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Shopping has become an increasingly popular pastime in China, making the country home the world's largest population of clothes fanatics, according to a global on-line survey.

One third of the respondents on the Chinese mainland said clothes shopping was their favorite thing to do, the highest percentage in the world, said a recent survey done by ACNielsen.

The percentage was 20 percents higher than the world average, according to the survey, which polled 22, 000 Internet users in 42 countries and regions. India ranked second with 20 percent of respondents saying that clothes shopping was their favorite thing to do.

The young population of China and India are ambitious, hard-working and have money to spend on their lifestyle, said Glen Murphy, managing director of ACNielsen China. "They are brand-conscious and internationally aware of what their counterparts in the West are wearing and buying."

About 93 percent of respondents in Hong Kong said they would go shopping even if they did not plan to buy anything, the survey said, adding that 34 percent of the Hong Kongers said they would go shopping just for entertainment about once a week.

Seven Asian countries and regions were listed on the world's top ten markets where most consumers said they went clothes shopping at least once a week, according to the survey.

The opening of bigger and better shopping mall with shopping, dining and entertainment all under one roof are everywhere, said Murphy, adding that Hong Kong has long been promoted as a shoppers' paradise.