Seems like Shanghai, Beijing and other major cities in China are the current darlings of the international business world. Who can blame them? The breakneck pace of development has produced a dizzying array of buildings, shopping malls — and accompanying stats — to make any marketer swoon.

Meanwhile, one has to wonder about the 70 percent odd people outside of China’s mega cities?

Enter McKinsey. They’ve just released a special report on Marketing to China’s Hinterland — and frankly, it’s about time. Here are a few juicy teasers from the intro:

The most attractive consumer segment in these markets consists of the aspirants: some 35 million households with average monthly incomes of about 3,800 renminbi ($475)—not far behind the average income in China’s biggest cities.

This segment is spread out among about 12,000 towns and small cities that dot China’s landscape. Companies must carefully weigh the costs of reaching them against the potential gains.

Appealing to the sophisticated aspirations of the segment and effectively sealing the purchase at the point of sale could be critical.

I think it’s a solid report worth looking into. Here’s to marketing life beyond China’s big cities!