Huachangbei Electronics Market located in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China.
Until 2016, Huachang Bay was famous as a digital electronics store selling various electronic products including’fake mobile phones’. However, as the demand for counterfeit electronics in China declined, electronics stores disappeared from 2017 and cosmetics stores filled the space.
Huachang Bay Electronic Market. ⒸShutterstock
There are products that stand out even in the declining electronics market. These are wireless earphones.
It is not a wireless earphone of its own brand in the Huachang Bay electronic market. The’counterfeit products’ of other brands they manufactured are leading the sales volume.
The left is the genuine AirPod, and the right is the Hwachang Bay AirPod. Ⓒsina
In 2019, Apple’s AirPods accounted for more than 50% of the world’s wireless earphone market share and sold 60 million units. However, during the same period, sales of AirPods in Huachang Bay exceeded 100 million units.
In 2020, shipments of AirPods in Huachang Bay reached 600 million units, while shipments of genuine AirPods were only 8,000 to 9,000 units.
ⒸTaobao capture
When you search for’Airpod Hwachang Bay’ in Taobao, a representative e-commerce in China, a number of products are found. The price difference is so large that genuine earphones sold for 1999 yuan (about 330,000 won) in China are sold for 98-150 yuan (17,000–26,000 won) here. Most of these products are shipped to Guangdong and Shenzhen.
The vast majority of netizens have praised the Hwachang Bay AirPods. “I purchase it for a tenth of the price and experience more than 80% of the functions, but what do I need to buy a genuine product,” he said. Even if you want to buy an AirPod, it is a good cost-effective option for consumers with light pockets.
The left is the genuine AirPod, and the right is the Hwachang Bay AirPod. Ⓒsina
Hwachang Bay AirPods are like gods within the frame of fakes, from word of mouth to sales. It has all the features included in Apple products. It can also be connected to an Android device or a Windows PC. Consumers know it’s a fake product, but it’s highly praised for its sound quality, quality, fit, and appearance.
The biggest reason why the AirPods captivated users and became famous is because of the recommendations of bloggers.
The left is the genuine AirPod, and the right is the Hwachang Bay AirPod. Ⓒsina
On the social media pages used by young Chinese people, such as Biribiri (B站) and Zhu (知乎), positive evaluations of fake airpods are increasing. If someone buys fake shoes, you’ll get a finger, but if you buy and review fake AirPods, no one will mock you, but also ask questions about the product and ask for a buy link.
Consumers completely trust the technology of Huachangbei. In addition, rumors spread that the’AirPod Pro 2nd Generation’, which Apple has not released, will be released in Hwachang Bay, and consumers are in anticipation.
Galaxy S20 imitation phone video uploaded to Weibo ⓒ Weibo
This isn’t just for Apple. The imitation video of the Samsung Galaxy S20 released in March of last year became a hot topic in China. The video producer said, “The name of the product is’S21 Ultra’, and I purchased it at Huachang Bay Electronic Shopping Center.”
It has the same appearance as a real product and is equipped with a display, buttons, charging port, and camera lens, so it is difficult to distinguish if you look carefully. The video was viewed by tens of thousands of people within a day of uploading it, but the market share of the genuine Samsung phone in China reached only 2%.
Ⓒ Baidu
Together with Beijing’s Zhongguancun (中關村), the place that was called the “Chinese version of Silicon Valley” is the Huachang Bay Electronic Mall. However, there was an’imitation’ in their development. In a situation where technology and capital were not sufficient, the development and taste of money through imitation was sweet.
As stores disappear due to the decline of the electronic market, imitation products continue to be launched. If fake mobile phones and accessories were photographed in Huachang Bay, now Chinese smartphone makers are also creating mobile phones reminiscent of domestic and foreign mobile phones. President Xi Jinping’s comments, referring to “strengthening intellectual property rights, overthrowing counterfeits,” are unclear.
Redmi 5A released by Xiaomi ⓒ Xiaomi homepage
Imitation products no longer work in the international community. As long as China is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), it is an important member of the international community that must obey international rules. However, the fever for the manufacture of counterfeit products under water does not cool down. Can China dispel the image of a’fake’ country?
China Lab = Kim Eun-soo, editor
China Lab
