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Shanzhai: Mountain of Ideas “Western businesses need to LIFESTYLE understand the shanzhai culture to compete and benefit from its creativity and momentum.” Brown says the largest groups of Tsan Ling Ling Tsat). Well, at least the users of the site are in the United States, shaver-phone concept did. Germany and the United Kingdom. Shanzai.com has also been extensively quoted by leading international business, Piracy or parodying popular culture technology and news publications. innovation Given all this, it is not surprising Brown is optimistic about the future So, are shanzhai products just blatant development of shanzhai products. “copycats” or do they represent another shanzhai products and provides an kind of innovation and creativity? Asked online platform for people around the “It will move into more and more about the difference between shanzhai world to exchange information. industries and will start to have and counterfeit products, Brown says a larger influence outside China. there is a fine line between them. The site started in 2009 and Western businesses need to understand is led by editor-in-chief Timothy the shanzhai culture to compete “When players copy trademarks, James Brown, known as “Tai-Pan”. and benefit from its creativity and logos and designs, they are basically The Canadian IT executive has been momentum,” he says. counterfeiting goods. When they copy working in Asia for the past 13 years and often modify ideas or products, they and is currently living in Taipei, though As the Tai-Pan of Shanzai.com, Brown show how mainstream products can be he often travels to Hong Kong and gets to test drive a lot of interesting improvised or represented in different the mainland. Some of the website’s shanzhai products. Of all the creative manners,” he says. Lifestyle operating staff live in Shenzhen. devices he has come across, he was most stunned by a mobile phone which also Not everyone agrees. Some people Brown sees beyond the issues of doubles up as a shaver. “It looks a little still have a negative view of shanzhai piracy shadowing the shanzhai trend, crazy but, actually, it performed well. It goods as merely clones of the original recognising it as an exciting investment could be quite useful to businessmen!” products. But even among the sceptics, opportunity instead. He and his Little did he know the “shaver phone” there are those who admit that the team believe shanzhai products are made its debut in a 1994 Stephen Chow improved versions of the goods have, serious contenders in the technology movie, From Beijing With Love (Kwok to some extent, brought more pros than industry. They view the shanzhai cons to their lives. world as a source of innovation that has received scant attention in the by Hazel Chung Chin Ching developed world. n a sure sign that the phenomenon while shanzhai used to suggest cheap even television shows have spawned “We see more and more westerners had “arrived”, the colloquial use of or inferior products, it now connotes a alternative versions that can all be wanting to understand Chinese Ithe term shanzhai was included in certain Chinese creativity and ingenuity, referred to as shanzhai. business tactics and industry. That the new Oxford Chinese Dictionary a way of life even. is why we operate the website,” he earlier this year. says. Certainly, he seems to be onto (Above) Stephen Chow showed off his something. In the past year, there were gadget in the movie From Beijing Take the recent “Apple Peel” Shanzhai going worldwide With Love (Kwok Tsan Ling Ling Tsat). It literally means a self-administrated gadget - Chinese manufacturers can more than 1.2 millIon views of the videos on the site’s YouTube channel (Below) Varsity reporters found one region in a mountain in ancient China. In now transform an iPod Touch into shanzhai “shaver phone” in the the new dictionary, the term now also an iPhone by adding a microphone, The shanzhai trend even has an and more than 600 subscribers are Lo Wu Commercial Centre refers to the banditry seen in China’s an earphone and a SIM card. It is not English language website devoted actively following the development of on sale for a mere $500. vast array of name-brand knockoffs. But just devices either; songs, movies and to it. Shanzai.com covers over 1,000 shanzhai products through the site. 28 Varsity NOV 2010 ISSUE 117 NOV 2010 ISSUE 117 Varsity 29 Courtesy of Chinadaily.com.cn Wang Zhe, a first-year mainland “Weibo (Microblog) and Twitter are takes a more relaxed view. “Shanzhai student at The University of Hong Kong similar in properties, but Twitter is producers face strong competition, (HKU), does not hide the fact that the even less prevalent among my friends,” “They are from therefore they have to enforce quality “brand names equal status” concept is says Man. control on their goods in order to stay Top 10 Shanzhai deeply planted in her mind. She thinks the grassroots and competitive in the market,”he says. the originals are more trustworthy and Man says the Chinese microblogs Phenomena in 2009 are a sign of good taste. are very clever at coming up with He says the idea that shanzhai for the grassroots.” 