Living Inside the Tiger Gate

2009-06-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

My home is in Humen Town which means "Tiger Gate" in Chinese. It is located about half way between Hong Kong and Guangzhou and lies on the Pearl River about the place the river ceases and opens to the estuary/bay that empties into the South China Sea. I live in a small fishing village and every day and night there is a steady stream of small fishing boats going and coming. Most are powered by one cylinder diesel engines and have a distinct pop-pop-pop especially at 3 A.M. However, most of the time it is very quiet and peaceful around my house. However that can't be said for Humen Town.

Traffic accounts for most of the noise in town and traffic consists of buses (more than you could even imagine), taxis, cars, trucks, motorbikes, bicycles and hand carts. All of them have some type of noise maker. Some of the buses have horns that will peel the hide right off of your body. Even the hand carts have a can or piece of steel that the driver continuously strikes with a steel rod or long bolt as he walks along the street. Add to the noise organized mass confusion and you have a mental picture of what a busy street sounds like.

There is NO concept of "right of way" here. There are no stop signs. The biggest thinks he has the right to go first and usually does. From there on down to the lowly pedestrian who is at the bottom of the food chain. Never think that a pedestrian has the right of way or will receive any courtesy from any drivers. This could be a fatal or painful assumption. Never assume that all the traffic on the north bound lane is going north. You WILL get run over because motorbikes and bikes are really bad about traveling the other direction but sometimes and fairly often even buses will go the wrong way. Never assume that sidewalks are for walking. You will be chastised by a motorbike driver for not knowing that he/she has slipped up behind you and is angry that you will not move over and let them pass or worse, get clipped by their handlebars as they attempt to weave between the many people walking on the sidewalks. Might makes right!

In addition to the traffic noise there are cell phone shops that have huge speakers on the sidewalks in front of their stores blaring music or someone giving a sales pitch with a microphone routed through the speakers or....both at the same time. Also, understand that often these shops are about every 100 feet.

Language is a huge barrier both in speaking and reading. Most restaurants do not have menus in English and people here are fond of eating entrails of cows, pigs, chickens and even fish. Often you must resort to the point and hope method of ordering. Think about it!

However, with all that, there are wonderfully kind and friendly people here. Foreigners are treated exceptionally well, in fact, usually better than local people. I like to visit with and eat with the local people. I enjoy learning new Chinese words from them and giving them simple English lessons.

Living here can be challenging but I find most days I am happy to be here.

What does "Made in China" mean for Mandolin Players and Buyers?

2009-06-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

Often the subject of Chinese made mandolins is often discussed among players and occupies quite a bit of space on the Mandolin Cafe (www.mandolincafe.com). Some are buyers and supporters of mandolins and other instruments made in China. Others voice strong opinions and pose pointed questions about the quality of Chinese-made mandolins as well as the manufacturing methods. I suppose most are somewhere in the middle.

I live in Guangdong Province in southern China and produce Jade Mandolins here. I miss good BBQ, Mexican food, cornbread, buttermilk, and hundreds of other things from home. However, there are some things from here that I would miss equally if I were to go home. This is not my home. Not a day passes that I don't think about Texas. I am not an expert on China but I offer a few observations and opinions on this touchy subject, not to inflame but explain. Even though I have a monetary interest in this topic, I will try to be objective.

There is a lot of trash being made in China. America and other nations have been awash with inferior products. However, do not think that all Chinese made products are like this. Generally, what is exported is what is ordered by the buyer. The buyer is contracting with the factories to make products to a set of specs. The buyer asks for cheaply made products and the seller delivers.

You can go to THE auction site and buy a violin with bow and case for $99.00. What do you get? You get what you pay for. Do you really think you are going to get a violin that is set up, made with quality tonewoods, fitted with quality strings, and assembled with the care and skill of an old Italian fiddle? China makes millions of these kinds of violins each year. However, there is another extreme to the violin story. In February I attended a violin show at an exclusive art gallery in Guangzhou. The building was in a posh area and would rival any art gallery in Dallas, Houston or Chicago. There were not any $99 specials here. There were some $2000, $5000, $10,000 and higher world class violins being shown. The exhibitors were there by invitation only. Some of the makers had even gone to violin making schools in Italy. If you look at Chinese violins you can find the worst and the best.

If you look at guitars that were made in the USA in the 1930's you could find the worst and the best. Gibson and Martin were making their now coveted prewar guitars. However, Sears and Roebuck and Montgomery Ward were selling some junk guitars at the same time. Their guitars were made to order. These mail order houses were ordering cheap instruments. They were selling them and customers were buying them. Can we say if we bought one of these guitars in 1934 that all guitars made in the USA were of similar inferior quality?

There are factories in China making $4.00 guitars to order. They are not making them and then trying to sell them. These are what the customer ordered. I do not really blame the factory for these shoddy guitars. Someone in the USA ordered them and is selling them to you. At the same time there are some Chinese made guitars that have American companies taking notice.

Labor is cheaper here. However, did you know that most factories provide dormitories for the workers to live in, uniforms to wear, and two meals a day? The modest salary the worker receives is saved. Skilled workers will make $20 or more per day. I will guarantee that the 25 year old factory worker has at least $5000 to $10,000 in the bank. How many 25 year old workers in the USA can match that? Think of what your hourly wages would in be in America if you had your house and 2/3 of your food provided by your company.

I had my good friend, Ed Dye from Abilene, Texas, visit me in February. He had many experiences in China and enjoyed his trip. One comment was, "This is not what I expected."

Violins, guitars, and mandolins...they come in all price ranges and quality. Caveat emptor!

--
Bob McRee
www.jademandolins.com
Jade Mandolins~Hand Made for Hand Pickin'