Gongbans (Public Board) are ready to deploy technical solutions commonly used by the open ecosystem in Shenzhen to speed up development. We are happy to kick off the channel to bring the information on Gongban to the wider audience. For the first batch, we feature the solution from ATU of WPI which is introduced in this article: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/05/chinas-mass-production-system/370898/

Strata – which was awarded the Robin and Lucienne Day Foundation prize 2017 – is still in its early stages, and the pair are weighing up whether to partner with a bigger brand, or strike out on their own as a start-up. They also suggest that the system offers potential for the company to collaborate with other independent designers. "We would like to encourage ourselves as a dot in an ecosystem, and everyone else can tap into our model," said the duo, who were previously Makers in Residence as part of a British Council project in Shenzhen, China.

Shanzhai Archeology: defying our standardized technological imagination by Clément Renaud --- These bizarre devices belong to the shanzhai production. They are counterfeit consumer goods, sold at lower prices and boasting multifunctional performances. There’s a lot to admire about them though. First, they were designed to respond to very specific market needs. Second, they are hybrid products that emerge directly from the technological cross-breeding of the Made in China. These odd-looking artifacts question the hyper-normalised western technological imaginary and challenge the monopoly of our black touch-screen rectangles.

From Pussy Hat to Shanzhai! :) --- The Things of the Internet Reflections on Object Culture and Internet Culture presented by An Xiao Mina in Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society on 03/21/2017 http://opentranscripts.org/transcript/things-of-the-internet/

"In Shenzhen, at the centre of the greatest concentration of manufacturing capability ever assembled in human history, I saw what this culture looks like when applied to manufacturing. From Shenzhen the whole of the Pearl River Delta supply chain is accessible. In the Huaqiangbei electronics market it is even laid out for anyone to browse. Urban villages like Sha Wei function like porous factories as products move between different stages of manufacture through the streets. The lack of intellectual property rights makes all design open source and has led to the “Shanzai" model of design innovation. Shenzhen sucks people who want to make things in this way from all over the world. Freelance mechanical and electrical engineers are as common, and as international, as freelance software developers in London. Designing and manufacturing a physical product in Shenzhen is as quick and easy as building and launching an app in London. Even if they’ve never heard of the maker movement people in Shenzhen are signed up to the ethos." http://creativeconomy.britishcouncil.org/blog/17/05/24/will-all-manufacturers-become-makers/ #helloshenzhen

Great talk given by An Xiao Mina! --- As the internet connects makers, manufacturers and shippers across supply chains, a new form of producing and distributing global objects is arising, one that relies more on bottom up networks than top down oversight. When you look carefully, you see the signs of them: in the US, they might be t-shirts with hashtags on them, pussyhats at marches, and creative protest signs, and in Shenzhen, China, we see a plethora of hardware objects, such as selfie sticks, hoverboards and e-cigarettes, that rapidly reach global markets. What sorts of objects do new forms of hardware culture enable, and what role does the internet now play in all steps along the way, from ideation to sales to manufacturing to shipping? How might we now incorporate physical objects into our notions of internet memes? And what does this suggest about the future of object culture more generally?

The Wall Street Journal trying out making Shanzhai phone in Shenzhen! ;) --- Andy Rubin's phone cost $700; the WSJ 1 cost $70 and helps explain why the smartphone market is so tough. Take a journey to see how, with the help of Shenzhen's ready to go supply chain, we did it.

--- Transsion—whose products are sold under the Tecno, itel and Infinix brand names—developed handsets with two SIM-card slots after research showed people were carrying additional cards to avoid making out-of-network calls to save money. It also optimized its cameras to better highlight the features of people with dark skin tones. “We didn’t want to bring what we had,” said Arif Chowdhury, Transsion’s vice president. “We wanted to bring what customers need.”

Shenzhen in Nature!

Great reflection on design with Shenzhen by our summer resident Ankur Rawal! --- "The HQB market, however, turns this conventional wisdom on its head. Branded products are only visible in the established stores on the mall front. Inside, you see the domestic products that you have never heard of. These are ‘designed’ products, often without any brand names on their body, and come in various shapes and sizes. The best part- they are cheap and they work! These are available across a range of prices, and at every price band there is an added feature or assurance of reliability. These are the Shanzhai products. From smartwatches, to bluetooth speakers; digital cameras to HDMI sticks."