markets, foreign enterprises also need to renew their strategies to keep up with the changing trajectory and consumer environments.

The sooner they realize that their outdated "business as usual" tactic won't get them far, the faster they can get an upper hand in business dealings.