AP Photo

Cool as glass, a young couple strolls into the Tiffany & Co. attached to Beijing’s four-star Peninsula Hotel, elegantly lit with custom crystal chandeliers. She grips his elbow; he’s aloof. Epitomizing urban affluence in today’s China, this proverbial male drives a slick car, owns a slicker high-rise and is more than willing to shell out for a Western-style tuxedo, wedding cake, live music, and, of course, a platinum Tiffany ring. 

In other words: He’s rich (see: the ‘Lamborghini’ Coefficient).

By contrast, millions of his fellow rural countrymen will likely never know such splendor or even the joy of matrimony.