How To Face Serious Challenge By China Toys Industry

China is the largest toy producing country in the world and the China made toys products sell well in too many countries and regions. Since the reform and opening up, the toy industry in China gradually grow, develop and now become the export industry with absolute advantage.

According to statistics, in recent years, China's toy import market grows at the rate of 30% and top ten toy sales companies in the world including Hasbro, Lego and so on have enter the Chinese toy market. In order to face the competitive pressures from toy industry giant in the world, the Chinese toy companies should take advantage of technology to increase the added value of toy products.

Nowadays, in the era of knowledge and economy, it is inevitable to develop science and technology feature toys. At present, toy industry in developed Europe and the United States have regulated the industrial structure. For example, the demand of traditional plastic toys and stuffed animals products has dropped while more and more people are likely to buy electric toys with high technology andeducational toys to develop intelligence. World famous toys companies now are racing to develop the scientific and technological toys and even world computer giant such as Microsoft, Intel and IBM want to put into use digital technology to develop science and technology toys. Generally speaking, intelligent toys have too much additional value, for example, they can be used to take logical judgement. From sales data, it shows that such intelligent toys with science and technology elements have good market prospect. Combined with education ways, people can develop their intelligence from toys playing process and get pleasure at the same time.

In China, there are too many toys categories in toys market, including stuffed animals, plastic toys, electronic toys, model toys, educational toys and so on. Among them, stuffed animals and children car model are the best-selling toy products. Currently, with development of toys industry trends, intelligent toys which are combined with high technology feature are favored by consumers. At the same time, toy industry in China should reduce the imitation of foreign toys and develop the local brands which would have good market prospects, then take advantage of innovation to design science and technology toys, which not only have the strong scalability, but also have the competitive pricing.

More than 70 percent of the toys in world are produced in China, in order to make China toy business become bigger and stronger, two ways including developing famous Chinese toys brands and pay more attention to intelligent toys should be useful.

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The new Grand Bargain

It's time to speak about a potential new Grand Bargain - not the side show we just witnessed in Washington DC - but how unlocking the US$3.5 trillion of capital sitting in Beijing could be transformational to the growth of the world economy. 

One economic relationship - not only because of its size but because of its ability to shift the psychological momentum - can change everything. If we can find a way to unravel the economic stalemate between China and the US, and create a flow of capital free of political constraints, we can change the economic trajectory of the world economy for the next decade. This is where our energy should be focused.

The elections we just had in the US were very consequential in this regard. We still have a very divided electorate and divided government, but in arguably the weakest economic environment since the Great Depression, the opposition party was unable to win. This has led to more soul searching about the nature of the opposition party's message then has occurred in the last 30 years. In the lingo of the entrepreneur, the Republican Party is coming to terms with the fact that it has a 'product development' problem, not just a "marketing" problem. This in turn, I believe will set the stage for a new grand bargain.

The economic narrative that launched Ronald Reagan to the presidency, a narrative that celebrated the stimulative effects of cutting taxes and reducing the role of Government, still dominates Republican thinking, but it has proven unsuccessful in a year that was its to lose. That has created a huge opening for new thinking, one that could have enormous consequences for the "convergence of interests" between Democrats and Republicans, and ultimately between the US and China.

Throughout the presidential campaign, Americans were peddled the false choice between raising taxes on the rich (who are the ones who can invest) and draconian cuts to social services to the less fortunate (who are already badly off).

This same bad choice played out on a state by state basis to varying results. In the state of California, the issue was framed between the rich paying a little more and public education suffering. Framed that way, it actually sounds like a simple choice except when you consider that the top 1% already pay 50% of the taxes in California, are highly mobile, and have access to accountants that can maneuver around our highly complicated tax code. 

The bottom line is that neither solution, taken in isolation, works well in a fragile economy. One needs look no further than Spain and the UK to see the depressing effects of purely contractionary fiscal policy. So each party developed an approach to address this.

The Republicans would lower tax rates to counter the dampening effects of cutting spending, and the Democrats advocate investing in infrastructure in order to offset the negative impact of tax increases. That then leads to a new round of arguments.

Republicans, while agreeing that infrastructure investment is vital for reviving growth, counter that we need to find a way to pay for it, that this so called "investment" is just spending by another name that will further inflate the deficit. The Democrats say tax cuts will do the same thing. Neither party gives credit to the other party's auxiliary fiscal plank for creating growth which would reduce the deficit.

This is why we have a stalemate in the US and why the economy is paralyzed. But there is a way out of the box, a political and financial solution that starts at the state level and that provides the necessary knowledge and the means to move out of the present financial trajectory. This new economic narrative, which is tailor-made to become the new economic platform of the Republican party, starts by looking at how to make the trillions of dollars of state public assets more efficient. They have been completely overlooked in the fiscal debate, and they represent the biggest piece of wiggle room that exists to restart the US economy today.

Instead of only looking at annual budgets and liabilities, we must go deeper and thoroughly examine the asset side of the balance sheet. A full balance sheet is the first step to reassessing what can actually be done on a state by state basis. Incredibly, this has never been done- not even in a state the size of California, despite its massive problems.

When you look at the balance sheet, you see a very different picture state by state of the US economy. You start to see a much bigger pie, and with that comes more room to maneuver. All of a sudden a scenario exists where you can avoid the most draconian cuts, avoid further taxes on the rich, and invest to kick start the US economy while deleveraging it. None of this obviates the need for serious entitlement reform, but it's a lot easier, with this new information, to see how we can create a solution to the partisan divide.

Most people think that California is bankrupt. I maintain that it's actually rich, and probably getting richer with the shale energy revolution. We feel it when we walk the streets, when we look at our forests, our cities, our parks, our incredible beaches, and the creativity of our people. We are home to the best and most innovative companies in the world - Apple, Facebook, Google - brands that are larger than many states. We are home to the one place producing dreams and imagination for the whole world - Hollywood.

