Ｔｈｅ　Ｒｅｃｕｒｒｉｎｇ　Ｓｈａｎｚｈａｉ：ａ　Ｐｈｅｎｏｍｅｎｏｎ.docVIP

Ｔｈｅ　Ｒｅｃｕｒｒｉｎｇ　Ｓｈａｎｚｈａｉ：ａ　Ｐｈｅｎｏｍｅｎｏｎ 　　 　　SHANZHAI, a phrase that entered Chinese Internet-speak in 2008, has split over into everyday commerce, manifest in shanzhai mobile phones, cosmetics, handbags and watches ?C even shanzhai movie stars and blockbusters. Although disgruntled at the shanzhai onslaught, most people maintain an attitude of genial bemusement. 　　But what exactly is shanzhai? Its literal meaning, “mountain camp,” originates in ancient Chinese history. It refers to camps set up in remote locations by ancient Chinese fugitives from justice, as in the famous classical novel Outlaws of the Marsh set in the late Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), about a band of outlaws who flee deep into the mountains and establish a base and a hierarchy based on brotherhood, but eventually submit to a government amnesty and return to civil life. Since the phrase was first coined, shanzhai has had multiple meanings: escape from authority; rising against social injustice; developing a set of rules parallel to those of the government; or submitting to a government amnesty and returning to the established order. 　　 　　Linguistic Origins 　　 　　The contemporary use of the term shanzhai originates in the Cantonese dialect. It refers to unlicensed or fake-brand cell phones, and hence has unofficial or illegal overtones. 　　“To avoid inspections by the authorities we had to set up our workshop on a hilltop outside Shenzhen, and provide transportation there for our workers,” said Mr. Zhang, who has worked in the mobile phone production business for eight years. The dozen or so workers that this OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) of sorts employs produce a thousand or so sets a day. 　　There are thousands of similar operations in Shenzhen, mostly in the electronics business. Some are OEMs, but the majority work in the illicitly grey area of replicating big-name mobile and MP3 sets. They are generally private small and medium-sized enterprises. 　　 　　“My business is good, in