|
One of my inventor friends lives in
China, so I called him up to find out what the state of inventions
is like in China. Originally from Missouri, Gary goes back and forth
between China and America because of the business opportunities
there. In his business, he helps American companies improve their
relationships with Chinese manufacturers.
He is currently helping an American
company find out which Chinese companies are knocking off his
client's products. Then the U.S. company shuts them down.
The Chinese are known for knocking
off inventions, making them cheaper and then flooding the markets
with the imitations. Chinese inventors prefer to improve knockoff
products rather than create brand-new ones.
From our interview, I learned that
the Chinese people are celebrating the Year of the Rooster this
year. I was curious if they refer to their food as Chinese food. Or
do they just call it food? And what do the Chinese call their good
plates and dishes? Is china called china in China? I never did get
answers to those questions.
One important invention that came
from China is paper. For years it has been reported that paper was
first used in China in 105 A.D., although recent discoveries
indicate that it was more like 100 B.C. I guess they should have
written it down.
Kites, chopsticks, umbrellas,
gunpowder and firecrackers were all invented in China. So were the
abacus, the compass and the wheelbarrow.
There are DVD stores on every street
corner in my friend's town, and many of them are being shut down for
illegally copying DVDs. He has actually seen some stores get shut
down. The story is so new that the U.S. media hasn't even covered it
yet.
When we spoke, it was 11:30 on a
Monday night here in the U.S., which means that it was 12:30 Tuesday
afternoon in China. He lives in the city of Shenzhen, and I have no
idea where that is. He said that it's close to Hong Kong. I have no
idea where that is either, other than that it's in China. I do know
where China is.
[to top of second column in this article]
 |
 In a country of more than 1 billion
people, it's rare to see another American. As a result, there is
basically no supply of American news coverage, so an American living
in China has to rely on the Internet to keep up with current events.
The Internet is huge in China, even
though 90 percent of the citizens aren't online because they don't
even have a computer. There is no middle class in China; you're
either rich or you're poor. Only 60 percent of Chinese households
own a TV (compared with 98 percent of American households), while
only 2 percent own cars.
The reason so many electronics
products are made in China is because of the cost. This brings us to
another problem for which the Chinese government is known: human
rights abuses. While China has had its share of problems in this
area, conditions are improving. For example, a 14-year-old kid may
be working in a sweatshop, but to that kid it's better than not
having a job at all. While this might not sound like an adequate
response to the problem, Chinese companies are finally starting to
realize that they need to treat their employees well.
What's the driving force behind the
improvements? Capitalism. Capitalism is taking over the government.
People from Australia, Europe and the Middle East -- nearly every
country except the U.S. -- have seen firsthand that doing business
in China is a "modern-day gold rush." Opportunity is everywhere.
There's a KFC on every corner in the cities in China; Wal-Mart is
close behind and so is McDonald's. Just as the Chinese have
illegally knocked off many inventions, they've tried to knock off
McDonald's too, but they haven't succeeded.
[Paul Niemann]
Paul Niemann is the author of Invention Mysteries. He may be reached
at niemann7@aol.com.
© Paul Niemann 2005
 |
