[2012.06.23] Fakes and status in China 中国：假货向左,身份往右.docx

Fakes and status in China中国：假货向左，身份往右【注1】China is known for “malinvestment”. Its consumption habits are also pretty dodgy中国以“投资不当”而闻名，而中国人的消费习惯也存在很大问题MOST shop windows proudly showcase what can be bought inside. The window of the Silk Street Market, a touristy shopping centre in Beijing, is a bit different. It displays a pair of official notices advertising what cannot be bought inside. These non-offerings include luxury brands such as Prada, Louis Vuitton and Burberry. The notices are meant to save customers from buying fakes unwittingly. But many still buy them wittingly. You could almost say that counterfeits remain Silk Street’s trademark, despite the market’s efforts to stamp them out. On the ground floor, a purple “Paul Smith” polo-shirt from a Guangzhou factory was offered to your correspondent for 1,285 yuan ($200), a price which eventually fell to 150 yuan. It is not easy to walk away from such bargains. Especially when the stall holder will not let go of your coat.大多数商店都通过橱窗骄傲地向人们展示着在里面可以买到什么。在北京一处游人如织的购物中心——秀水街市场【注2】，情况却有几分不同。这里张贴了两张官方告示，告诉人们在这里不能买什么。在秀水街不能买的东西包括普拉达、路易威登以及博柏利等奢侈品牌。这些公告意图保护消费者，免得他们在不知情的情况下买到假货。然而，很多人却心甘情愿地去买假货。几乎可以这么说：尽管秀水街市场力求清除仿冒品，但它们仍然是秀水街的“品牌特色”。在商场底层，一件产自广州某工厂的“保罗史密斯牌”紫色 polo 衫，店家向本报记者开价1285元（约合200美元），而最终成交价仅为150元。如此廉价品真是让人流连忘返——特别是在店主紧紧扯住你衣袖不放的时候。Economists and policymakers around the world want China to consume more. They are eager for it to reduce its dependence on investment, which amounted to almost half of GDP last year. No economy that invests so heavily can possibly invest it all wisely. Economists therefore worry about a widespread misallocation of capital, or “malinvestment”. But some of China’s consumption is also a bit questionable.全世界的经济学家和政府决策者都想让中国进行更多的消费。他们急于让中国减少对于投资的依赖；而在去年，中国的投资额占了 GDP 的将近一半。对于进行如此大量投资的经济体来说，几乎不可能在投资中完全不出错。因此，经济学家担忧中国普遍存在的资本分配不合理现象，或者说“投资不当”。但中国部分消费行为也存在一些问题。Fake goods are rife. Researchers once stopped every fifth person in a Shanghai mall and asked them about their buying habits. Of the 202 who co