The word "shanzhai" comes from Cantonese. It is an industrial phenomenon initiated by private IT forces.

The rise of Shanzhai culture in Chinese style

The rise of Shanzhai culture in China’s IT industry is just like the story told in any traditional Chinese martial arts novel: first, it uses unconventional methods to wander around. On the fringes of mainstream circles, they gradually grew bigger and eventually challenged or even replaced orthodox forces.

Copycat culture is a phenomenon that imitates the appearance or functions of mainstream brand products at a very low cost and innovates them, and ultimately surpasses this product in terms of appearance, function, price, etc. Its main characteristics are mainly counterfeiting, rapidity and civilianization. The main form is to start through small workshops and quickly imitate famous brands, involving different fields such as mobile phones, digital products, and game consoles. Another aspect of this culture is that it is good at skirting the edges and often walking on the edge of industry policies, causing controversy. Its derivatives will break the shackles of mobile phones and expand to digital cameras, mice, keyboards, etc. Its by-products can also cause structural shocks in related industries. This is the artillery of learning from foreigners to master their skills, this is the rifle of learning to catch up and surpass. The copycat culture is running all the way on the narrow path of plagiarism and transcendence, especially breaking away from the shackles of license plates and grasping the low cost and high returns. After its blessing, its devastating power and infectious power of viral marketing completely subverted the traditional hidden rules of the industry and established a value sequence based on copycat culture. Moreover, Shanzhai culture is deeply imprinted with grassroots innovation and the wisdom of the masses, and is a well-deserved Chinese-style Shanzhai.