Once we tally all this up, and finally know what the state really has, things start to change immediately, just like they would for a person with a debt of $1,000 who discovers his assets are worth $1 million. In the case of California, there are estimates that put the value of public assets at over one trillion dollars, dwarfing even the worst case estimate of total liabilities for the state. When the financial markets see that California is not bankrupt, that its assets are worth more than its liabilities, the state's interest payments, contributing to the deficit, will go down immediately. 

Other benefits will accrue over time. Once we have the balance sheet, a logical next step would be to create a "California enterprise fund" and accept investments in it. This is where China comes in, with its huge reserve of dollar denominated "soft assets". These assets are potentially at risk of being eroded by future US inflation. China has made it clear it would like to convert these into hard, inflation protected assets. It has two problems in that regard.

One is the sheer volume of money that needs to be moved. It will be difficult to find enough large assets. But public assets are sufficiently large to solve that problem. Second, there has been political resistance to even relatively small acquisitions because of the fear of outsourcing jobs. That problem is also solved by public assets because the jobs associated with them are immobile and can't be outsourced.

Of course, no state will give up control over its assets, nor should they. But even selling a non-controlling 20-30% stake could yield hundreds of billions of new capital in a state like California, capital that could be earmarked for paying off debt (and likely would be through investor covenants), investing in dilapidated infrastructure, and providing a bridge that makes unnecessary the false choice proposed in this last election.

Once the transfusion of capital is in, Democrats get money to rebuild infrastructure and avoid the worst cuts to social services. Republicans avoid the worst of the tax increases that dampen investment and hurt the economy, and they get to ride the improvements in infrastructure without increasing the debt. They also get, and this is critical, the discipline of outside investment in public assets, a "public private" partnership that leads to more efficiency.

This is a new, improved way to harness big government which allows Republicans to stay true to their conservative principles. China gets to structure their US holdings in a safer and potentially more prosperous way, and avoid the political backlash of other types of investments in the US. And America gets to recapitalize itself and kickstart its growth engine.

This grand bargain represents an initial convergence of interests between the two main political parties, and could set the stage for a real deal on entitlements. It also represents a significant convergence of economic interest between the United States and China, and that will make it much easier to solve our other differences. As presidents like to say "Elections have consequences", and this one perhaps more than most people think.

(This is adapted from a speech delivered on December 11, 2012 in Beijing at The Third Forum on Global Entrepreneurial Economy.)

Bill Mundell is a Californian entrepreneur who has advanced market-based solutions to economic and policy issues in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the Financial Times. He is spearheading a citizens’ campaign to attack gerrymandering in American politics 

(Original article form http://www.atimes.com)

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8 Must-knows about business set-up in China

1. You have more than one option for a local presence in China

Your China presence may be in the form of a wholly owned foreign enterprise, a contractual joint venture, an equity joint venture, a representative office or a local representation by a third party (local secretary/representation service companies).

2. Carefully define your business scope for the China presence

China National Development and Reform Commission may prohibit, restrict, permit or encourage your business set-up based on your business categorization and scope. Hence it is critical to carefully define your business scope so as to be permitted or encouraged to set up the presence.

3. Select the right location for your China operation

China abandoned its preferential tax rate for investments of foreign companies from January 1st 2008. However, some areas still offer local preferential policies for foreign investors in terms of land leasing/procurement, staff recruitment and management, local tax etc.

4. Confirm the minimum registered capital for your China operation

The Chinese government requires certain minimum registered capital for various types of businesses. However, local Industry and Commerce Administrations may decide on your minimum registered capital based on their judgement of your business scope and operation scale. You need to confirm with local government agencies the minimum registered capital through local contacts before taking any other actions in case they require an amount far above your financial resources available for the China operation.

5. Integrate commercial clauses in the Articles of Association to maximise profit repatriation into Australia

You may have commercial arrangements between your Head Office in Australia and the subsidiary in China in order to guarantee maximum profit repatriation. However, some arrangements must be included as part of the Articles of Association to be valid. The Articles of Association is to be submitted to local government agencies for approval and filing during business license registration. Hence, you must incorporate necessary clauses in the Articles of Association in the first instance.

6. Fully understand employers’ responsibilities and liabilities in China

China issued the new Law of Labour in 2007 which specified issues on employment contract, redundancy, etc. Without preliminary knowledge of this law, you may end up spending a huge amount of time and money terminating the contract with under performing employees, as the structure of the contract was wrong. You also need to be aware of the mandatory employee welfare and benefits so as to include such cost in the budget.

7. Conduct thorough due diligence and credit check on your joint venture partners

Your partners may not be what they claim to be. China has the business culture to show their wealth and status by driving luxurious cars, wearing prestigious watches and owning an impressive factory. Hence your Chinese business partners may look financially viable and well connected but, as a matter of fact, live on bank loans and personal debts.

8. Develop a comprehensive local employee management system

It is a hard job to recruit the right staff in a foreign country. It is even harder to effectively manage the local staff in a foreign country. A sound and robust employee management system will encourage the engagement and commitment of local staff and avoid potential risks. You may include reporting and communication policies, staff training, performance assessment, remuneration, career management and employee management manual in the system.

(Quoted from http://www.australianbusiness.com.au)

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History of China Shoes

Submitted by: Himfr Ivy

Ancient shoes were classified into three types in terms of material, i.e. grass, cloth and leather.

Cloth shoes refer to shoes made with hemp fiber, damask silk, brocade and so on.

In the Han Dynasty (206BC-23AD), the toe cap of cloth shoe was usually biforked, and the tread was made with linen thread. Such a shoe was called "Shuangjian Qiaotou Fanglü (square shoe with double tips and a rising head).

In the Wei and Jin Dynasties (220-316), the front tip of a shoe was usually decorated with a double-beast pattern. The color matching was harmonious, and the whole shoe looked very graceful.

In the Northern Song Dynasty (550-577), Ji was popular among all people, from the emperor to common people. The so-called Ji was a shoe with wooden teeth and consisted of three parts: Bian (the shoe body), Xi (the lace) and Chi (the teeth).

In the Song Dynasty (960-1297), most men wore leather shoes with a small toe, and women usually wore shoes with a round toe, flat toe or rising toe, sometimes decorated with various patterns such as flower or bird.

