Developing China's Soft Power

[Brotherhood]

Never liked the rich show offs much. Spending money on cool electronics is one thing but spending so much on clothes and jewellery? What's the use of that besides wearing them? Probably half the people can't tell that you are wearing some top brand clothing anyways.

Bro, agreed with you for now, but i can't guarantee if only if one day i get rich, will i be doing the same thing though, there was a famous wisdom from a former minister of treasure in HK="Only the money that you spent really belong to you" thats really make a lot sense to me.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Bro, agreed with you for now, but i can't guarantee if only if one day i get rich, will i be doing the same thing though, there was a famous wisdom from a former minister of treasure in HK="Only the money that you spent really belong to you" thats really make a lot sense to me.

If I became really rich one day, I would probably just "invest" the money over and over again (stocks/property market etc.), without actually spending much.

LOL it's weird I know.

 

[Brotherhood]

If I became really rich one day, I would probably just "invest" the money over and over again (stocks/property market etc.), without actually spending much.

LOL it's weird I know.

I guess thats quite a typical thinking for our generation of the so-called after the 80's, especially true for Hongkongers
PS, What about find a girl and settle down??

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

I guess thats quite a typical thinking for our generation of the so-called after the 80's, especially true for Hongkongers
PS, What about find a girl and settle down??

Absolutely buddy.

Sometimes I think China is so lucky, that we have so many beautiful and smart women here.

 

[below_freezing]

Never liked the rich show offs much. Spending money on cool electronics is one thing but spending so much on clothes and jewellery? What's the use of that besides wearing them? Probably half the people can't tell that you are wearing some top brand clothing anyways.

cool electronics, heh... you're an electrical engineer so i don't dare comment much, but at my mechanical engineering cousin that worked in actually assembling these phones says that a name brand cell phone and a no name 300 RMB cheap one are basically the same on the inside since the parts cost essentially the same, it's the paint and style that makes one 10 times more expensive than the other. whereas the iphone for example is smooth looking, a no name phone might be a functional rectangle, but their actual performance is nearly identical.

anyhow, there are two types of spending habits in china - those of the very rich and those of the rest. i'm a supporter of domestic brands though. i have lenovo laptop, BBK phone, li ning shoes.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

cool electronics, heh... you're an electrical engineer so i don't dare comment much, but at my mechanical engineering cousin that worked in actually assembling these phones says that a name brand cell phone and a no name 300 RMB cheap one are basically the same on the inside since the parts cost essentially the same, it's the paint and style that makes one 10 times more expensive than the other. whereas the iphone for example is smooth looking, a no name phone might be a functional rectangle, but their actual performance is nearly identical.

That's right.

Try configuring a Lenovo laptop and an "Apple macbook" with EXACTLY the same internal components, and exactly the same functionality.

The Apple macbook will cost almost twice as much, purely because of the brand name. People buy these brand name products to be "fashionable".

Personally though, all I care about is functionality.

 

[Pk_Thunder]

If I became really rich one day, I would probably just "invest" the money over and over again (stocks/property market etc.), without actually spending much.

LOL it's weird I know.

And If i became rich,i will visit china

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

And If i became rich,i will visit china

And we would be very happy to welcome you here.

 

[GSK]

Great observation, buddy!

I was told by those in China that made-in-China cloths, etc. are more expensive in China than in Western world.

Why is that?

I really have no clue.

It is true, many of those stuff with a foreign brand are just more expensive in China although they are actually made in China. That is why those Chinese tourists buy them from Hongkong or other countries.

The reason I guess is that, in China, people especially those under age of 30 are generally very interested in those brands and so many of them can afford it, which makes the price go higher and higher. It is stupid in my opinion. It is like throwing your money into water. Anyway, our government likes to see us spending money.

By the way, the clerk at the Macy's is stupid too. If I was her boss, she would get fired.

 

[siegecrossbow]

I guess thats quite a typical thinking for our generation of the so-called after the 80's, especially true for Hongkongers
PS, What about find a girl and settle down??

Those drain money faster than you could count them.

