Have went through the times “Made in America” and “Made in Japan”, it comes the “Made in China” times. Today, “Made in China” has become a commonplace of origin labels on international market. Of course, there are quite a few people still have misgiving about it. The parlance of China is the “world’s workshop” was once widely accept. The implication is that the main focus of China’s manufacturing industry is engaging in processing, but the capability of produce high-tech products independently and the overall competitiveness are not high.

Maybe some people are still unable to get out of its low-cost impression. But the Chinese enterprises which have lofty ambition do not satisfy of “Made in China” and has been in pursuit of “Create in China”. If you still think that Chinese product is a symbol of low-priced and poor quality, you are out of date. Even the British Financial Times reminded the myself-businessmen in its special report: It is self-deceit that some manufacturers consider they allowed the Chinese to dispose of the low-end markets, and then they can concentrate on the high value-added products.

The national QCI of manufacturing first issued “Made in China” is creditable

Xiaohua Qiu, Chief, National Bureau of statistics was first announced the national quality competitiveness index(QCI), on September 12, 2006. In 2005, under the guidance of the scientific approach to development, remarkable achievements were made in national quality cause. The overall quality level of manufacturing kept stable growth; Industrial and regional quality developing sustainability was improved. According to the calculation within data of over 250,000 enterprises of 29 industrial sectors, such as Communication, Machinery, Petroleum and Chemical, Textile, Furniture, Medicine, Foods and Printing, the national QCI of manufacturing reached 78.98, continuously increased 7 years. The statistical relativities is significant between the national QCI of manufacturing and other national economic and social development indicators, such as GDP, Value added of the Secondary Industry of GDP, Retail Sales of Consumer Goods, Total Value of Exports, etc. Especially, the related coefficient between the national QCI of manufacturing and Total Value of Exports is 91.0 percent. The steady increase of quality competitiveness effectively supported the development of national economy and foreign trade.

Seven industrial sectors were of good quality competitiveness, of which the QCI were in higher level (above 80), such as Manufacture of Communication Equipment, Computers and Other Electronic Equipment, 83.72; Manufacture of General Purpose Machinery, 83.48; Manufacture of Measuring Instruments and Machinery for Cultural Activity and Office Work, 83.42; Manufacture of Special Purpose Machinery, 82.80; Smelting and Pressing of Ferrous Metals, 82.59; Smelting and Pressing of Non-ferrous Metals, 82.03; Manufacture of Electrical Machinery and Equipment, 81.10.

Calculations of QCI of industrial sectors showed that there is prominent non-equilibrium on quality competitiveness development among various sectors. The QCI of the industrial sector in first rank is 11.51 higher than that in the last. Modern industries with intensive technology, intensive capital and relatively higher industry concentration had more quality competition advantage, while those traditional industries with intensive labor and relatively lower industry concentration had less quality competitiveness.

“Now, the fearfulness of the Chinese products is not the quantity but the quality”

With the continuous improvement of China’s manufacturing produce level, its quality has been improved. And the increasingly innovative design is also another important factor made Chinese products popular in the world.

“Now, the fearfulness of the Chinese products is not the quantity but the quality” One of the Italian clothing direct distributor named Catogni told to me. Catogni’s toggery is small in size, but the location at the Republic road in downtown Rome is quite good. Here used to be the first choice for the tourists to buy the shoes and bags which are “made in Italy”. “Chinese goods changed the image that low price means poor quality. But now, Chinese middle and low-end textiles and footwear in European market are not worse than the local products both in quality and style. More awful, the Chinese businessmen are extremely adept at adjusting the product’s marketable types in order to meet European customers’ demand furthest. The renewal period of Chinese product is several weeks in the past, and now it only needs several days.”

Jianzhong Zou the principal of Hangzhou China Guoxin Science & Technology Co.,Itd (the chairman of gxchinab2b) will never forget his first foreign guest, a procurement representative of one European company. “He had a very bad impression on Chinese products before Co-operated with us. He said that the image of Chinese products in international market was low price, and he had to change the packaging and stick labels to increase the price after bought the Chinese products. When I heard that, I was very sorry. “said Mr Zou, “but soon, I made him a completely new understanding with Chinese products.”

“Made in China” definition is being rewritten

November 2004, Zimbabwe signed a contract to buy AM-60 aircraft with China. The civilian aircraft which attached the label of “Made in China” went abroad. It also opened a port that Chinese civilian aircraft competing in international market. Which followed, the pioneering work of Lenovo annexed IBM’s computer business, shocked the whole world.

