Mountain stronghold
来自China Digital Space
shānzhài 山寨
A reference to the imitation goods, especially counterfeit electronics, which China has become notorious for producing; literally means "mountain stronghold," and was historically used to describe the mountain stockades which housed bandits and warlords who were evading authorities.
Contemporary colloquial use of the term refers to cheaply produced and often poor-quality imitation products. This use of the term originated with Cantonese slang, which applied shanzhai to small, low-end factories in Hong Kong and Shenzhen that produced non-brand name goods. By assuming brand names, and imitating the appearance and capabilities of products, shanzhai goods were able to escape official authorities' detection and evade tax payments.
The term has expanded to describe any knock-off or imitation. An average singer with a striking resemblance to Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou, for example, may be called a "shanzhai Jay Chou."
