CHINA: BOOTLEGS.

It's kind of a shame to me...
I don't know why the Chinese are so prone to bootlegging. Not only are we good at making it, but we also love consuming it. I personally do not, but it's literally everywhere here. Outside of Beijing and Shanghai, you simply cannot get anything legitimate. Even entire cars are bootleg! In a more developed area of town, I managed to get myself into a backroom that was filled with bootleg handbags. These exist in Chinatown NYC as well, but it was on a whole different level here. I noticed that even people who could very easily afford a real Prada handbag or D&G boots actually preferred the fakes. They revel in the negotiating. The screaming. The yelling. The shoving. Maybe I'm too harsh in saying it's a shame. But I do hate the fact that many Chinese do not see any value in design or craftsmanship. Many times, it's just about the facade. "This one has an Apple on it and it's $500. This one also has an Apple on it and it's $50. The choice is easy...why would I pay 10x more?" I believe in order for China to be really considered a cultural leader in this world, they have to figure out a way to get this mentality flushed out of their system. Right now, they're just the manufacturers of the world. "Tell me what to make and I'll make it. For less." No doubt that China is a financial powerhouse now because of it. That's fine but what about RESPECT? PRIDE? SUBSTANCE? If somehow, someone can come in and shed light on this and combine it with the positive attributes that the Chinese have (experience, diligence, perseverance) then they could really be something that changes the entire course of the planet.
ちょっと恥に感じます。。。
どうしてこんなに中国人はニセモノを作るのかがわかりません。作るのが上手いだけでなく、買うのも大好き。僕自身は好きではありませんが、本当にそこらじゅうにありました。北京と上海以外では本物が手に入りません。車まるまる一台偽物です！町の中心部で、ニセモノのバッグが売られている裏部屋に入ることに成功しました。ニューヨークのチャイナタウンにもありますが、ここではレベルが違います。本当のPradaのバッグやD&Gブーツが買える人でも偽物をあえて買います。交渉するのが楽しいみたいです。大声を上げ。叫び。押し合う。恥というのは少しいいすぎかもしれません。でも、中国人がデザインや職人の技能に価値を置かないのは好きではありません。多くの場合は、外見だけだからです。「これはAppleがあるから500ドル。こっちもAppleがあるけど50ドル。簡単でしょ。。。なんで10倍払う必要があるの？」文化的に世界のリーダーになるために、中国はこのものの見方を考え直さなければいけないと思います。今は世界の製造者でしかありません。「何を作ればいいのか言えば、作る。もっと安くね。」そのおかげで中国は経済大国になったのは間違いありません。それはいいと思いますが、リスペクトは？ブライドは？中身は？誰かがどうにかこのことを広めて、中国人の長所（経験、勤勉さ、忍耐強さ）と融合すれば、本当にこの地球を変えられるかもしれない。