China is synonymous with cheap – in both senses, low quality as well as low cost – unreliable and at times, even fake products. China developed a huge manufacturing monster that’s producing things at 1/x cost of the other countries. Most of the multinationals have moved their manufacturing to China. In fact, Apple proudly mentions “Designed in California. Manufactured in China”. Barring such marquee brands, the other outfits in China usually churn unreliable, low cost, low quality output. That spot belonged to Japan few decades ago (after the World War 2). But Japan brought about a massive revolution in Quality (led by many Quality Gurus including Deming and Juran and so on) and now Japan is synonymous with quality products. China may follow the same trajectory but as of now it’s known for cheap imitations and fake products.
But all that was about mass manufactured goods, or tools or machines or gadgets.
Who would have thought that China is doing the same to the world of Art?
I came across this documentary about how a village in China is producing fake paintings! Do watch it…
That makes me ponder on an important question: How the Art gets its value? Is it because of rarity, for being the first? Does value diminish if there are clones? Is art relative or absolute?
ekoshapu 
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