"For example, our Ritz brand is popular in Beijing, but this is in contrast with Guangzhou, " Khosla says.

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The brothers and their sister Olivia, who won 4x100m silver at the Beijing Olympics, are now sponsored by a German brand of luxury cars.

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She and her team turned it into a national brand and it's now headquartered in Beijing.

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But over the last year, Beijing has put pricing caps on new homes, added brand new property taxes and created strict new regulations on lending for home buyers and developers alike.

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Chi Wei, a 30-year-old saleswoman at a La Perla store in Beijing's central shopping district, Wangfujing, says some customers feel insulted when she tells them about the brand.

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