What's so special about the term that literally means "mountain village" and is suddenly making headlines everywhere.
The first time I noticed the word "shanzhai" was a couple of months ago when the Southern Weekend carried a feature on a new kind of cell phone. It implied that "shanzhai" phones were those manufactured without filing for approvals with the authorities, thus saving hundreds of thousands of yuan in license fees. It did not specify that "shanzhai" involved imitation and possible copyright infringement.
But it is definitely more than simply a copycat. It is imitation with a twist or imitation with an attitude. It could even be seen as a parody.
An amateur who wanted to talk about Yue Fei, the Song Dynasty hero, applied to be featured on CCTV10's Lecture Room. He was turned down. "We will not consider anyone who does not possess at least the title of an associate professor," he was told. So, he used a camcorder and made his own lecture series. He was treated more kindly when he posted these online.
Another amateur embarked on a more daring endeavor: He or she remade part of the A Dream of the Red Mansion drama, using only family members. The dialogue and music were borrowed from the original television series, and the cape looks like the curtain - hey, Scarlett O'Hara did it. I was surprised that the very short episode had cut-ins and close-ups, and can be seen as a documentary as well because some of the shots show other family members doing their own thing unrelated to the plot, such as playing mahjong.
These are two of the latest "shanzhai" shows making the rounds. They are less well made than Hu Ge's spoof of The Promise some three years ago. They are kinder, gentler and have generally been received with better humor. In a sense, they occupy the middle ground between the real thing and sarcasm.
"Shanzhai" eschews innovation because innovation is costly. It does not intend to break new ground or explore new paths. It feeds on existing models of success, be they products or trends. When pretty boy actor Huang Xiaoming started a side business as a singer, he copied South Korea's Rain down to the smallest detail. His album It's Ming is said to be "shanzhai" to the core.
Advertisers have found that they can save a bundle by hiring look-alikes of big-name celebrities. So, if you spot Jay Chou in a commercial for some electronic gadget, it could be the twin brother he never had, but with the same smile and hand gesture. I guess you can't patent a person's look and manners.
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