30 years ago, my family or most people often said "don't buy Japanese rice cooker. It's no good. Later on, don't buy Japanese car. It's like paper.". However, later on, we all know that most of our electronic stuff were Japanese brands'. So 15 years ago, my friend in CA told me the locals often made jokes on Korean made cars and said if you just pressed the door stronger, it would has your curved mark in it. Later on, those electronic stuff made by Samsung and LG took over the other brands, besides the Korean TV drama affecting the Asian culture. So I finally bought my first Korean brand 42" IDTV set LG (as Life's Good) at just HK$8,030. It has the first wallmount moveable - it can adjust the angle at each direction leftward or rightward or downward at around 30 degrees - so good! Then the sound is superb not even mention the high frequency response engine. When I told my friends I would only pay for a TV set less than HK$10k. Now it came and I got no more excuse. :)
9 comments:
as a consumer, i used to hv that prejudice, but now i am happy with my Samsung netbook, it works much better than my old "renowned" Toshiba
however, if we consider of the fair-trade protocol, rumors (as they keep denying) claim that those giant Korean enterprises receive huge government subsidies in order to have better room to fight in the international market place; so there is still no such thing as cheap but good, just part of the cost paid by 'someone' already; well, as a consumer again, who really cares as long as they got something cheap but good
remember in the 60's actually Jap did that (so Korea just learn from Jap), funny the government who help them was Uncle Sam but not Jap
so when is Beijing going to wake up, CN products r really cheap, both price and quality wise
Yes Korean really does catch up in electronic products(note book, net book, washer, TV, you name it).
Funny that Korean learns from Japanese, and Japanese "steal" many ideas from Chinese, but now Chinese is way behind......
Yes, it's also something very disappointing when I checked with the TDC (Trade Development Council HK) on my business association level about funding our music and art business. For the past 15 years I have been to the Cannes music festival, I noticed there are many exhibition booths from Korea, Taiwan, Singapore...etc. I then chatted with each of them and found out their Governments sponsor them to promote their local culture. Even when I chatted with some German companies, they said all the cost including ticket/hotel/exhibition cost are all paid by their Gov't. However, our "only-stock-money market" eye-sight HK Gov't is very late in response. If there isn't any fame for Li Lai Shan to get the first Olympic gold medal, the sports business wouldn't get any support. If those HK film creatives don't get a name in the Hollywood arena, then they wouldn't give any funding.
So I am now waiting another miracle from our music business to get their attention... :)
FYI, my Korean told me after Dae Jang Kuem got so hit in Asia and in fact it was the biggest hit in India 6 months ago and now even spreading to broadcast in Middle East and some European countries, the Korean Gov't already named Dae Jang Kuem TV series as their national treasure as it not only promotes the Korean culture but also promote the Korean food/restaurant/tourism...etc., so our lovely HK Gov't should take that into consideration, and see that as not only one single factor business. TV series can boost up all the things around that country.
BTW, just found out last night this LG TV can optionally be downgraded to a slower frequency engine to fit the conventional DVD quality. If with such a faster engine, it would expose the insufficient response of DVD's quality. Mmmh... another era of digital and here we go to Blu-ray.... The blu-ray machines are now down to just HK$1k something from 7-8k 1.5 years ago.
har 1k for a Blu-ray? OMG
btw, as long as SAR and CN r rule by this kind of people from Beijing (of course they no no original from Beijing, just from some uncivilized farm climbed to the power), don't hope anything from them
remember in the old days HK people so noisy on the BR colonized government, but now all people miss them so much; without the BR, HK will always be a small fishing village that CN won't take it a shit
what SAR and Beijing do now r just some cosmetic job and candy polish, no real policy on HK future
Yes communication(thru the form of TV/radio/internet/newspaper)is very powerful.
As I told in my posting about Kao Hsuing. The British is very good at picking up some strategic location. If they picked up Hong Kong like lucky draw, why didn't they drew Macau? It's simply because a deep harbour is good for their ship docking and they know the harbour benefits them from slowly eating away China.
The British just set out their system in HK. It was found out under the colonial time, there were a no. of unnecessary officers hired in the Gov't. Just like someone who recorded something and got a salary of HK$48k a month.
My friend had 3 apt units in the Tuen Mun coastal area and he rented those out to the British xxx consultants for the Chek Lap Kok Airport project for HK$50k. Then as he chatted with those families how come they still need to rent the apt. when they went out to Bangkok, Singapore, Bali almost every other week and one month in every 3 months back to UK. Besides, they often had their lunch and tea time in those restaurants along the Tuen Mun coastal area. Then their reply is "oh, the apt. rent is paid by the HK Gov't and with my monthly salary of HK$150k a month, we can travel that often. Besides, we are given 4 business ticket back to London a year for the whole family.".
In June 1989, the British gave the 30,000 people allowance to apply for the UK passport and it's a very ironic thing. It turned out almost half of the quota were applied. I was with an American company and even their American headquarters claimed to its staff if anything worse happened in HK, they would take all their local staff, even a messenger or cleaning maid to be under their protection and even helped for all the staff and their families migrating to the States. Though not all of the staff are willing to go to the States due to their affection to the born place, it's a very warm message and very humane.
However, I didn't say the ex-British system is nothing, e.g. the set-up of ICAC did help a lot. From a small company of 3 people to an enterprises of 10k employees, there are good or bad staff.
There are things good or bad. I don't speak for the HK people. If the system is good, then the people are not hard-working and adaptive, the system still doesn't work.
HK may be a fishing village now but it may be another good thing as we keep the local fishing business. When you think you lose one hand, you may further think you have both hands to grab the other things. So it really depends on the people's mentality. Our older generation has fought hard for their living and as they didn't need to care much about the politics under the colonial age, they would rather spend time on running their business. Unlike nowadays, people tend to make their business out of the so-called "speaking for the workers", "speaking for the poor".
My fellow business company changed their boss from a Japanese to a HK person. So when the company was under a foreigner, then the staff listen to him 100%. However, when the local does the same thing, the staff would comment on it as they feel like the local is just a next door neighbour.
This kind of "worshipping" the foreign has been deeply rooted not just in HK, but noticeably in other countries in Asia.
Re Blu Ray, yes, the price dropped quite drastically. So if someone is not that keen on buying the most high end. technology stuff, they can just wait until the price meets their target. :)
Yes SEA. You are right.
I think we have to give some credit to UK for running HK successfully. I don't think HK could have reached its present stage if UK did not borrow from China for 99 years.
Worship of foreigner is most serious in Taiwan and China.
Yes, if you can get a chance, those TV ads. in Taiwan or China would have some caucasians act in those ads.
Just like the old time of Kai Tak Airport, When you got stopped by the customs asking you whther you brought any wine/cigarette, you could simply speak in English to them - they wouldn't bother you. Same as the police asking to check on your ID. This told the colonial color.
I think my points made previously are not meant to tell "successful" or not. It'd be rather on how you think about the place, if HK is still a fishing village, it shouldn't be considered as bad. We can't discriminate a fishing village is not good as a modern commercial city. At least if HK is still a fishing village, life would be more simple and we can keep more natural things and no need for those so-called "harbour protection" people to say this or that.
Post a Comment