Since China opened its door to the world in the late 1970s, this most populous nation on earth has undergone significant reforms, which have had an enormous impact on its society, driving social changes in a profound and
extensive way, and leading the country onto the path of social re-structuring. The reforms have also made significant change to China 's consumption pattern, and
have conversed the nation's previously simple and under-supplied consumer market into a colourful and sophisticated consumption world. In the context of China's Open Door Policy and Reforms introduced in 1978, and based on a study conducted between 2000 and 2003, this research attempts to identify the relationship between the nation's dramatic social change and a newly developed form of consumption, namely outbound travel, as well as to explore the influencing social dynamics which have shaped the nation's
outbound travel market.