In 2005, the deep ether welcomed two Chinese guests. The success of Shenzhou VI 2nd manned space mission proved that China is not the country what only can products shoes, socks, lighter, but also creates sophisticated technology products. Chinese export of high-tech products overran 160 billion dollars in 2004, according to the information. The export of high-tech products has been one-third of the export account. And the number of imports was15% higher than the similar products. Which more, it turned out the imports and exports trade surplus at the high-tech products. The industry of the high-tech products has been the main power to promote the increase of “made in china” export. Now, China has a lot of the world first from musical instrument to steel, from mobile telephone to IT, from charcoal to television. One-third of the world mobile phones is made in China. China is the world largest television producer and exporter. And the proportion Chinese digital cameras takes more than a half.

It is obviously that “made in China” with the characteristic of low value-added and high market share is undergoing some changes. “Made in China” definition of the definition is being rewritten.

The “Liang Xiang” chestnuts are well known. Here “Liang Xiang” refers to the old “Liang Xiang” county, which is equivalent to part of the mountain area of “Fangshan” district of Beijing, and is not the “Liang Xiang” village county. “Liang Xiang” chestnuts really are “Fangshan Chinese chestnuts”. It is kind of confusing, even to many Chinese.

There are many ways to eat chestnuts, but the most popular one is the sugar roasted chestnuts.

As soon as chestnuts are harvested in autumn, you’ll see cauldrons are set up at every corner of the street. Mix chestnuts with sand, sprinkle plain sugar syrup, fry it till the sand becomes pitch-black. The chestnuts will then look shining and bright as if a layer of oil has been applied to the shells. The burning smell flutters all over. People like me who are craving chestnuts would come to buy without seller’s calling out. People used to use shovel to fry, now the process is electrically operated.

The history of Beijing sugar roasted chestnuts is quite long.

The old “Zhitang” man copied other’s quotes from Lu You’s “Old School Notes” in “Roasted Chestnuts”, talking about a chestnut roasting story: The most well-known and best-selling chestnuts in the Northern Song Dynasty Kaifeng were roasted by Li, HeEr. Others tried everything possible to imitate, but no one succeeded at the end. During the Southern Song Dynasty Shaoxing years, Song’s ambassador arrived the now Beijing. Suddenly two people, who called themselves “Li, HeEr”, sent in 20 bags of sugar roasted chestnuts, then left with tears.

This chestnut frying expert wandered about destitute in Beijing after Kaifeng was breached by Jin people, expressing his nostalgia with several packages of roasted chestnuts. Perhaps Beijing sugar roasted chestnuts got handed down because of this, the same with Hangzhou’s Song sister-in-law fish soup, all were the Northern Song Dynasty’s old custom.

The standard sugar roasted chestnuts require the shell to be supple and crisp. The outer shell, the internal membrane, and the nut should be separated effortlessly when you open it. The pleasure of eating roasted chestnuts would simply vanish if one has to go through the hassle ripping the outer shell, and then more effort involved to tear off the internal membrane. The nuts should not be crisp, soft, or worst of all, tough (gen). It supposed to feel moisture in dryness, sandy, floury, and the smell should be strong and sweet.

Note: You may freely republish this recipe as long as author bio and active hyperlinks are kept intact. Thank you.

With the development of Esports, investors try to share this big cake and players pay much attention to raise their skills and reputations. In this way, large number of professional competitions have sprout out. Among all these, the most famous are WCG, ESWC and WEG. To be the champion of any of these tournaments have become a dream to all players. But what are WCG, ESWC and WEG?

First, WCG is an abbreviation of World Cyber Games, which has been canceled since 2014. This competition hosted by Internation Cyber Marketing, ICM, and sponsored by Samsung and Microsoft from 2006. The official song for WCG is Beyond the Game, which is also the name of a official slogan and a documentary of WCG.

WCG created in 2000 and hosted in 2001 for the first time. Under the impact of Olympic Games, WCG also built a players village and changed the host city every year just like Olympic Games. It is the biggest electronic competition held annually and attracted million audiences. Top players gathered together, competed and communicated with each other. Preliminaries conducted independently in every countries or regions. All selected excellent competitors attended this big party finally.

Second, ESWC is a short form of Electronic Sport World Cup. It was created by Mattieu Dallon in 2003, who was a CEO of the companies Ligarena SA and subsequently Games- Services until 2009. The first two events were held at Futuroscope in France. The unique and innovative showcasing of gaming matches, played out on stage in front of a live audience, with live commentated broadcasts in several languages, quickly made the ESWC a pioneering competition and a leader in Esports communities.

