“中國制造”的新含義

For a long time， Chinese production has been synonymous with corner-cutting and cheap goods. Few Western luxury brands were willing to admit how much of their stock was manufactured there. However， that perception is slowly changing as many homegrown brands-high-end womens label Uma Wang， Mary Ching shoes and Sept-wolves menswear， to name a few-focus on quality craftsmanship， often with a traditional bent and sophisticated designs.

These brands are starting to make inroads with the most fashion-forward of the countrys sizable luxury hungry population. “Younger Chinese women are very discerning and want things that others dont have，” said Lionel Derimais， photographer and blogger who has charted the rise of such brands on his three-year-old site Nicely Made in China. “Everybodys got a Louis Vuitton bag or a Gucci. These girls want something different and very often its a Chinese brand.”

“ln the first 30 years of economic development， we didnt have the opportunity to pursue this desire. It was basic needs-no more hunger and cold，” explained Shang Xias CEO and artistic director Jiang Qiong Er. “Now weve started to go back to our cultural roots. In the last five years， people have realized the importance of creativity and quality in China.”

Driven by many of the same instincts as Ms. Jiang， Alison Yeung founded her luxury shoe line， Mary Ching， in Shanghai four years ago. The globe-trotting daughter of a former Cantonese diplomat is active and impassioned， like a stiletto-shod mash up of vintage Spice Girl and Manolo Blahnik. “My mission is to change the perceptions associated with made in China，” she explained. “We source local materials， like water snake. My concept is 100% made in China.” She added， “lts the same as with Japan 50 years ago. Things made there were considered cheap and bad quality. Now they produce the best in the world.”

This nascent made-in-China pride reflects the cultural revolution currently under way in the worlds most populous nation. A great many of its white-collar workers under 35 are only children-the result of the countrys strict one-child policy enacted in 1979-with their disposable income boosted by gifts from doting families. “Theyve never known hardship， theyre fiercely nationalistic and very proud of the modern， emerging China taking its place on the global stage，” noted Nick Debnam， Asia Pacific chairman of financial advisory firm KPMG China， who has studied this phenomenon， “They now have money to spend， and they would like to associate with brands like Shang Xia.”

Chinas stylish new first lady， Peng Liyuan， wears mostly domestic labels， and has boosted their profile and profits much as first lady Michelle Obamas cheerleading did for J. Crew and Jason Wu， One of Ms. Pengs favorites is Exception de Mixmind， whose designer， Ma Ke， was invited in 2008 to present a collection at the haute couture shows in Paris. The brand now has 50 stores in China. Ms. Mas work is reminiscent of fashion-forward Western designers like Rick Owens and Dries Van Noten， but she uses traditional Chinese dyeing and weaving techniques.

The multimillion-dollar question， of course， is how to make product that appeals to both domestic and international sensibilities. Ms. Yeung， who was educated at English schools and attended Londons prestigious design school Central Saint Martins， makes it a point to emphasize the cross-cultural appeal of her designs. She said her shoes fuse Chinese opulence with British eccentricity. She devotes 10% of each collection to styles for Asian consumers， The rest of her wares are available world-wide.

Thirty-eight-year-old menswear brand Bosideng， which has more than 11，000 Chinese stores， is also making a big play for Western customers. The company recently opened a flagship， at a cost of over $50 million， on Londons South Molton Street. However， the product inside the London store is different from the labels domestic range， and the logo is changed. That clothing， manufactured largely in Europe， is a pricier riff on Bosidengs classic aesthetic， combining British tailoring with a few Chinese touches.

Soon， though， loyalists in China wont need to book a ticket to Europe to browse the London stores collection. Within two seasons， Bosideng will make the European designs available on its home shores-a unique instance of East-meets-West-meets-East-again.

長期以來，中國制造一直是偷工減料和廉價商品的同義詞。過去，幾乎沒有哪個西方奢侈品品牌愿意承認自己有多少貨品是在中國生產的。不過，隨著很多中國本土品牌專注于高質量的做工，常集傳統元素與精致的設計于一體，人們的這一觀念正在慢慢改變——例如高端女裝品牌王汁、女鞋品牌貞和男裝品牌七匹狼等。

這些品牌逐漸開始吸引中國龐大的奢侈品消費群體中那些最前衛的時尚人士。攝影師、博主里昂耐爾·德里邁在其開設了三年的網站Nicely Made in China上記述了這類中國本土高端品牌的崛起：“年輕的中國女性非常有眼光，她們想要與眾不同的東西。（這些女孩們）每個人都已有一個路易·威登或古馳的包包，她們想要與眾不同的東西，而這些東西往往是中國品牌。”