In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), men's shoes usually stressed thickness and strength, and the materials and fashions were varied. In general, in the north people wore lozenge-patterned good-looking shoes, and in the south people wore palm fiber shoes. Besides, in the period from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) to the Ming Dynasty, a kind of female cloth shoes was popular, which was characterized by a high rising toe and a flat and thick tread. It made its wearers especially slim.

In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), men's shoes were mostly pointed-toe ones, whose materials were satin in summer and autumn, and lint in winter. The tread might be thick or thin, the instep might be single-ridged or double-ridged, and the upper might have embroidery, or there was a pattern of cirrus clouds at the toe. Women's shoes in the Qing Dynasty were very special: the tread was usually wooden and in the shape of a horse's roof, as high as one to five inches , so it was called "Matidi" (horse hoof shaped tread). The instep was usually made of silk, with colored embroidery on it. Those worn by noble women also had some jewelry inlaid on the vamp. Old women usually wore wooden flat-soled shoes.

History of Shoes in China

xi

In the Neolithic age(from about 10,000 years ago to about 4,000 year ago), ancestors of China used grass, hemp, or kudzu vine to make shoes. There were many ways to name shoe, such as Jü, Lü, Xi and so on. Xi is the most valuable.

Ancient shoes were classified into three types in terms of material, i.e. grass, cloth and leather.

Cloth shoes refer to shoes made with hemp fiber, damask silk, brocade and so on.

In the Han Dynasty (206BC-23AD), the toe cap of cloth shoe was usually biforked, and the tread was made with linen thread. Such a shoe was called "Shuangjian Qiaotou Fanglü (square shoe with double tips and a rising head).

In the Wei and Jin Dynasties (220-316), the front tip of a shoe was usually decorated with a double-beast pattern. The color matching was harmonious, and the whole shoe looked very graceful.

In the Northern Song Dynasty (550-577), Ji was popular among all people, from the emperor to common people. The so-called Ji was a shoe with wooden teeth and consisted of three parts: Bian (the shoe body), Xi (the lace) and Chi (the teeth).

In the Song Dynasty (960-1297), most men wore leather shoes with a small toe, and women usually wore shoes with a round toe, flat toe or rising toe, sometimes decorated with various patterns such as flower or bird.

In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), men's shoes usually stressed thickness and strength, and the materials and fashions were varied. In general, in the north people wore lozenge-patterned good-looking shoes, and in the south people wore palm fiber shoes. Besides, in the period from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) to the Ming Dynasty, a kind of female cloth shoes was popular, which was characterized by a high rising toe and a flat and thick tread. It made its wearers especially slim.

double-ridged shoes

In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), men's shoes were mostly pointed-toe ones, whose materials were satin in summer and autumn, and lint in winter. The tread might be thick or thin, the instep might be single-ridged or double-ridged, and the upper might have embroidery, or there was a pattern of cirrus clouds at the toe. Women's shoes in the Qing Dynasty were very special: the tread was usually wooden and in the shape of a horse's roof, as high as one to five inches , so it was called "Matidi" (horse hoof shaped tread). The instep was usually made of silk, with colored embroidery on it. Those worn by noble women also had some jewelry inlaid on the vamp. Old women usually wore wooden flat-soled shoes.

Opinions vary about the origin of high-heeled shoes. It is said to originate from China. There were already high-heeled wooden sandals as early as the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280). Some Qixie (Manchu shoes) worn by Manchu women in ancient times, had a heel higher than five Cun.

Boots, used to be worn by the nomadic nationalities in north China, are also called "ridding boots" and "high boots". There are many kinds of boots: Hanxue (dry land boots), Huaxue (colored boots), leather boots, felt boots, unlined boots, cotton boots, Yuntouxue (boots with cloud patterns at the toe), Edingxue (boots with a goose-shaped toe) and so on.

In the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-581), boots were popular in the north, and even spread to the south. In the Tang Dynasty (618-907), boots were worn by both officials and common people. In the Song Dynasty, boots for females began to appear. In the Yuan Dynasty, Korean-style boots prevailed. In the Ming Dynasty, although the court forbad common people to wear boots, there were still many short boots, which looked like both shoes and boots. Men in the Qing Dynasty usually wore shoes, and only wore boots to match official uniforms. Materials of boots mostly were satin, lint, cloth and leather. Chaoxue (boots for the court) had a square toe, but boots for common people had pointed toes.

According to experts on folklore, Chinese footbinding originated in the Southern Tang Dynasty (937-976). The so-called "three-inch golden lotuses" refer to women's tiny bound feet, and also refer to the shoes they wore: they were in the shape of a rising bird head. Their treads were wooden, in a bent shape like a bow. Therefore, they were called "bow shoes", which originally meant bent-tread shoes, but later generally referred to the small shoes worn by foot-bound women.

In the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, there was a rule that footbinding was permitted only for women from noble families. The bow shoes of that time had treads as high as 4 - 5 Cun. By the Qing Dynasty, "three-inch golden lotuses" worn by the Han women had won the favor of the Manchu women. The Qing court issued orders many times to prohibit Manchu people from footbinding, but still many Manchu women liked to follow it. Threfore, footbinding became very popular among them. There are various kinds of bow shoes: sleeping shoes, Huanjiaoxie (shoes for change of feet), sharp-crested shoes, Tatangxie (shoes for walking in the main room), net shoes, lotus shoes, overshoes, funeral shoes, female shoes, and so on. The exquisite bow shoes had various kinds of embroidered patterns at the toe, the tread, the inside and the upper. Rich women's bow shoes even had some bright pearls or other ornaments on them.

In China, sandals evolved from slippers. Slippers, called "Jixie" in ancient times, originated in the Han Dynasty (206BC-23AD). Subsequently, hemp sandals, cloth sandals and leather sandals appeared one after another. The ancient people embroidered some auspicious patterns, such as dragon and phoenix, etc., on their sandals. Some even decorated them with jewels.

