Secret Underbelly of all That is wrong – Piracy in China…

It is now official, I have just added Hong Kong to the list of places (countries?) that I do not like…

Yeah, Hong Kong, that seemingly innocent little hunk of land that drives on the wrong side of the road, was colonized by the Brits and has a shitload of BMW’s Mercedes etc.

Why you may ask, is it that I have had this change of heart? Well, last night i watched a killer expose on nat geo, it was about piracy in the world today, and focusd moslty on China, Russia and India. What I learned was, well I didn’t learn anything, see I am a China expert, been here two years and all. Well ok, I did learn things but what I found out to be interesting was :

1-they made it as if there is this dark underbelly of smuggling and counterfeit goods in china. To prove their point, they made clandestine purchases, went to these secret markets of fake goods. Entered   with hidden cameras and all, negotiated with the people for fake watches and LV bags. Made it as if there is this secret society of passwords and handshakes in this ‘underworld of everything counterfeit’.

Funny thing is, you don’t need the hidden camera, the secret handshakes and passwords, just come here, its open for all. The guy made is seem like part of some mafia triad, entry to which was for a select few. For effect, the reporter cut deals with these pirates,  while talking, he lowered his voice, talked in hushed tone as he exposed these hucksters and their wares- made it seem like he had entered the ground of the Gambino family.

Funny thing is the dude could have saved himself and his company the airfare of the expose, just done it from the net. Here is a link of google images to the ‘silk market’ one of Beijings worst offenders. Here you can find the same images that this hard hitting reporter found, without the presumed risk of being exposed as a man trying to enter this dark underbelly.

The humorous part is that doing this in China, (buying illegal goods) is quite safe, no dodgy buildings, passwords and private meetings to avoid the ‘man’, just pay and get your stuff. this apparently was not news worthy for this reporter, he alos could have done his work or exposed this fraud by directing us here. this is a website with a ton of international providers, surprisingly enough, many of whom are Chinese. On this site you can buy fake watches, bags, probably kindness, nicotine anything. These people are the same suppliers to this ‘underbelly’ of which the man spoke. ( be advised however, if you decide to use the site I mentioned. They are scammers, in China you will have not rights if you purchase from them, so if you lose thousands of dollars in goods that don’t arrive, it is your fault, your loss, no compensation, much easier to just come.)There is a caveat, however,  buyer be ware.

The point of this argument is that piracy is so rampant that it si basically beyond the comprehension of anyone, until you come. maybe the guy built-up the tension so it would seem more news worthy, but to anyone living here, it must have seemed a little overdone.

But what does this have to do with Hong Kong and my new found hatred for her? See, the way i figure it, is that China is really a pawn in all  this and it is the Hong Kong ese who are the bad ones. The Chinese for the most part have been so isolated that they have no clue as to the lucrative markets in the west, that is until the Hong Kongese taught them. Even today, much of the illegal trade is under the watch of the Hong kong ese and their ports. So, my friends our anger towards the mainland is unfounded, it is the dreaded HK-ese who are the evil barbarians supplying us with deadly toys!

Or maybe it is just an issue of supply and demand, and when we the people stop the demand, the supply will trickle off.