In the early 2000s, I visited China and saw:
- This dedicated area is as large as the entire Malaysian capital, and it makes only watches and their components.
- They made fake watches, as well as generic brands from local areas.
- There are 4-5 classes for the watches. The cheapest watch is made with the cheapest components, while the most expensive watches are made with the best. I couldn’t tell it was fake because it didn’t look authentic.
- They not only make watches but also all the components.
- Amazingly practical, the Chinese are. They can manufacture a product, such as a lightbulb, and they make it according to quality, lifespan, and grades. You can choose to purchase super-cheap bulbs that last only a few months or more expensive bulbs that last many years, depending on your financial situation and priorities. A lot of low-income Chinese prefer to purchase the cheapest bulbs in bulk.
- Chinese people are extremely dedicated and diligent in their work. Many of the people I dealt with at the watch-town work, eat, and stay there like their second home. They enjoy their spare time and play with the parts they make as a hobby.
China is the only country I have seen that can produce stuff from scratch at any level, and make them a commercially viable industry.
I thought at the time, even then, that if China could achieve all this even though their economy wasn’t fully open to global trade, what would they be able to accomplish if these doors were wide open to them today?
It was not surprising that I heard about the success of their makeshift hospital built in Wuhan in just eight days. China’s manufacturing capabilities are leaps and bounds ahead of the rest. They can produce reliable, cheap products on an as-needed basis as well as products that will last for commercial use. I’m sure that hospital and equipment costs are only a fraction of what they would have been elsewhere.