Wooden Sandals

In Wenchang County of Hainan Province in southern China, a famous hometown of overseas Chinese, there has always been a custom to wear wooden sandals. Although the wooden sandals are in the danger of being gradually eliminated, to be replaced by cloth shoes, leather shoes or plastic shoes, yet you can still see many people wearing wooden sandals, whether in countryside or town.

Muji is a general term for shoes of wooden treads. Legend has it that in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC), Jie Zitui, a nobleman of the Jin Kingdom, once got exiled together with the Jin King, Jin Wengong, to another kingdom. After his return, Jie Zitui lived in seclusion in Mianshang Mountain (now southeast of Gongxiu County, Shangxi Province), and declined Jin Wengong's repeated invitations. Later, the military people ordered by the king to summon Jie Zitui attempted to force him out by burning the mountain where he lived, but Jie Zitui died holding a tree. Jin Wengong lamented Jie Zitui so much that he used wood of this tree to make Muji, and whenever he put them on, he would think of Jie Zitui.

Wenchang Muji has a centuries-old history. At first, its shape was very similar to a tiny wooden stool and the upper was added onto it. Since only a small area of Wenchang Muji contacts the ground, they are suitable for walking on muddy road or in rainy days, and it is not easy for people to slip down.

Afterwards, Muji carved out of a whole piece of wood appeared. Such Mujis have more advantages.

There are many sorts of Wenchang Muji: Kulian (chinaberry) Muji, Kuchang Muji, Jiangfu muji, etc. Especially, the Muji made of chinaberry and painted with beautiful pictures is so wonderful to wear, as chinaberry is both light and durable.

Along with Sino-foreign cultural exchanges, Muji has spread to Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia, and even today it is still popular there.

About the Author: Himfr Ivy is a scholar, focusing his research on Chinese cultures. If you are interested in purchasing China shoes, please visit www.himfr.com.

Source: www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=292744&ca=Culture

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China's western region, with its lower land and labor costs, isbecoming a new hot spot for foreign

China's western region, with its lower land and labor costs, isbecoming a new hot spot for foreign 

byICDENTA ICDENTA

China's western region, with its lower land and labor costs, isbecoming a new hot spot for foreign investment. That is good news for the entire country, a large part of whichremains relatively underdeveloped. But should the eastern coastalregion be worried that sharing foreign investment with the westwill stall its growth? Not necessarily, according to analysts. First, more investment in the west doesn't necessarily mean less inthe east. Foreign companies could just be investing more.

Second, even though some investment will be diverted to the west,this is chasing lower labor and land costs, which the east is nolonger able to offer at its current stage of development. For now, a larger part of foreign direct investment still goes tothe east, but FDI to the west is growing at an astonishing rate. In 2011, FDI to China as a whole stood at $116 billion. Only around$12 billion went to the west.

But the west saw a growth rate of 28percent, more than four times the rate in the east. A report by the Economist Intelligence Unit singled out Chongqingas an example of investment moving inland in China. In FDI terms, it went from 22nd place out of 31 provinces,autonomous regions and municipalities on the mainland in 2007, toovertaking Beijing in 2011, when the western metropolis attracted$10.8 billion in investment. The trend is expected to continue, with the city set to overtakeTianjin and Shanghai by 2014. "It's just natural that some industries are going to the west afterlabor and land prices have shot up so much in the east over thepast decade.

Meanwhile the market in the west is also maturing,"said Sun Lijian, a professor at the School of Economics at FudanUniversity in Shanghai. That is not bad news for the east, Sun added, as it can focus onindustries with more added-value. In fact, the central government has been encouraging theeast-to-west industry transfer. A document released last year said that moving labor-intensiveindustries to the west is an "inevitable requirement" if the nationwants to upgrade its industries.

A typical example of this transfer can be found in Shanghai.Formerly a manufacturing center, the manufacturing capacity of thecity, which is aiming to become a global financial center, has beenmoving to the surrounding Yangtze River Delta. As part of this trend, US firms are moving their high-endmanufacturing capacity from Shanghai to the delta. In a recent survey conducted by the American Chamber of Commerce inShanghai, two-thirds of respondents said they imported parts orfinished goods from the United States into China to support theiroperations in the country, where around 200 AmCham Shanghai membersproduce products in the Yangtze River Delta. Companies used to regard the delta primarily as Shanghai's"backyard", but it is gradually becoming a "one-stop shop" forinnovation and design, finance, manufacturing, marketing and sales,said Aaron Lo, a partner at KPMG. According to AmCham Shanghai President Brenda Foster, there is aclear trend that more members are expanding from Shanghai to thedelta region, encouraged by policy incentives, lower costs andopportunities to extend their market penetration.

"We see enlightened local governments in second-tier cities likeNanjing and Suzhou, who are very proactive in seeking investment,offering incentives, and they usually have a clear business plan asto what types of industries they want to develop," said Foster. For example, special zones have been set up, such as SuzhouIndustrial Park, with small and medium-sized enterprise centers andresearch facilities to attract investors. The transfer is a natural outcome, said Foster, citing Shanghai asan example. As the city develops into a major hub for finance andservices, its industries are moving to surrounding areas.

"The market in the delta is still unsaturated. A growing middleclass with an increasing disposable income drives many businessesto integrate their regional sales, manufacturing functions and evenR&D into the region," she said. As this transfer gathers pace, a domino effect is being witnessed. While many high-end manufacturers move from Shanghai to the YangtzeRiver Delta, their low-end colleagues are moving from the delta tothe west. For example, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, decided last month to setup a memory chip plant in the northwestern city of Xi'an.

Foxconn,a manufacturer of Apple iPhones and iPads, already has amanufacturing site in Chengdu, Sichuan province. "It's a trend that foreign investment in low-end manufacturing goesto the central and western regions. But capital andtechnology-intensive industries will stay in eastern China," saidSun from Fudan University.

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Buying Property In China

Submitted by: Parag Sheth

China is the largest Nation on Earth with a population of over 1.3 Billion people and is also the Worlds oldest civilization with a culture going back 6,000 years. Situated in and comprising the majority of Central and East Asia, it comprises two states: The Peoples Republic of China (including Hong Kong and mainland China) and the Republic of China (including Taiwan). Between them they border a huge number of Asian countries including Russia, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Burma and North Korea. China is vast and so is the choice of where to make an investment in China property.