2009 is a turning point to ESWC’s development. Due to the worldwide economic crisis and the fragility of the Esports economic models, which were almost entirely based on private sponsoring, ESWC have confronted a big dilemma this year. In 2010, ESWC was taken over by Jean- Marie Coutant, with a relaunch at Disneyland Paris. In 2011, ESWC was co-produced by Oxent, then from 2012 on by Oxent alone, following the acquisition of all the rights to the event.

Third, WEG, World E-sports Games, is another top-rank international Esports competition organized by Korea after WCG. It was founded in 2004 by Paul Chong with its headquarter in Seoul. The first three games were conducted in South Korea in 2005. A year later, the event was held in Hangzhou where its name was changed into the World e-Sports Games Masters. In 2007, WEG again returned to seoul, hosting the World e-Sports Games e-Stars, but moved back to China for the 2008 season of what is now the World- eSports Masters. Since then, it has been held every year and OnGameNet is the current rights holder to the World e-Sports Masters franchise.

The three international competitions witnessed the developments and changes of Esports. With their existences, players have a broad platform to broad their horizons and achieve higher goals!

PET FOOD MARKET

The pet food market was valued at USD 74.9 billion in 2016. North America accounted for the largest share of over 35% of the global market in 2016. The second largest market is Europe, followed by Asia-Pacific with around 20% of the market share, thus, accelerating the trend of pet owners across the globe. In North America, the United States holds the major market share of pets and pet owners, which is expected to register a high CAGR, during 2017-2022 (the forecast period).

TASTES FOR NEW EXPERIENCES AND PORTIONS AS INDULGENCE ALIBI

Flavors and textures are becoming bolder, more complex, authentic, and specific. The correlation of pet food and the modern formats blending freeze-dried bits, with kibble or treats, for texture variations, is making pet owners choose from a range of variety of shapes, textures, and flavors. Moreover, clean labeling continues to grow. Health conscious consumers look for permissible indulgences, like the smaller portion sizes of treats or candies with healthier ingredients like chia seeds or yogurt. Pet treats are developing, in terms of ingredients with functional or other nutritional benefits, which is allowing pet owners to indulge their pets free from guilt. New dog food products comprised of 80% of the global launches in 2015. The launches from September 2015 to September 2016, are keeping the health-related trend intact in new products by category. The share for cat food was around 68% globally. This trend of health and wellness has made good sales for the manufacturers. A few instances in this context are Hill’s Ideal Balance, a new range of dog and cat food that combines natural ingredients with Hill’s perfectly balanced nutrition, is now available in South Africa. CORE® RawRev, a new high-protein grain-free product, is launched by Wellness CORE®, a family of grain-free, natural animal nutrition company.

IMPROVEMENT IN DISTRIBUTION NETWORK LEADS TO GROWTH IN PET FOOD SALES

The high internet connectivity available in the major countries is boosting the use on e-commerce sites as an effective distribution channel. The notions of convenience, affluence or exclusivity, safety, and market awareness play a very crucial role in the developing nations. The unreliability of local goods, as indicated by the recent scandals, is also making people rely on foreign goods. These are made easily available through the e-commerce, further making the sales high. Owing to the industry’s two pet superstores, PetSmart and Petco, the e-commerce channel is exploding with the pet product sales. The late embrace of the market connectivity in the minor markets of small economies, such as Vietnam, Thailand etc., is a cause of infrastructure lag and almost negligible product awareness. These stores offer the nascent market advantages of low regulations and competition. The companies, as the e-commerce is strengthening, are negotiating the ever-changing internet landscape with the factors such as dealing with giants like Amazon that is deciding to sell through similar e-commerce websites and mergers & acquisitions. For instance, in April 2017, PetSmart announced that it will acquire Chewy.com, which heightened the consternation in the independent pet retailers. In response, Tuffy’s Pet Food, a manufacturer to independent and family-owned businesses, announced pulling out its products from Chewy, as it would be owned by the largest US pet store chain. Though Tuffy’s reports a very positive response, not every company detaches itself easily from any large e-commerce sites.

