2011 Apr 26 Blog Defends "Made in China" Tag
Nicely Made in China (http://nicelymadeinchina.com), one of our favorite Beijing-based blogs, just celebrated its one-year anniversary yesterday.
The website, which seeks out quality products and services in China, was met with much skepticism at the time of its inception. With all the recent scandals to rock the nation, from melamine-tainted milk to lethal pet food, public faith in Chinese manufacturing had been thoroughly shaken.
But despite China’s reputation, Lionel Derimais continued to witness a surge in well-made, innovative products, which he felt were not receiving the coverage they deserved.
We interviewed the French photographer last October, just as the website was getting its feet off the ground. (NMiC has since been featured in several blogs, along with China Daily and the Shanghaiist.) He announced his intentions were to restore credibility in the phrase “Made in China.”
“When I first said I’m going to do this blog, some people told me I wouldn’t find enough subjects,” he told me. “But funnily enough, my blog didn’t come to an end after one month, and it didn’t end after two, either. It’s now been going on for four months, and there are still more people to cover.”
Indeed. It’s now been a whole eight months since we’ve spoken, and the blog – already available in English, Chinese and French – is attracting more followers than ever. He covers all kinds of businesses, from jewelry makers (Nicolas Favard, Everard + Wang) to home décor stores (Shanghai Trio) to clothing designers (rechenberg couture), in order to showcase the range of quality now available here. You can read more about the progress of his blog here.
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Here’s our pick of splurge-worthy e-shops that now ship to Beijing.
Turn Your Swag On: Swag Store
The word that comes closest to capturing its essence is confidence. Short for “swagger,” “swag” is determined by the way you carry yourself: your speech, your gestures and of course your style of dress.
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Who’s the Swishest of Them All? Shin Kong Place Turns 5
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Death Cab for Cutie. Triple-Major. Susan Philipsz. Electric Shadows. Rob Swift. These are just a few of the names participating in the fourth annual JUE (Mar 9-25), a music and art festival in Beijing and Shanghai that is dedicated to highlighting the best of our local creative communities. Last year its 91 events drew over 32,000 attendees; this year they are aiming even bigger in scope. It all officially starts this Saturday, March 10 with a market fair that promises a taste of all the events to come in 2012.