 

[Solomon2]

By the way, the clerk at the Macy's is stupid too. If I was her boss, she would get fired.

Macy's employees (Nordstrom's, too) will sometimes suggest their customers go elsewhere to best serve their needs, but yes, I agree.

Still, I do think it's time for China to step out a little. Already there are one or two Chinese manufacturers (in toys) I prefer to their American competitors - only their names escape me right now. That indicates that these manufacturers should concentrate more on building brand names through quality and promotion, rather than sell their goods through foreign name-labels abroad. If desired, they can keep the foreign names for domestic distribution and use the Chinese name for foreign sales.

Don't laugh. In America a popular fast-food chain is Kentucky Fried Chicken - but not so much in states near Kentucky itself, where another chain, Maryland Fried Chicken, does business. Yet in Maryland itself few have ever heard of Maryland Fried Chicken - there are no MFC stores there. In both cases it is the exotic "foreign" cachet that brings people in to the restaurant; quality and reliability keeps them as repeat customers.

 

[CardSharp]

If I became really rich one day, I would probably just "invest" the money over and over again (stocks/property market etc.), without actually spending much.

LOL it's weird I know.

It's not weird, it just means you're Ebenezer Scrooge and will die ridiculously rich.

Those drain money faster than you could count them.

The same with kids.

Never liked the rich show offs much. Spending money on cool electronics is one thing but spending so much on clothes and jewellery? What's the use of that besides wearing them? Probably half the people can't tell that you are wearing some top brand clothing anyways.

Cloth and fashion is funny. It's all things to all people. It's reflection of how you identify yourself. It tells the world what you are about without saying a word. Really it does.

Those obscenely rich people in China who spend on brands without developing a modicum of fashion sense? Well you can tell at a glance what they are all about too.

 

[CardSharp]

Macy's employees (Nordstrom's, too) will sometimes suggest their customers go elsewhere to best serve their needs, but yes, I agree.

Still, I do think it's time for China to step out a little. Already there are one or two Chinese manufacturers (in toys) I prefer to their American competitors - only their names escape me right now. That indicates that these manufacturers should concentrate more on building brand names through quality and promotion, rather than sell their goods through foreign name-labels abroad. If desired, they can keep the foreign names for domestic distribution and use the Chinese name for foreign sales.

Don't laugh. In America a popular fast-food chain is Kentucky Fried Chicken - but not so much in states near Kentucky itself, where another chain, Maryland Fried Chicken, does business. Yet in Maryland itself few have ever heard of Maryland Fried Chicken - there are no MFC stores there. In both cases it is the exotic "foreign" cachet that brings people in to the restaurant; quality and reliability keeps them as repeat customers.

Branding and brand building is one of those nebulous things that is hard to grasp for outsiders like China. It usually requires a cultural acuity, Chinese companies lack. They don't hire the right people and often they can't even hire the right people to hire the right people. (confusing no?)

On the bright side some companies seem to be catching up. I saw my first Huawei ad on campus for an android phone today. Mind you it was above an urinal but still progress...

 

[Solomon2]

Branding and brand building is one of those nebulous things that is hard to grasp for outsiders like China. It usually requires a cultural acuity, Chinese companies lack. They don't hire the right people and often they can't even hire the right people to hire the right people. (confusing no?)

I had noticed. How did Proctor & Gamble learn to sell shampoo in China, even better than the Chinese themselves?

On the bright side some companies seem to be catching up. I saw my first Huawei ad on campus for an android phone today. Mind you it was above an urinal but still progress...

Are you sure a competitor didn't post the ad there in an attempt to drive down sales?

 

[siegecrossbow]

I had noticed. How did Proctor & Gamble learn to sell shampoo in China, even better than the Chinese themselves?

Are you sure a competitor didn't post the ad there in an attempt to drive down sales?

On a serious note I don't think that is the case. Posting stuff in the restroom is a common tactic at my dorms. We even started a "newspaper" of sorts that informed the students of social events called the "toilet paper" that was posted next to toilets so people could read it while going about their business lol.