Rolls Royce will produce an exclusive suite of modifications in celebration of the Chinese Year of the Dragon, which begins next January.

The new Year of the Dragon Collection has been created in “preparation for this festive celebration… Inspired by the legendary creature that is revered in China.”

The collection features a set of particular details created by Rolls-Royce’s bespoke team that can be installed on its handbuilt vehicles, the popular Phantom and luxury Phantom Extended Wheelbase.

Chinese online media company Sina, mainly known for its Twitter-like Weibo microblogging service, launched Sina Luxury on Friday.

The new e-store enables designers to sell their collections directly to customers. Those who have already signed up include highest-profile Western brands such as Dior, Burberry, Gucci, and Paul Smith, all “100 percent guaranteed genuine”.

Sina Luxury’s main rivals on the Chinese market are the luxury e-tailing start-up IHaveU.com, which as opposed to Sina also sells menswear, as well as a new fashion store called Netease and e-commerce giant Taobao’s TMalls.

For its fall 2011 campaign, Asian retail giant Lane Crawford has assembled five of China’s top models: Fei Fei Sun, Liu Wen, Ming Xi, Shu Pei and Xiao Wen Ju.

The ad, shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, depicts them wearing a palette of black and neutrals from brands like Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, and Lanvin.

“The campaign combines a stunning array from renowned international fashion brands with the strongest Chinese faces to create a fascinating and powerful shot.”

When Li Na lifted the French Open trophy in March she not only became the first Chinese tennis player to win a Grand Slam singles title, she also sent advertisers scurrying for the telephone.

Now, just two months later, Li has been rewarded for her efforts with long-term endorsement contracts worth a collected US$42 million.

It is a sign of her growing stature as a sportsperson but also a huge indicator of the growing clout advertisers give to the Chinese market.

China looks set to claim another crown in the battle for supremacy in the luxury markets of the world as the country’s interest in supercars continues to grow.

China knocked the United States off its perch as the world’s leading car market two years ago – sales there now surpass 18.26 million units per year.

It seems that tastes in the country are turning now to the very high-end of the auto market, an area long dominated by the Americans.

Hilton is to roll out a global welcome program for Chinese travelers as it seeks to capture a larger part of China’s outbound tourism pie.

A new “Hilton Huanying” package will debut this August in 30 properties around the world, including San Francisco, New York City, Vancouver, London, Tokyo and Sydney.

The aim of the scheme is to make the steadily-increasing number of Chinese road-warriors feel at home, offering what Hilton describes as “familiar comforts” on arrival, in the rooms, and at breakfast.