1. Let’s Go Watch Meteor promotional strategies such as inviting products are unsafe, is a common Shower – Hunan TV’s shanzhai Wang may not want to use shanzhai celebrities to set up accounts and misconception. He had visited factories version of “Meteor Garden” products or wear shanzhai clothes, but creating noise in the media. Man uses He promptly pulls out three shanzhai that manufacture shanzhai phones even she has embraced a part of the the microblogs just to follow celebrities and was not surprised to see the same This photo shows President Barack 2. Gong Mi - a contestant of phones that he has used at various Obama greeting the shanzhai guests: shanzhai culture. Despite her distaste and she believes most Hong Kong users factories manufacturing accessories for Happy Girls 2009 and the internet times to show Varsity how such Michaele and Tareq Salahi, at a State is filled with buzzes about her for such products, she agrees that do the same. the branded phone companies such as Dinner hosted by Obama for Indian products are also tailor-made for users Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the look as shanzhai Cecilia Cheung. shanzhai websites have already become with specific needs. One has a dual SIM Nokia. “We are basically using products White House in Washington. an indispensable part of her life. For Jack Qiu Lin-chuan, an associate of similar quality without big names.” Courtesy of Shanzai.com 3. San Qiang (A Simple Noodle card system, developed for users who Story) – Chinese version of professor of the School of Journalism frequently travel between Hong Kong The blocking of Facebook and other and Communication of the CUHK, the Qiu says shanzhai manufacturers Cohen brothers’ Blood Simple by and the mainland. Another one, which Zhang Yimou. websites in the mainland has spawned shanzhai phenomenon is about more has larger and longer-lasting batteries, can keep their prices low mainly shanzhai versions of many popular sites. than following stars or getting more is designed for people like security because they do not need to pay for 4. Gate Crasher – Uninvited Wang showed Varisty the Chinese sites bang for your buck. Professor Qiu, intellectual property rights or patents, guests gatecrashed the White guards who listen to music overnight to House party that President “inspired” by Facebook and YouTube, who has been studying the shanzhai kill time. unlike large companies. namely Renren and Youku. “Renren is a phenomenon for six years, looks at Obama held in honor of visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan total copy of Facebook but almost every shanzhai culture on a social level. In this Chinese version of Robin Singh on November 24. mainland student uses it.” Price vs durability and safety - Hood, “right” and “wrong” are presented in an ambiguous light. While 5. Han Jiangxue – Grassroot Christine Fung misconceptions of shanzhai Wang says shanzhai websites are as some may still pour scorn on shanzhai scholar providing lectures that important to mainlanders as Facebook culture, it is hard to deny its influence. imitate CCTV 10’s Lecture Room. Some users think the low prices of and YouTube are in Hong Kong For enthusiasts like Tim Brown and A Chow Chow dog turned shanzhai “panda” shanzhai product’s may compromise often draws attention when out for a walk- 6. Lao Meng – initiator of people’s daily lives. Even after they Jack Qiu, shanzhai challenges how we shanzhai Spring Festival Evening their durability. Chung Tsz-hong, a both from the public and the police. The arrive in Hong Kong and are exposed understand creativity. owner has been stopped 28 times! Gala, a more amusing shanzhai local university student has used Lifestyle to a world without internet censorship, Courtesy of Shanzai.com version of elite CCTV Spring several shanzhai devices. Two years the connections and emotional So in future, do not be too surprised Festival evening gala. ago, he purchased a shanzhai iPhone attachment to Renren cannot be to see photos of fluffy dogs groomed to at a computer exhibition in Sham Shui 7. Kaixin (kaixin001.com) – A replaced by Facebook. look like the national mascot walking faithful copy of “Facebook” Po. Chung says this shanzhai iPhone in the streets (shanzhai pandas), jerry- looked very much like the original and Amy Ngai Man-ling, a Hong Kong built vans running on railroad tracks 8. Shanzhai mobile phones – the interface, functions and icons were student who studies in Shenzhen (shanzhai trains) or a pictorial story iPhone’s numerous “brothers” in very similar.
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