“FREE FROM ALL” AND “FLEXITARIAN EFFECT” BOTH HAVING THEIR WAY TOGETHER

Though the consumers today are part-time vegetarians, they seem to do the opposite when it comes to pet food. The pet owners look for diet options, which focus on the carnivorous nature of dogs and cats, thus, driving the number of products with high and fresh meat claims. Despite the demand for carnivorous diets, veggies are still going mainstream and the producers are innovating their existing products. Free from” for all-the free from trend has been growing, since the past few years and has now hit the mainstream. Pet foods are being formulated with respect to the concerns of humans that include organic and non-GMO ingredients. These ingredients are used in low-carb recipes and have gluten-free claims on new cereal products that increased from one in 15 in 2011 to one in five in 2016. New product launches, with organic or GMO-free ingredients, are witnessing growth in the market. Organic and natural food sales are expected to increase 14.6%, annually, in next two years. For Petco and PetSmart, organic pet foods are bought at a 7.1% and 5.6% rate, respectively, with organic purchases at veterinary clinics at 5.3%. Brands communicate more about the production processes, due to the rising consumer interest in natural plus authenticity and transparency. This is true for the buyers, too, especially, for the ones seeking products in non-traditional formats such as raw, freeze-dried, frozen and baked. Balchem Corp., a global health, and nutrition company, introduced a new line of specialty nutrients and unique processing additives. The Omega Plus range was launched in the South Island in September 2016, after the two years of continuous R&D. In addition, Bob Martin launched Simply+, a range of products marketed as “nutritionally advanced food that provides dogs with all the essentials of a healthy diet”.

CROSS-BORDER ZONE TO HELP MEET BUOYANT DEMAND

The domestic market is growing at an annual rate of above 30% in China and is poised to accelerate at the same rate by 2022, reaching CNY 150 billion and further, making it the third-largest market, worldwide. Moreover, Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province inaugurated the first cross-border pet industry experimental zone in the city’s Jianggan District. The experimental zone will pilot the reforms on the regulation and approval of cross-border imports. It will explore the introduction of national standards in the industry and promote the exportation of domestically made products. Moreover, more than 35 enterprises, including the cross-border e-commerce sites like Tmall, Kaola Beibei, and related logistics & warehousing companies, have been established in the experimental zone. The zone, basically, enables one-stop services and aims to enroll open, transparent, and smart pet food import channels and regulatory policies. Similar efforts are being taken by the countries to focus on the growing pet population and trends. The market players are taking complete advantage of this situation and investing in R&D for innovative product launches.

NOTABLE MARKET DEVELOPMENTS

1. Nestlé Purina launched a new production hall at its facility in Bük, in Hungary’s northwest, making the plant the largest production center in Europe and opened the USD 86 million factories in Brazil. This step is expected to boost the Nestlé Purina for more growth than the domestic market.

2. Carna4: Formulas Inspired by Health Food Trends. This manufacturer takes inspiration from the human health food sector to formulate innovative and whole-food recipes for dogs and cats.

3. PetLife Supersedes Expectations for the Acquisition of Dr. Geoff’s Real Food for Pets. PetLife Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a developer of a new generation of high potency veterinary cancer medications and nutraceuticals for pets, announced that it is acquiring Dr. Geoff’s Real Food for Pets™ and expansion plans for a national rollout.

4. German Company Entering Thailand. Interquell, a German-based dog, and cat food company, entered the Thai industry by forming a joint venture, named Happy Pet (Thailand) Co Ltd, with partner Technic Pet Holding, reported Pets International. Interquell holds 49% of the joint venture. Interquell owns the Happy Dog and Happy Cat premium brands.

TOPICS COVERED IN THE REPORT

How will face-to-face interaction boost the pet food market in Digital Age?

Is low thiamine cat food the cause for Australian cat deaths?

Gluten free foods, GMO foods making their mark in the pet food industry.

Edible insects creeping into pet food popularity.

Humanization and premiumisation on peaks in the pet industry.

Will the US and China continue their dominance in the pet food market? What are the emerging markets?

Will growing market connectivity in Asian countries of Vietnam, Thailand etc. boost the Asia-Pacific pet food market?

Over the past year, the cryptocurrency market took a series of heavy punches from the Chinese government. The market took the hits like a warrior, but the combos have taken its toll in many cryptocurrency investors. The market lackluster performance in 2018 pales in comparison to its stellar thousand-percent gains in 2017.

What has happened?

Since 2013, the Chinese government have taken measures to regulate cryptocurrency, but nothing compared to what was enforced in 2017. (Check out this article for a detailed analysis of the official notice issued by the Chinese government)

2017 was a banner year for the cryptocurrency market with all the attention and growth it has achieved. The extreme price volatility forced the Central bank to adopt more extreme measures, including the ban of initial coin offerings (ICOs) and clampdowns on domestic cryptocurrency exchanges. Soon after, mining factories in China were forced to close down, citing excessive electricity consumption. Many exchanges and factories have relocated overseas to avoid regulations but remained accessible to Chinese investors. Nonetheless, they still fail to escape the claws of the Chinese Dragon.

