With the global economy still sputtering and growth slowing, the mainland has become more important and competitive than ever for multinational companies. It's big business for international firms and the consultants who help them, to the tune of US$15 billion per year.
The mainland's rapid evolution means the very nature of consulting has changed in the past decade. Five years ago, companies would hire a China hand who knew the right people and could make the right connections.
'The people hired today tend to be professionals who can really add value in a specific field such as marketing or finance,' says Shaun Rein, managing director of consultant China Market Research Group.
Li Qiang, a former Dell China finance director, says consultants have become a key part of the market because 'you can't hire the entire world and it's cheaper to hire a consultant who has seen the same thing many times to focus on that one point for a limited period'.
While marketing, financial or strategic advice is never cheap, 'a good consultant will save you bags of money, 100-fold what he or she costs', says Glenn DeSouza, a Shanghai-based managing director of Transfer Pricing Management Consulting.
Consultants frequently help global companies adapt their products or services to the needs of the mainland.