A Chinese customer walks past a poster advertising foreign luxury goods at a shopping mall in Beijing. In 2005, companies spent 150 billion yuan (US$18.7 billion) on advertising in Chinese mainland, in which Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou made up nearly 50% of the total.

China's advertising market is expanding quickly in recent years. In 2005, companies spent 150 billion yuan (US$18.7 billion) on advertising in Chinese mainland, in which Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou made up nearly 50% of the total. This figure could reach 390 billion yuan if those of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan were added.

Experts believe China's advertising industry will continue to develop rapidly in the future, and more enterprises will place high-quality advertisements.

Since China's reform and opening-up, the output value of China's advertising industry has increased 20% annually. More transnational companies have invested in China's advertising market. According to an agreement reached between Chinese government and World Trade Organization, foreign advertising companies began to set up exclusively funded branches in late 2005. Ten largest advertising corporations in the world have established their joint-funded companies in China.

Editor: Yan