Shanghai Scrap

All this talk about the rising price of Chinese manufacturing and the threat it poses to the proliferation of cheap consumer goods worldwide, well, it’s kinda got me down. China has long been capable of better, and I’m not just talking about computer chips, either. So, in the spirit of fair and balanced reporting, I present a series of photos that I took in a small inkstone workshop in southern Anhui Province. This is slow, labor-intensive, highly-skilled manufacturing of a high-quality object sold at an extremely high price. Generally, not the kind of work or product sought by today’s export-oriented manufacturers. China Daily recently reported that manufacturers in the increasingly expensive Pearl River and Yangtze River deltas are moving to Anhui in search of cheap labor. I’m sure they’ll find it – but certainly not in this workshop.

Above, the tool bench. After the jump, more photos … (more…)

It was a long day. I wrote several thousand words and carried a twenty-five pound bag of oranges uphill for a mile (long story). But even after all that trouble I still managed to find the time to click over to Jottings from the Granite Studio and read about this Day in (Chinese) History. You should, too (and that goes for my many new friends from Jezebel).

Granite Studio is (very well) written by Jeremiah Jenne, and you’re bound to learn something from it. Heck, if you’re anything like me, you’re bound to learn a whole lot. While you’re at it, have a look at Jeremiah’s very interesting post, “Prejudice Made Plausible: Foreign Criticism and Chinese Sensitivities” over at the China Beat.

[And while you're reading, consider listening to this.]