Culturally and politically China was ruled for many millennia by successive dynasties, including the Han, Liao, Jin, Ming, Tang and Qin dynasties. During this period, the four great inventions of China came into being and affect the lives of everybody: Paper; Printing; The Compass and Gunpowder.

The Qing Dynasty ended in 1912 with the Republic of China. This was a time of great upheaval for China and was dominated by in fighting before unification in 1928 under the Kuomintang government. This was disrupted again by the intervention of foreign powers and World War II, leading to the defeat of the Kuomintang and retreat to Taiwan and the establishment of Communism as the dominant force politically, hence, the two countries and differing political structures.

Geographically, mainland China is very varied but consists of large mountainous regions, alluvial plains, a vast coastline and the great Mongolian plateau. The two great rivers of the Yangtze and Huang He dominate the farming communities as they built along the shorelines.

Language is diverse but the most common dialect is Mandarin but others include Cantonese and Shanghainese. Mandarin is considered to be the language to learn as it is understood by the largest number of people verbally and is the only widely-used written language.

Although, due to Communism, the majority of Chinese people consider themselves to be Atheist a large number also consider themselves to be Buddhist, Confucianist or Taoist. Because of the dominance of Confucianism in imperial China it still has a major influence on the customs and values of the modern population. Also very influential was the long-standing Communist leader, Chairman Mao Tse-Tung, who took office in 1945 and led the party until his death in 1976. His philosophy and legacy may have been tainted by accusations of despotism but his dominance is beyond doubt.

Modern China has tried to move forward and embrace some forms of Capitalism and trade more openly with the rest of the World, to the point where it is anticipated that it may become the Worlds largest economy. As a country of immense history it holds great interest for the traveller and its growing economy make it an investment hot-spot.

Property in China

For many years the property market in China was not open to overseas investors although this began to change as the ruling party realised that they would need to attract outside investment and business to rejuvenate a very stale and stagnant economy. After building up closer relations with some of the powerful western companies, there was a natural progression from commercial property investment to residential property in China.

As the residential property market began to develop, initially because of overseas investment and interest from non-nationals, there was a major increase in activity. In the more popular areas of the country such as Shanghai and Beijing, the presence of multi-national business has swamped the residential market with companies willing to pay a high price to house key members of staff. In the few years prior to 2005 this created a number of property hot spots, resulting in a number of property bubbles.

The Chinese government were forced to introduce new legislation in 2005 aimed at curbing short term / speculative investment in the market place. This resulted in residential property prices falling by an average of 15% in 2005, with many of the short term investors forced to sell properties at less than market price. While the short term investment concerns have been dampened in the short term, there is still great value and opportunity on a longer term basis - with the government committed to steadier long term growth, rather than short term volatile price fluctuations.

Why invest in Property in China

As overseas investment continues to pour into China, it is interesting that the government is looking to take a greater control of the economy. Conscious that an over heating economy is a recipe for medium to long term disaster, a number of regulations were introduced to slow down what could become an out of control situation.

While the economy is strongly aligned with that of the US, there are three major reasons for the continued prosperity of the area and for property in China :-

Overseas Investment

As long as the Chinese ruling party continue to encourage overseas investment, the economy will continue to grow at a steady pace - currently forecast at between 5% and 8% per annum. Cheap labor, available property and under developed employment regulations add further to the attractions for overseas investors. The fact that many products are shipped to China for assembly, then shipped back to their country of origin further highlights the difference in labor costs.

World Trade Organization

The fact that the Chinese government have decided to join the World Trade Organization offers valued security and confidence to many investors looking at the Chinese market. The strict regulations and condition associated with membership of the WTO ensure an open and fair trading relationship (the lack of openness had been of concern for many investors prior to recent years).

Infrastructure Spend

While it would have been easy for the Chinese authorities to accept new investment, without developing the country's infrastructure, much of the inward investment and increased economic growth has been re-invested into developing the aging transport and services sector. The fact that much need services and transport facilities are now available increases the potential investment possibilities in the more rural areas of the country, which can have a major impact on local economies.

Outlook

As the country continues to embrace the ideals of overseas investment, while retaining strong influence on the local inhabitants, the economic situation looks better than it has been for many years. The strong alignment with the strong US economy adds further strength to the growth story, which after a period of relatively low control, is now strongly influenced by legislative changes introduced by the authorities. The fact that the authorities are willing to intervene to avoid a boom and bust scenario adds further stability.

The location of the country, and influence over the Far East region ensures that China will remain at the forefront of international trade for some time to come. Perfectly situated for access by sea or land, and surrounded by some of the most important trading partners in the world, China is well positioned to take advantage of the country's growing presence in the world market place.

About the Author: The author of this article moderates at Totally Property - an overseas investment property forum that specialises in property in China.

Source: www.isnare.com

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Things You Should Know About China Fashion Wholesale Market

Submitted by: Simon Lau

Chinese products were known as competitive price and good quality, and "made in China" logo could be found all over the world, from Asia to Africa. If you don't believe, check around the items around you, you won't be disappointed I promise.

If you want to do some small business or buy something from China, especially fashion related. There are something you really should know about before start.

Casual fashion clothing: Guangdong, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Shanghai. These 4 provinces are the main textile bases dominating the fashion business in China. Thousands of wholesale websites existing thanks to them, like casual dresses, skirts, t-shirts, blouses, pants, etc.

Jeans & Denim: Xintang (Guangzhou). The jeans and denim definitely could represent Xintang, it accounts for 70% of the share in the country. Production over 0.2 billion pieces every year. More important, the stratigical partnership between the town and Alibaba has been signed.

Wedding dresses: Huqiu, Suzhou (Jiangsu). Every bride dreams about the perfect wedding dress. Suzhou known as "silk city", and wedding dress is their characteristic. Most of the suppliers and companies could offer custom made service. So it would be easier to get you a suitable and cheap wedding dress. There are also many wedding wear companies in Guangdong.

