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“Shanzhai” mobile handsets were the first “shanzhai” “innovation.” With a lower entry barrier in terms of technology because of the availability of chips made by MediaTek, a Taiwanese integrated-circuit design house, anyone could turn a small investment into a handset-making workshop in a short period of time. The appearance of the handsets could be easily redesigned so as to be fashionable and stylish.
However, these products are not subject to a time-consuming and expensive regulation regime, which usually means they are sold at a price much more affordable to consumers, especially those at the low end. As a result, the “shanzhai” handsets have taken away some of the market from brand-name products.
In one sense, “shanzhai” products mix copycatting with innovation. Indeed, “shanzhai” handsets intentionally confuse customers by having a “skin” similar to a brand-name one and adopting a similar name so as to appear to be Motorola, Nokia, Sony or Samsung, at first glance. To the credit of their producers, the rapidly changing designs are novel, although they are not that sophisticated yet. With a little extra effort one of these companies may become the next Motorola or Sony.
In another sense, the rise of the “shanzhai” culture represents a grassroot spirit that has been becoming more cynical and even rebellious. A “shanzhai” Spring Festival Gala currently being rehearsed is not simply a clone of the 25-year-old traditional show presented by CCTV on Chinese Lunar New Year’s eve. Instead, it makes fun of the official version, which has become less and less appealing to a more distrustful, diversified and demanding audience.
With unknown actors and a program closely related to ordinary Chinese to be broadcast over the Internet, the “shanzhai” gala could be attractive as a non-mainstream and even anti-mainstream alternative.
In yet another sense, though representing out-of-the-box thinking, the popularity of the “shanzhai” culture may not necessarily be good for China’s ambition to become an innovation-oriented nation. As the “shanzhai” concept originated in the business world, where the protection of intellectual property rights is the key to innovation, a tolerance of “shanzhai” products – if not the “shanzhai” culture in a broader perspective – sends a negative signal to enterprises that diligently develop competitive technologies and products.
In addition, many “shanzhai” products are of low quality, thus ripping off consumers at the same time their makers escape regulation, pirate brand names and dodge taxes.
In a word, “shanzhai” China is different from China in its official version, or even signifies a challenge to the official China. Of course, it still remains to be seen whether “shanzhainization” is just a passing controversial phenomenon or may lead to more fundamental changes in China.
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(Cong Cao is a senior research associate with the Neil D. Levin Graduate Institute of International Relations and Commerce at the State University of New York. He received his PhD in sociology from Columbia University in 1997 and has worked at the University of Oregon and the National University of Singapore. Dr. Cao is interested in the social studies of science and technology with a focus on China. ©Copyright Cong Cao.)
