Research on Huaqiangbei “Shanzhai Phones” (Part Ⅱ)
— Song Shiqiang , Slkor During the development of Huaqiangbei, “Shanzhai phones” became a topic that could not be ignored. In 2007 alone, the shipment volume of Huaqiangbei Shanzhai phones reached 150 million units, accounting for one-sixth of the world’s total mobile phone production that year. The rise and fall of Shanzhai phones happened rapidly. It created many millionaires from the tiny “one-meter counters” in Huaqiangbei, but it also led to tragic stories, such as the bankruptcy and mental breakdown of “Prince of Shanzhai Phones,” Chen Jinling. The Shanzhai phone phenomenon also had a positive side. It helped promote Huaqiangbei’s maker culture, turning Shenzhen into a “Silicon Valley of Hardware” and a “Paradise for Entrepreneurship.” It also gave birth to local mobile phone brands such as Meizu, G5, Longcheer, and Transsion. In many ways, it became the foundation of the “Huaqiangbei maker spirit” and the “Shenzhen entrepreneurial spirit.” However, the Shanzhai phone indus...