Fashion Shoes: Guangdong, Zhejiang and Shanghai. They are 3 main shoes manufacture bases in the nation. A joke was once said from CCTV, if these bases stop the production, we won't have shoes to wear at all! A little exaggerated, but it makes sense.

Handbags: Guangzhou(largest), Yiwu(Zhejiang), Baigou (Hebei), and Tainan(Jiangsu). All kinds of bags, leather products could be found in these four main markets.

Accessories: Yiwu (Zhejiang -largest), Guangdong, and Qingdao. In the 1980s, Taiwan was the larggest accessories center in the world, but now Yiwu takes over the place, and the business grow rapidly. Their 70% products were exported.

Of course there are many more kinds of products than just these above, like digitals, electronics, even furniture. Made in China means much cheaper but still with good quality. Now you know why it's so popular and common with the mark "Made in China" in the every corner of the world.

Since you know these basic information about the Chinese markets, if you need the products in very large quantity, you can think about manufacture orders; but if you don't need that many in quantity, ordering some ready stocks from China will be better. Like those Chinese online wholesale websites, or Taobao, Eachnet, etc. But you really need a reliable agency to do so if you can't come to China personally, they will help get all those stocks, repacking and dropship to you, it surely saves you much trouble and time to communicate with each of the suppliers.

For more information or need any help, please visit "Fashion Bop" (Google us please), they are a professional buy agency in China. Much more useful stuff waiting for you on our fashion resources categories too, one stop shopping for you!

About the Author: We are a professional buy agency in China, primary business: clothes, bags, shoes, electronics, and accessories.Shopping from China ; Wholesale from China; And also Taobao Shopping. Free charge of service fees! You could buy from multi suppliers, we will deliver in one batch! (http://www.fashion-bop.com)

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Chaozhou - China Wedding Dress Cities

Submitted by: Weihua

Chaozhou - China wedding dress tide of city states, the sea, in its south. , "A beautiful environment, outstanding people," here is the world's richest man Li Ka-shing, the world renowned scholar, Mr. Jao Tsung-I, the world-famous photographer Mr. Chen Fuli and other celebrities governor's hometown, has been frequently attract modern people's attention. Here is a myth and continue to create beautiful places. Today, the world's most beautiful clothes - on display in the U.S. Seventh Avenue New York, high-end windows of the wedding dress came from here.

Twenties of the last century, where tidal create embroidered products in Panama, the London event was scared 4-yan; in 1982, where the tide embroidery factory produced the "Kowloon screen described as" the Guangdong embroidery masterpiece, and won the National Arts and Crafts Flowers bonus Cup Award. The wave began in the Tang Dynasty of China's four big name embroidered embroidered embroidered Guangdong, a major one for a long time for its full balance of the composition, rich vibrant colors and clear textures, aesthetics magnificent win people's favorite flavor, but with the time, the influx of embroidered products in the market space getting smaller and smaller road gets narrower, the market is limited to Southeast Asia, decorations, costumes and temple items. "Must find a new way out!" Chaozhou people have tried to explore, and finally realize the true meaning of: The influx of embroidery and clothing combined. It is undeniable that flows from traditional embroidery to the world's largest wedding and evening dress production and export base in Chaozhou evening dress wedding industry, past and present achievements, not overnight, but through the tireless efforts of Chaozhou people several technological and industrial innovation, "baptism." Chaozhou wedding evening dress, the traditional has been the influx of 1,000 years of history, technology and the most stylish hand-embroidered fashion elements together, Chaozhou a gradual shift from OEM toward the brand.

Eighty years from the last century, the Chaozhou people respected the traditional manual process aimed at the international fashion market, the influx of cleverly embroidered traditional crafts, Chaozhou historical and cultural heritage into the modern clothing fashion, it quickly will be the world's top fashion industry thriving , and not just be satisfied with, "for others to do the wedding dress." Chaozhou garment industry has gradually come to rely on good-bye to the past, processing, sample processing, business model, many-scale garment enterprises have set up their own design teams, enterprise creation, product design R & D center. In the past, corporate CEOs to the United States to a foreign designer clothing; But now, corporate CEOs flew to the United States with their own designers, but it is busy wedding dress to the U.S. distributors to promote new design. 1993 to 1997, the name of the bead evening dress reelection Sweden China International Fashion Fair "five consecutive years," Gold; year after year, the United States of America Wedding annual appraisal of its composite index of the top three are the product of Chaozhou. 2

In January 2004, China Textile Industry Association, China National Garment Association officially "Chinese wedding dress evening dress city," the title granted to Chaozhou. Chaozhou evening dress wedding present more than 500 enterprises, many enterprises have successively into the scale of the international apparel market and gain a firm foothold in the brand competition, such as the name of Swiss Group has become the world's high-level evening wear, wedding dresses and accessories the largest The manufacturers, one of 20% of its foreign trade products are sold based on their own brand names. 2001 in the "Night of Chaozhou evening dress wedding," a large clothes cultural theme party, 230 (sets) with different features of the wedding dress debut, this is only an annual output of Chaozhou evening dress wedding nearly 20 million (sets) in miniature. Chaozhou is the world's largest production and export base of wedding dress is one of more than 40 billion yuan annual output value of the export volume of more than 300 million U.S. dollars, 80% of the products are exported to Europe and the United States more than 20 countries and regions. Year after year, the nation's wedding in the United States the annual appraisal, consolidated index of the top three are from Chaozhou products; in the enjoyment of "the world's high fashion showcase," said the New York Seventh Avenue and Fifth Avenue stores wedding evening dress, the Chaozhou wedding dress much the Western mainstream of the community of all ages.

FAMORY experience - one where the success of state-owned enterprises to the international big-name model in Chaozhou travel period, you may hear a true story of the legend are often locals: a living in the United States for several decades Chaozhou Chinese, for the preparations for a dowry when his daughter, in 2000 U.S. dollars to spend huge sums of money to buy a beautiful wedding, but after a few years to know that this wedding would come from in their own home - Chaozhou. The production company this wedding is the "name of Switzerland." In the annual wedding dress, evening dress off before a new round of popular upsurge. Europe and the United States a regional customer's eyes are invariably the name of Chaozhou in Guangdong to invest in Swiss companies. When the name of Sweden's wedding and evening dress designs and products in Europe and the United States the major fashion centers published by big merchants out when this year's wedding and evening dress trends will be born. Just 20 years, were Switzerland from a small, loss-making state-owned tidal embroidery factory to export nearly one million sets of wedding dress, has become an international wedding evening dress an important base for production and design, trendy center, became the wedding night the whole world dress industry NO.1.