In the latest series of government-led efforts to monitor and ban cryptocurrency trading among Chinese investors, China extended its “Eagle Eye” to monitor foreign cryptocurrency exchanges. Companies and bank accounts suspected of carrying out transactions with foreign crypto-exchanges and related activities are subjected to measures from limiting withdrawal limits to freezing of accounts. There have even been ongoing rumors among the Chinese community of more extreme measures to be enforced on foreign platforms that allow trading among Chinese investors.

“As for whether there will be further regulatory measures, we will have to wait for orders from the higher authorities.” Excerpts from an interview with team leader of the China’s Public Information Network Security Supervision agency under the Ministry of Public Security, 28th February

WHY WHY WHY!?

Imagine your child investing his or her savings to invest in a digital product (in this case, cryptocurrency) that he or she has no way of verifying its authenticity and value. He or she could get lucky and strike it rich, or lose it all when the crypto-bubble burst. Now scale that to millions of Chinese citizens and we are talking about billions of Chinese Yuan.

The market is full of scams and pointless ICOs. (I’m sure you have heard news of people sending coins to random addresses with the promise of doubling their investments and ICOs that simply don’t make sense). Many unsavvy investors are in it for the money and would care less about the technology and innovation behind it. The value of many cryptocurrencies is derived from market speculation. During the crypto-boom in 2017, participate in any ICO with either a famous advisor onboard, a promising team or a decent hype and you are guaranteed at least 3X your investments.

A lack of understanding of the firm and the technology behind it, combined with the proliferation of ICOs, is a recipe for disaster. Members of the Central bank reports that almost 90% of the ICOs are fraudulent or involves illegal fundraising. In my opinion, the Chinese government wants to ensure that cryptocurrency remains ‘controllable’ and not too big to fail within the Chinese community. China is taking the right steps towards a safer, more regulated cryptocurrency world, albeit aggressive and controversial. In fact, it might be the best move the country has taken in decades.

Will China issue an ultimatum and make cryptocurrency illegal? I highly doubt so since it is pretty pointless to do so. Currently, financial institutions are banned from holding any crypto assets while individuals are allowed to but are barred from carrying out any forms of trading.

A State-run Cryptocurrency Exchange?

At the annual “Two Sessions” (Named because two major parties- National People’s Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPCC) both take part in the forum）held on the first week of March, leaders congregate to discuss about the latest issues and make necessary law amendments.

Wang Pengjie, a member of the NPCC dabbled into the prospects of a state-run digital asset trading platform as well as initiate educational projects on blockchain and cryptocurrency in China. However, the proposed platform would require a authenticated account to allow trading.

“With the establishment of related regulations and the co-operation of the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) and China Securities Regulatory Commission(CSRC), a regulated and efficient cryptocurrency exchange platform would serve as a formal way for companies to raise funds (through ICOs) and investors to hold their digital assets and achieve capital appreciation” Excerpts of Wang Pengjie presentation at the Two Sessions.

The March towards a Blockchain Nation

Governments and central banks worldwide have struggled to grapple with the increasing popularity of cryptocurrencies; but one thing is sure, all have embraced blockchain.

Despite the cryptocurrency crackdown, blockchain has been gaining popularity and adoption in various levels. The Chinese government have been supporting blockchain initiatives and embracing the technology. In fact, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) have been working on a digital currency and have conducted mock transactions with some of the country’s commercial banks. It is still unconfirmed if the digital currency will be decentralized and offer features of cryptocurrency like anonymity and immutability. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if it turns out to be just a digital Chinese Yuan given that anonymity is the last thing that China wants in their country. However, created as a close substitute of the Chinese Yuan, the digital currency will be subjected to existing monetary policies and laws.

People’s Bank of China Governor, Zhou Xiaochuan. Source: CNBC

“Lots of cryptocurrencies have seen explosive growth which can bring significant negative impact on consumers and retail investors. We don’t like (cryptocurrency) products that make use of the huge opportunity for speculation that gives people the illusion of getting rich overnight” Excerpts from Zhou Xiaochuan interview on Friday, 9th March.