“上下”的首席執行官及藝術總監蔣瓊耳解釋說：“經濟發展的頭30年，我們沒有機會追求這樣的愿望。當時我們只有基本的需求——不再挨餓受凍。如今我們開始回歸我們的文化根源。在過去五年中，人們已經認識到創意和質量在中國的重要性。”

受到與蔣瓊耳類似的一些本能的驅使，楊貞四年前在上海建立了自己的奢侈鞋類品牌“貞”。這個周游世界的前廣東外交官的女兒精力充沛、充滿激情，總是穿著細高跟鞋，結合了古典辣妹和莫羅·伯拉尼克的風格。她解釋說：“我的使命是改變人們對‘中國制造的印象，我們使用本土的材料，比如水蛇皮;我的理念是，100%的中國制造。”她補充說：“就像是50年前的日本一樣，當時日本生產的產品被認為價格便宜、質量低下，而現在日本卻在生產世界最好的產品。”

這種新出現的、對“中國制造”的驕傲感反映出了這個世界人口最多的國家正在發生著文化革命。中國35歲以下的職場白領很多都是獨生子——這是中國1979年開始嚴格實施一胎政策的結果——他們的可支配收入還因為溺愛他們的家人的饋贈而得到提升。金融咨詢公司畢馬威中國亞太地區董事長戴力行研究過這一現象，他說：“他們從來沒吃過苦，他們非常民族主義，對于在全球舞臺贏得一席之地的、現代的、興起的中國感到非常驕傲;他們現在有錢花，他們想要與上下這樣的品牌產生關聯。”

中國時尚的新第一夫人彭麗媛主要穿著國產品牌，這極大地提振了國產品牌的影響力和利潤，就像美國第一夫人米歇爾·奧巴馬為J.Crew和Jason Wu帶來的宣傳效應一樣。彭麗媛最鐘愛的品牌是例外，這一品牌的設計師馬可2008年曾被邀請在巴黎的高級時裝秀上展示其產品系列。例外在中國有50家專賣店。馬可的作品讓人聯想起前衛的西方設計師，比如瑞克·歐文斯和德賴斯·范·諾頓，不過她使用的是中國的染色和紡織技術。

當然，一個價值數百萬美元的問題是：如何設計出能夠同時吸引中國和國外顧客的產品。在英國接受教育，曾就讀于倫敦久負盛名的設計學校中央圣馬丁藝術與設計學院的楊貞給出了答案。她認為強調設計中的跨文化吸引力非常重要。她說她的鞋子將中國式的奢華和英國式的古怪融合在了一起。在每個系列的鞋子中，楊貞會專門拿出10%按照亞洲消費者喜歡的樣式進行設計，剩下的樣式走的都是國際路線。

已有38年歷史的男裝品牌波司登也開始迎合西方顧客。該品牌在中國有超過11000家門店。波司登最近在倫敦南莫爾頓街斥資5000萬美元開設了一家旗艦店。然而，倫敦門店內銷售的商品和該品牌在國內銷售的不同，品牌標識也發生了變化。倫敦門店內銷售的服飾大都在歐洲制造，比波司登的經典款式稍貴，將英式剪裁和中國風格融為一體。

不過很快，國內的波司登忠實粉絲就無需預訂機票到歐洲去瀏覽其倫敦門店的商品了。波司登國內門店在兩季之內就能看到歐洲的設計。這是一個不同尋常的“東方遇見西方然后又重回東方”的例子。

The ability of the Kangaroo袋鼠的能力

The zoo built a special eight-foot-high enclosure for its newly acquired kangaroo， but the next morning the animal was found hopping around outside. The height of the fence was increased to 15 feet， but the kangaroo got out again. Exasperated， the zoo director had the height increased to 30 feet， but the kangaroo still escaped. A giraffe asked the kangaroo， “How high do you think theyll build the fence？” “I dont know， ” said the kangaroo. “Maybe a thousand feet if they keep leaving the gate unlocked.”

動物園為剛引進的袋鼠建了一個特殊的八英尺高的圍墻。但是第二天早上，人們發現這動物在圍墻外面蹦跳著。于是圍墻高度增加到十五英尺，但袋鼠還是跑了出來。動物園經理甚感惱火，又叫人把圍墻高度加到三十英尺，但袋鼠還是逃了出來。一個長頸鹿問袋鼠：“你認為他們會把圍墻建到多高？” “我不知道，”袋鼠說，“如果他們繼續開著大門，可能要修到一千英尺吧。”