# Are there any products that China is known for manufacturing BETTER than other countries? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 23, 2020, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832 "2020-01-23T03:13:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832/21 "2020-01-23T22:58:41Z")
Give them time. When I was growing up in the Jurassic era, “cheap Japanese“ was the description applied to products made in that country. It wasn’t until the 80s that Japan became known for quality. So it was a couple of decades. Many Japanese companies are having their high end products manufactured there. Quality is rising. Of course there are cheap products which are cheap. That shouldn’t be surprising. What do you expect? ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832/22 "2020-01-23T23:24:00Z")
Fireworks! ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832/23 "2020-01-23T23:29:50Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > Give them time. When I was growing up in the Jurassic era, “cheap Japanese“ was the description applied to products made in that country. It wasn’t until the 80s that Japan became known for quality. So it was a couple of decades. > > Many Japanese companies are having their high end products manufactured there. Quality is rising. > > Of course there are cheap products which are cheap. That shouldn’t be surprising. What do you expect? This thread really isn’t “is China capable of making anything that’s high-quality?” I already KNOW they are. China is a gigantic country, there are highly skilled craftsmen there, there are poorly skilled laborers there, there are state of the art factories there, there are poorly run factories there. I get it. I know they CAN produce excellent products there if they want to. This is more “what’s the Chinese equivalent of Cuban cigars, German automobiles, Swiss watches, Italian shoes” etc. Is there a prestige product from China where if you have one that’s made in China, that’s like saying it’s the best one you can get? That’s why I say it might be a niche product, because if it was something commonly used, people would already know the answer to this. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832/24 "2020-01-24T01:57:13Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > This thread really isn’t “is China capable of making anything that’s high-quality?” … > > This is more “what’s the Chinese equivalent of Cuban cigars, German automobiles, Swiss watches, Italian shoes” etc. Is there a prestige product from China where if you have one that’s made in China, that’s like saying it’s the best one you can get? One problem with this is going to be that as with the aforementioned autos, watches, shoes, though maybe not the cigars, there are also “cheap knockoff versions” coming out of China that emulate the form and design at a passing glance level without the quality. And that dynamic wouldn’t change just because the source object also originates from China, it might even be an accelerant. In other words, let’s say that there is something that is a “prestige Chinese luxury export item” - say, Moutai liquor, which currently retails in the US at the level of some of the best known 18 year old single malt Scotch Whiskies. There are also many very similarly packaged, similarly produced distilled sorghum “baijiu” liquors that are far, far cheaper. Also exported from China. In this case it’s more that Moutai is somewhat artificially inflated in cost/value beyond its merits as a liquor (it’s kind of a pseudo-currency as a Very Expensive Gift), but the principle is still there. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832/25 "2020-01-24T04:41:05Z")
Blank DVDs as I mentioned. Verbatim AZO and Taiyo-Yuden, now made only in China and Taiwan. And possibly Huawei phones, especially in a few more generations. [https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/dec/17/best-smartphone-2019-iphone-oneplus-samsung-and-huawei-compared-and-ranked](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/dec/17/best-smartphone-2019-iphone-oneplus-samsung-and-huawei-compared-and-ranked) It’s not IF China wants to dominate the electronics market like Japan did in the 60’s and 70’s, but WHEN they decide to do it! ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832/26 "2020-01-24T05:45:08Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > What I’m wondering is, are there any items where “Made In China” is an _unambiguously_ good descriptor? For my company, the problem is that China does not do _unambiguously good descriptors_. You can get top quality on almost anything, but not on unambiguous descriptors. You want German parts with ISO and UL certification? China can put those labels on. You want lack of ambiguity? We go to China and watch stuff being made and tested. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832/27 "2020-01-24T05:55:57Z")
Those cork-carved landscapes in little picture frames. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832/28 "2020-01-24T05:59:23Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > Give them time. When I was growing up in the Jurassic era, “cheap Japanese“ was the description applied to products made in that country. It wasn’t until the 80s that Japan became known for quality. I remember that as happening in the early 70’s. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832/29 "2020-01-24T07:00:00Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > I remember that as happening in the early 70’s. Japan lead the miniaturization of transistor radios in the '60’s and with the Sony Trinitron in 1968 set the standard for excellence in TVs. Akio Morita’s \*Made in Japan \*is a fascinating read about the rise of of the Japanese electronics market. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832/30 "2020-01-24T07:10:06Z")
Checked Wikipedia to confirm my memory before I posted this. It _was_ Sony (then Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation) that revolutionized the transistor radio market: Wikipedia: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transistor\_radio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transistor_radio) "Japanese transistor radios While on a trip to the United States in 1952, Masaru Ibuka, founder of Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation (now Sony), discovered that AT&T was about to make licensing available for the transistor. Ibuka and his partner, physicist Akio Morita, convinced the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to finance the $25,000 licensing fee (equivalent to $240,695 today).[19] For several months Ibuka traveled around the United States borrowing ideas from the American transistor manufacturers. Improving upon the ideas, Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation made its first functional transistor radio in 1954.[11] Within five years, Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation grew from seven employees to approximately five hundred. Other Japanese companies soon followed their entry into the American market and the grand total of electronic products exported from Japan in 1958 increased 2.5 times in comparison to 1957.