In Chaozhou, it is hoped that through innovation, can usher in yet another leap forward in Chaozhou clothing. Chaozhou embroidery, clothing has a long history, but the real achievement of "quality" of the leap was after 1979. This year, the influx of embroidery factory (the name Swiss predecessor) has signed with Hong Kong Man's first case of Chaozhou City, contract processing of bead-shirt. Since then, the tide has created a bead embroidery factory shirt third-generation products "silk chiffon beaded T-shirt" and that the tide embroidered traditional technology and foreign popular fashionable style combines with new varieties, and soon attracted the U.S. Seventh Avenue, New York Canadian orders zenith boss to come and lead the new trend of fashion industry Chaozhou. FAMORY (FAMORY), take Italian well-known and timeless, as the corporate intangible assets, it is both the name has already been accomplished general Swedish clothing is damp from the shackles of embroidered and social awareness of the limitations, but also the credibility of corporate culture and strength to ensure . However, there are still a lot of people at that time changed its name can not understand, after all, Chaozhou wedding and evening dress is a result of "The tide is embroidered" into the sky, "The tide is embroidered" as an old embroidered kinds of cultural connotations than "FAMORY" much more ...... But the fact to convince people, "one Swiss" changing the name is almost entirely prior to processing, and now is reversed.

In the "name of Switzerland,"'s exports, 20% of the "name of Switzerland" brand to sell to go. And just a few years later changed its name to reach annual sales of 2.5 billion. This is a few years ago, the influx of people are afraid to imagine embroidery. The key success FAMORY from three aspects: First, to increase the design strength. At the same time, so that they design their own marketing, their own market development, with the latest models to guide the market and push the brand into the customer, the designers pushed to the customers through a variety of professional exhibitions, fashion shows, so that FAMORY a wedding dress and evening filled with luxury brand. Meanwhile, the name Swiss pay more attention to high-grade, high-quality, high-quality to establish their own brands, with increased market share to ensure their own brands.

For example: the title, "one Swiss Cup", focused around the fashion industry elite at home and abroad and the Xinhua News Agency, CCTV, etc. more than 30 news media journalists for the first time nearly 100 international evening dress, wedding dresses designed Grand Prix was held in 2001 in Chaozhou , while Guangdong FAMORY (Group) Co., Ltd. to host this competition. In short, in order to adapt to the current international market, the small quantity and variety of needs, to keep abreast of the ever-changing pace of the international fashion industry, Chaozhou garment moves forward and build brand-name products.

According to incomplete statistics, nearly 10 years, the city's garment industry accumulatively invested 359 million yuan fund new product development, these new products, new varieties, many international and domestic markets and well-known brands, such as "FAMORY" wedding dress, evening dress in the United States Seventh Avenue and Fifth Avenue, sales professionals are equipped with special exhibition window, and many European countries, the trade sector will be China FAMORY "FAMORY" As a large garment production and export high-level Introduction to the wholesalers, apparel products in Guangdong Province, the only Western mainstream society recognized brand. FAMORY Group "brand name Swiss" export dresses, women casual suit by the State General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine recognized as "National Inspection-free Product": the name Swiss Group, Gold Group, the fashion tide was brand-name products in Guangdong Province the title: "Name Rui" and other trade mark was awarded "Guangdong famous brand." Name Rui, Jin Chao, Wei S, Chong-rong, clear the, tramp, Angel ...... a wedding dress of a popular brand has born. Product structure of enterprises from the traditional embroidery, cotton, wool sweater, to bead-shirt, again high fashion, wedding dress diversified direction.

About the Author: I am a professional editor from China Suppliers, and my work is to promote a free online trade platform. http://www.frbiz.com/ contain a great deal of information about discount cocktail dress,backless wedding dress,china nail polish, welcome to visit!

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How Will China’s Energy Consumption 

Effect The West?

Submitted by: Davis Green

You can’t turn on the TV or open a magazine these days without reading about the rise of China and how they will be the next economic superpower within the next few decades.

China has 1.3 billion people living within it’s borders and an economy growing at over 10% per year. For energy consumption to keep pace with economic growth China will have to harness every fuel source available including renewable energy and nuclear power. There is not enough gas and oil in the world to satisfy China, not with it’s neighbour India with 1 billion people also having a huge demand for the same resources. An increase in the rise in personal car ownership alone could mean an extra billion cars on the road worldwide within the next 10 years. The majority of these will be in China and India.

While the West is considered developed and is growing slowly, the Chinese economy is still growing fast and is expanding the range of products and services that it offers to the West. Some of these products that are manaufactured such as plastics and chemicals will require even more oil. As the Chinese economy expands then so will the demand. As people move from urban to rural areas, the use and availability of electricity and gas in the home will also increase causing further strain on its reserves.

This growing economy needs the energy to drive this growth, there is only a limited amount of fossil fuels in the world and the oil and gas will not last for ever. This is leading to increasing competing demands for a countires resources, be that in Latin America or Africa. It also means that everybody buys oil from countries that have appaliing human rights issues. If America stops buying oil from Sudan because it is persecuting its citizens….China steps in to buy the oil and vice versa in countless countries around the world.

Until recently, Chinese companies seemed most comfortable operating in locations not dominated by the major oil companies often owned by UK or USA companies. This means that countries like Angola and Iran have partnerships and joint ventures with the Chinese. For example, over half of Chinese overseas oil production currently comes from Sudan. In 2005 the Chinese wanted to buy a USA oil company but congress blocked this on the basis that national energy security was at stake. There is a little irony in that USA companies expect to buy energy companies all over the word, but if a key competitor wants to buy one of theirs and is even offering a higher price then the deal is blocked.

