Renegades on the frontier of innovation: The shanzhai grassroots communities of Shenzhen in China's creative economy
Two Australian researchers specializing in China's creative industries examine recent developments in southern China commonly associated with the shanzhai phenomenon (e.g., production and sale of cheap local facsimiles of globally branded goods). While shanzhai is often condemned as the embodim...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
2012
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/34148 |
| _version_ | 1848754144119095296 |
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| author | Keane, Michael Zhao, E. |
| author_facet | Keane, Michael Zhao, E. |
| author_sort | Keane, Michael |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Two Australian researchers specializing in China's creative industries examine recent developments in southern China commonly associated with the shanzhai phenomenon (e.g., production and sale of cheap local facsimiles of globally branded goods). While shanzhai is often condemned as the embodiment of China's "knock-off" industries, the authors argue that it might be more appropriately viewed as an instance of China's emerging creative economy and an example of rapid prototyping. The paper traces the evolution of shanzhai mobile phones and the materialization of the shanzhai ethos in popular culture. In arguing that shanzhai provides inputs into creative industries, the paper describes the fuzzy boundary between formal and informal culture and notes the interaction between three spheres of activity: official culture, the market, and grassroots culture. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:35:44Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-34148 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:35:44Z |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-341482017-09-13T15:12:28Z Renegades on the frontier of innovation: The shanzhai grassroots communities of Shenzhen in China's creative economy Keane, Michael Zhao, E. Two Australian researchers specializing in China's creative industries examine recent developments in southern China commonly associated with the shanzhai phenomenon (e.g., production and sale of cheap local facsimiles of globally branded goods). While shanzhai is often condemned as the embodiment of China's "knock-off" industries, the authors argue that it might be more appropriately viewed as an instance of China's emerging creative economy and an example of rapid prototyping. The paper traces the evolution of shanzhai mobile phones and the materialization of the shanzhai ethos in popular culture. In arguing that shanzhai provides inputs into creative industries, the paper describes the fuzzy boundary between formal and informal culture and notes the interaction between three spheres of activity: official culture, the market, and grassroots culture. 2012 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/34148 10.2747/1539-7216.53.2.216 restricted |
| spellingShingle | Keane, Michael Zhao, E. Renegades on the frontier of innovation: The shanzhai grassroots communities of Shenzhen in China's creative economy |
| title | Renegades on the frontier of innovation: The shanzhai grassroots communities of Shenzhen in China's creative economy |
| title_full | Renegades on the frontier of innovation: The shanzhai grassroots communities of Shenzhen in China's creative economy |
| title_fullStr | Renegades on the frontier of innovation: The shanzhai grassroots communities of Shenzhen in China's creative economy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Renegades on the frontier of innovation: The shanzhai grassroots communities of Shenzhen in China's creative economy |
| title_short | Renegades on the frontier of innovation: The shanzhai grassroots communities of Shenzhen in China's creative economy |
| title_sort | renegades on the frontier of innovation: the shanzhai grassroots communities of shenzhen in china's creative economy |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/34148 |