[20]" ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832/31 "2020-01-24T07:23:11Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > I realize that “Made In China” no longer universally implies inherently low quality, the way it did in previous decades. While there are still a lot of poor quality items produced in China, it seems to be generally accepted that manufacturing and quality control for export goods in that country is improving. > > What I’m wondering is, are there any items where “Made In China” is an _unambiguously_ good descriptor? I’m thinking along the lines of Germany and cars, Switzerland and precision machinery, Italy and clothing, France and wine or food, Cuba and cigars - that’s starting to get more niche, but I’m thinking there has to be some niche product that the Chinese actually do _better_ than other countries, right? > > Is there such an item? And please don’t say “ancient pottery.” The catch is that all the items listed are not _unambiguously_ the best available in their respective categories. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832/32 "2020-01-24T11:35:10Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > After horrible experiences buying these Chinese made products from Amazon, I realized that I would never buy a product that I cared about that was manufactured in China and in China itself there is little incentive to put quality over profit. > > [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SZKNRF2/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_asin\_image\_o03\_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SZKNRF2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) > > The stylus that holds the discs in the player broke off taking out the first disc I put in it. Putting a disc in it gave a 50% chance the disc would actually start playing. It was noisy. It was hard to eject discs from it because the machine wouldnt recognize the command. > > [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RLZBX44/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_asin\_title\_o08\_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RLZBX44/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) > > This MP3 player was very difficult to figure out how to work and the headphone jack broke after a week. > > [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RGJZ7YP/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_asin\_title\_o06\_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RGJZ7YP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) > > This usb powered air conditioner looked good on the web site but it was tiny, under powered and the usb stopped working after a couple weeks. > > I will never buy a Chinese manufactured product again sold by a company I have never heard of. I must add this: [https://www.asseenontvpros.com/Roto-Clipper-Electric-Nail-Clipper--As-Seen-On-TV\_p\_46.html](https://www.asseenontvpros.com/Roto-Clipper-Electric-Nail-Clipper--As-Seen-On-TV_p_46.html)] It was like filing your nails with a very dull file. I don’t think it removed nail as fast as the nail grew. And then it stopped working altogether. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832/33 "2020-01-24T12:43:01Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > China dominates the high end printing market. When [Modernist Cuisine](https://modernistcuisine.com/books/modernist-cuisine/) was trying to print their original, 50+lb tome, they found only Chinese printers had the capabilities to produce what they were looking for. Almost all high end [bibles](https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/october/bible-made-in-china.html) are printed in China as features like gold embossed edges and thinner pages aren’t possible anywhere else in the world. This made me laugh… when I first moved to China, I rewarded myself with a copy of _Modernist Cuisine_. It was fun to watch the tracking from China to the west coast and back to my home in China! To be fair, these are special economic zones, and I’ve had similar experience ordering other “made in China” stuff while in China. Effectively, things made in these special zones are still treated as imported (and taxed as such!), meaning that China is a very expensive place to live. To buy a laptop, for example, it was much cheaper for me to pay for a flight to Hong Kong and buy from the Apple Store there. My loaded iMac, though, was BTO and there was no way to do so. What I paid still makes me cry a little inside. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832/34 "2020-01-24T12:56:24Z")
I was working at a pulp mill in Rizhao, China around 20 years ago. We were having lunch with the mill manager, and someone else from the US pointed out the piece of fruit he was having and noted he had come all the way to China to have a California orange. The mill manager said “No you didn’t”, the guy says “Look, right here on the label, Valencia Orange, California, USA”. The mill manager says, “We print many beautiful labels”. So, labels. China prints beautiful labels. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832/35 "2020-01-24T13:07:32Z")
China produces home security cameras that are as good or better than any produced elsewhere. Of course, they’re all secretly rigged to send images/data back to China. :dubious: The Chinese also export the widest range of adulterated pharmaceuticals and supplements of any country, with the possible exception of India. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832/36 "2020-01-24T14:53:49Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > Blank DVDs as I mentioned. Verbatim AZO and Taiyo-Yuden, now made only in China and Taiwan. > > And possibly Huawei phones, especially in a few more generations. [https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/dec/17/best-smartphone-2019-iphone-oneplus-samsung-and-huawei-compared-and-ranked](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/dec/17/best-smartphone-2019-iphone-oneplus-samsung-and-huawei-compared-and-ranked) > > It’s not IF China wants to dominate the electronics market like Japan did in the 60’s and 70’s, but WHEN they decide to do it! I’d think we should also distinguish between what amount to Western products that are merely manufactured in China, versus homegrown Chinese products. For example, nobody would say that Nike shoes are Chinese products. They’re still designed in Oregon, but they’re manufactured in China because labor and other costs are cheaper. Same with TONS of other products. Just manufacturing products doesn’t necessarily give them any real ability in terms of design and engineering. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832/37 "2020-01-24T15:05:10Z")
I just brewed some tea in a Chinese clay teapot that was genuinely made in China. Upon close examination, it appears to be handmade. It’s just a random teapot, but one Yixing teapot was auctioned for over 12 million 元, so apparently some people out there appreciate traditional Chinese ceramics. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832/38 "2020-01-24T15:49:24Z")
Just guessing … but it would seem like there would be some very nice handworked bamboo pieces produced in China. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832/39 "2020-01-24T16:33:00Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > I just brewed some tea in a Chinese clay teapot that was genuinely made in China. Upon close examination, it appears to be handmade. It’s just a random teapot, but one Yixing teapot was auctioned for over 12 million 元, so apparently some people out there appreciate traditional Chinese ceramics. Maybe tea in general is something that China does as good or better than anyone else; Chinese tea is as far as I can tell, kind of the world leader. ---
**Author:** ![Doyle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doyle/32/439_2.png) [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832/40 "2020-01-24T17:36:38Z")
I hear their Ming Dynasty Vases are good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-products-that-china-is-known-for-manufacturing-better-than-other-countries/846832.md?page=3)