Reply #10: The artisans did just fine [View All]

[Warpy]

as an exhibition of "China: 5000 Years of Technology" at MIT proved to me in the very early 80s (1981, I think). The artisans were protected. It was performance art and intellectual pursuit that suffered under the Gang of Four (plus one).

Seeing silk brocade wovern on an ancient and badly patched draw loom and seeing woodworking done with a bow saw made with a wire with dings hammered into it by a rock told me a lot about Chinese artisans and what that country might be capable of.

I think it's a combination of speedups and monkeywrenching. I feel quite certain the Chinese are capable of kicking everybody else's butt on quality if that becomes the priority. Right now, it's not. CHEAP is the priority, meaning workers are abused and occasionally stiffed. That makes for resentment and sabotage.