But a copycat is after all a copycat, which may easily infringe IPR regulations. Shanzhai thrives partly because of legal loopholes. A few deceitful companies invite celebrity look-alikes to shoot advertisements, at a fraction of the cost of what actual celebrities charge. These look-alikes not only have similar faces, but also behave like the celebrity to attract public attention.
Advocates of the shanzhai culture "value" it as a form of innovation, but creativity might in fact be destroyed if the shanzhai phenomenon begins to dominate the entertainment and other artistic markets.
Cultivating social creativity depends on the overall social atmosphere, in which innovation is highly valued. It is true that innovation always faces huge costs and risks of failure, and those who copy will always take shortcuts. But any form of copying will of course hamper the development of human creativity.
Shan Shibing (Changjiang Daily): Under the disguise of grassroots culture, shanzhai seeks illegal profits, avoiding charges of plagiarism, IPR violations and tax evasion. Meanwhile, some shanzhai practitioners blame expensive original copyright costs for the tough regulations and difficult market access.
The rampant shanzhai culture, characterized by poor imitation and distorted taste, degrades the qualities of contemporary arts and modern civilization. Even if market monopoly and IPR barriers, as well as an unfair global pricing system, add extra costs to general consumers, it is impossible for shanzhai to replace the original in the long term. And the prosperity of the shanzhai culture, which represents fading artistic creativity and lost cultural tastes amid social transformation, can never last long. It can only disturb the market order.
Dong Fanger (www.chinanews.com.cn): With easy access to the Internet, shanzhai entertains the public through parodying popular culture. Despite its popularity, most shanzhai offerings are fake. This lowers public tastes and disgraces the intrinsic spirit of Chinese culture.
But varying from popular culture, the existence of copycat shanzhai will stimulate cultural reform and innovation via diversification. As the period of social transition reaches completion, however, popular culture will return to its rightful place and the so-called shanzhai culture, a poor imitation short of creativity, will subsequently decline. |