Comments on: Shan Zhai Culture http://calpolymbatrip.com/2009/china/shan-zhai-culture/ The MBA Graduate Program at Cal Poly Tue, 22 May 2012 00:54:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Chris Carr http://calpolymbatrip.com/2009/china/shan-zhai-culture/#comment-12303 Chris Carr Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:10:16 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/?p=1682#comment-12303 Click <strong><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/technology/28cell.html" rel="nofollow">HERE</a></strong> For today's NY Times article that relates to Xiaofei's post. Subject is cell phones. Good stuff. Click HERE For today’s NY Times article that relates to Xiaofei’s post. Subject is cell phones. Good stuff.

]]> By: Simeon Trieu http://calpolymbatrip.com/2009/china/shan-zhai-culture/#comment-12254 Simeon Trieu Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:50:00 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/?p=1682#comment-12254 So interesting. I recently became aware of shan zhai on my Spring break trip to Beijing. The products aren't just knockoffs. They sometimes IMPROVE the product features. Shan zhai is what happens when IP law is not strictly enforced. Although IP law is developing in China, to an amazingly workable level, the enforcement of such laws has always been the root problem in Chinese society for thousands of years. "The mountains are high, and Beijing is far away." But on the other hand, shan zhai often times improves the product features. Isn't this just the market forces at work? A needed feature wasn't there, and shan zhai fulfilled those needs. Take the iPhone and give it the form factor of a Razr, an ACTUAL razor, and the handsfree speaker of a Tilt, and you got Franken-Shan Zhai, a super phone that can do all because it can cross legal barriers to create better products. Of course, somebody else footed the R&D bill. But, if you can turn a profit without anyone noticing, why not? So interesting. I recently became aware of shan zhai on my Spring break trip to Beijing. The products aren’t just knockoffs. They sometimes IMPROVE the product features. Shan zhai is what happens when IP law is not strictly enforced. Although IP law is developing in China, to an amazingly workable level, the enforcement of such laws has always been the root problem in Chinese society for thousands of years. “The mountains are high, and Beijing is far away.”

But on the other hand, shan zhai often times improves the product features. Isn’t this just the market forces at work? A needed feature wasn’t there, and shan zhai fulfilled those needs. Take the iPhone and give it the form factor of a Razr, an ACTUAL razor, and the handsfree speaker of a Tilt, and you got Franken-Shan Zhai, a super phone that can do all because it can cross legal barriers to create better products. Of course, somebody else footed the R&D bill. But, if you can turn a profit without anyone noticing, why not?

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