CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/ Zhang Bing stepping up by standing in a chair talking and ask people to raise the hands (C) Daniele Mattioli (CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking

CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/ People on the first row enthusiastic during the speech (C) Daniele Mattioli (CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/

CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/ Zhang Bing during the speech (C) Daniele Mattioli (CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/ Zhang Bing during the spee

CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/ Woman taking photos with a mobile phone , her reflextion on the screen (C) Daniele Mattioli (CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqia

CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/ Zhang Bing standing on a chair with people around (C) Daniele Mattioli (CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/ Zhang

CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/ People raising their hand and dancing during the speech (C) Daniele Mattioli (CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/

CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/ Chinese crying during the presentation of a video (C) Daniele Mattioli (CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/ Chi

CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/ Zhang Bing during his speech (C) Daniele Mattioli (CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/ Zhang Bing during his spee

CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/ Books sales during the motivational conference (C) Daniele Mattioli (CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/ Books sa

CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/ People paying with their Atm card (C) Daniele Mattioli (CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/ People paying with th

CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/ Portrait of Mr. Chen Anzhi (C) Daniele Mattioli (CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/ Portrait of Mr. Chen Anzhi

CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/ Books from Mr. Chen Anzhi on sale during the motivational Conference (C) Daniele Mattioli (CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian H

CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Speaking Conference/Wenqian Hotel Suzhou/ Mr. Chen Anzhi during the backstage photo opportunity given to whom has paid one of his courses (C) Daniele Mattioli (CHINA / Suzhou / 30/08/2013 Motivational Sp

China's Motivational Speakers in China (2013)

Success studies’ – aka life coaching – is booming in China, and a new breed of star speakers is getting rich quick.

"What’s the difference between rich people and poor people?" shouts Ji Jianjing as he struts back and forth on stage, spotlights glinting off his gelled-down side-parting. “It’s the way they think! Is that right or not?”

The desire to climb China’s social ladder is a strong one. The country’s wealth gap has exploded alongside its fast-paced growth. Its Gini coefficient – the most widely used gauge of income disparity – has reached 0.61, putting China almost on a par with the world’s most unequal countries, according to researchers at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in Sichuan. But rather than protesting against the inequality, many of China’s entrepreneurs simply want to do whatever it takes to end up on the right side of the chasm.

Text by Simon Rabinovitch

Assignment for The Financial Times

Daniele Mattioli Photography

China's Motivational Speakers in China (2013)