Nobody can argue that China now plays a key role in the supply and demand of many global commodity markets including steel, cement, and oil. This need for resources combined with the bags of cash from its economic growth means that China can afford to buy any oil field and rights anywhere in the world. A position that only the USA held in the past.

Some argue that the allied forces only went to war in Iraq to get their hands on the oil, time will tell if this true as oil production is currently lower than when Saddam was in power due to sabotage and security problems. Will the next war have oil as its stated aim and not Weapons of Mass Destruction?

About the Author: David Oglaza is the founder of the Green and Ethical business GuideMeGreen. This growing green resource lists 100s of Organic, Fairtrade, Eco and Ethical companies. We even have Green jobs and a Green Forum!

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Product Manufacturing In China
- Friend Or Foe?

Submitted by: Justin Luyt

Do you think that Henry Ford would have imagined that in a few decades from revolutionizing industry, we will have a global economy with a global workforce?

Perhaps one of his most valuable visions was his understanding of industry, but today in our world of manufacturing so much of our products are manufactured with parts from all over the globe. It is difficult to purchase a single product today that was manufactured 100% in the USA - or solely in any other country for that matter.

Manufacturing in China has taken the manufacturing industry by force. With low cost labor and world class factories it is a very viable country to consider when thinking of manufacturing your product. Large corporations have taken advantage of this for many years but with the right contacts and infrastructure smaller firms can now also reap the rewards of manufacturing in China.

Dallas-based manufacturing consulting firm, Global Manufacturing Services works with small-to-mid size firms in the USA who desires to take their product to China for manufacturing. They have a pre-established network of factories in China in a multitude of industries. They work with US-based business from Design-to-Delivery and make it possible for the everyday-USA smaller firm to also get their product manufactured in China with great cost savings.

China is a very appealing country for international manufacturing of all industries, while some countries in the Asian region have found a more niche market. India and Pakistan are more powerful into textiles at this point of time, but still a viable options for global manufacturers.

Although globalization has brought American countries lower wages and lower cost to their manufacturing needs, we have to consider the impact it has to our local economy. More manufacturing needs are being shifted offshore and less manufacturing jobs are being filled on the mainland USA. But when businesses save cost, they can now pass those savings onto their customers in a win-win situation.

About the Author: Justin Luyt from Global Manufacturing Services help small-to-mid size firms manufacture their products in China. 817-692-9403

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Investing In China
The Feasibility Study Report

Submitted by: Bob Miles

In you are establishing a company in China, the Chinese government will require you to prepare a Feasibility Study Report in order to obtain approval for your project. This is basically a sales job designed to persuade the government that your project will be good for China.

It bears emphasizing that two versions of the Feasibility Study Report are generally required – a preliminary report early on, and a full report later on. Listed below are the contents of a full report, which can be simplified for the purposes of providing a preliminary report. Its purpose is to sell the project to the examination and approval authority by demonstrating its benefits to the Chinese economy and providing evidence of the investors’ ability to carry out the project.

(1) Proposed name of the proposed enterprise, legal address, scope of business, and scale.

(2) Names of investors, countries of establishment, legal addresses; name, position, and nationality of the new enterprise’s legal representative, and (in the case of Joint Ventures) the name of the administrative bureau supervising the Chinese partner.

(3) Details of proposed investment funds (self-owned funds, loan capital, investment proportion, form of investment – such as cash, equipment, etc., investment contribution schedule), and (in the case of Cooperative Joint Ventures) profit and loss sharing ratio among the partners.

(4) Term (duration) of the new enterprise.

(5) List of persons responsible for preparing the Feasibility Study Report.

(6) Summary and conclusion (including problems, issues, and suggestions).

The final Feasibility Study Report should also cover the following issues:

- production plans and their basis, with an explanation of market demand both in China and abroad, and how the market survey was carried out. Similar facilities already existing or being built in China or abroad should be mentioned and commented upon;

- selection of the location of the project and the reasons; necessary supplies of utilities and telecommunications facilities, and a description of the present situation;

- sources of raw materials, amounts needed, and supplier channels;

-organizational structure of the new enterprise and the reasons for it, including total number, composition and recruiting sources for employees, departments to be established, and management;

-selection of equipment and manufacturing processes, and the reasons therefore (including a classified list of domestic equipment and equipment to be imported);

-modes of construction, construction schedule, and an explanation thereof;

-a discussion of environmental protection, labor safety, and health care issues;

-structure of foreign exchange balance and reasons therefore, and statement of planned export percentage of the new enterprise’s products;

-fundraising methods, including building and equipment as capital investment, and calculations therefore;

-composite analysis of benefits and foreign exchange revenues and expenditures using the dynamic, risk, or sensitivity method (including economic, technical, financial and legal analysis)

Appendices:

(i) written comment on planned site selection and Letter of Intent confirming the supply of utilities;

(ii) authorization documentation of the legal representatives of the investors (foreign investors should have their documents notarized by home country authorities and authenticated by a Chinese embassy or consulate in its home country);

(iii) opinions of the examination and approval authority regarding the funds to be contributed by the Chinese partner (for Joint Ventures);

(iv) annual financial reports, including balance sheets and profit and loss statements of each investor;

(v) an approved (standardized) Environmental Impact Statement if the project will have significant environmental impact (ex: construction and renovation projects). The standardized form is available from the local, provincial, or national Environmental Protection Bureau (depending on which level of government examines and approves your project), and must be approved by them.

Foreign Invested Enterprises - The term “FIE” means “Foreign Invested Enterprise”. It is an entity established under Chinese foreign investment law (and thus is considered to be a Chinese company) that is partially or wholly funded by non-Chinese nationals (either individuals or entities). This includes both types of Joint Ventures, Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprises, Foreign Invested Holding Companies, Foreign Invested Companies Limited by Shares, and Regional Headquarters. FIES are generally eligible for a variety of tax breaks and investment incentives (Foreign Invested Holding Companies are generally ineligible for these benefits but may benefit indirectly by investing in other FIEs).

About the Author: Import From China deals with investing in and importing from China.

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