On a media appearance on Friday, 9th March, Governor of People’s Bank of China, Zhou Xiaochuan criticized cryptocurrency projects that leveraged on the crypto-boom to cash in and fuel market speculation. He also noted that development of the digital currency is ‘technologically inevitable’

On a regional level, many Chinese cities have are driving blockchain initiatives to promote growth in their region. Hangzhou, renown for being the headquarters of Alibaba, have stated blockchain technology to be one of the city’s top priorities in 2018. The local government in Chengdu city have also been proposed the building of an incubation center to foster the adoption of blockchain technology in the city’s financial services.

Local conglomerates such Tencent and Alibaba have also formed partnership with blockchain firms or initiated projects on their own. Blockchain firms such as VeChain have also secured multiple partnerships with Chinese firms to improve supply chain transparency in China.

All clues point to the fact that China is working towards a blockchain nation. China has always had a open mentality to emergent technologies such as mobile payment and Artificial Intelligence. Henceforth, it is without a doubt that China will be the first blockchain-enabled country. Will we see the Chinese government backing down and let its citizens trade again? Probably, when the market has matured and is less volatile but definitely not in 2018.

A very delicate and pretty piece of lace can add a lot of value and beauty to an otherwise simple garment. The most striking feature of this delicate piece is that which is missing, coz a lace is full of holes. These holes in various designs bring out the beauty of the lace. This distinctive feature of lace makes it different from other textiles.

True lace materializes to have first been produced in the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century. The most excellent laces were made in Italy, France and Belgium. A huge range of varieties of lace were also made in several parts of Europe, China, India, the Philippines and South and Central America.

In modern times, made with the latest fabrics like lycra, polyester and blended fabrics, lace is very much in demand for various designer wears like gown, sleepwear, skirts, innerwear and is also used for decorating pillow covers, tapestry, table linen etc.

Materials used

Laces are generally made from flax, silk and metal wrapped silk, while some are also made from cotton and wool. Though, flax (linen) thread made in Belgium is a preferred fiber, new materials have also added value and looks. These cover midrange and high-end embarks with durable Lycra which prevents shrinkage. Other designs have a better wrinkle recovery and a softer hand for better convenience and comfort.

Lace manufacturing

Hand made

Hand made lace is a highly skilled and time-consuming process. The most of lace makers are and have always been women. Intricate fine pieces of lace can take an entire day to make. Lace is made by looping and twisting threads by applying a set of bobbins or a needle. True hand made lace is also created without the use of any woven fabric.

Delicate lace-trimmed handloom linen and hand-made dresses are made in Nagercoil in the district of Kanyakumari, India. The region is well-known for its hand-woven lace work as the designs are pure magic and the filigree finish is world class. The diocese, under which these products are created, The Church of South India, is the hub of this veritable industry with 700 women working together creating precious handkerchiefs, bed linen, table cloths, napkins and household knick-knacks. Likewise, in India and China and in many other countries hand-made lace is produced according to their geographical style and designs.

Machine made

Suppliers of lace trimming in China and India are installing the latest manufacturing equipment and adding more production lines for satisfying the increasing demand brought on by lifting of WTO textile quotas earlier this year.

Recently many India suppliers have invested money to upgrades production facilities and to improve the product quality and design capability. Locally made and second hand equipments have been now substituted by the latest machinery from Germany and Italy. In India, most of the producers are using imported equipment such as Raschel machines from Germany and Jacob Muller machines from Switzerland.

China suppliers are also increasing their production capacity and minimizing waste by investing in imported equipment. Shantou SEZ Weifeng Computer Embroidery Craft Co. Ltd has purchased Saurer embroidery machines from Switzerland costing $3 million.

Hangzhou Shaoshi Arts and Crafts Lacework Co. Ltd uses multi-head shuttle embroidery systems imported from South Korea. As these machineries are computer-controlled, designs are easily transferred digitally and hence, consumes less time for the production.

Most of Indian suppliers of stretch lace fabrics utilize nylon yarn blended with spandex or Lycra. Models with polyester and rayon yarns are also made in small lots. Such designs give two or four way stretch, with spandex yarns blended at a ratio of 3 to 30 percent. Majority of makers use azo-free dyes.

Stretch lace fabric suppliers from China provide designs in cotton, rayon and polyester blended with spandex. With an increase in the competitiveness, the companies are trying to tune with the latest trends in colors and designs for women’s clothing and undergarments, so that they can use these styles on their fabrics. At present pure stretch lace is well-accepted as are jacquard, mesh, embroidered and beaded models.

Types of Lace

Alençon lace has a fine net ground and an enhanced outer border. Today, a majority of such type of lace is machine made. It is generally used as trimming for wedding gowns.

Chantilly lace is a type of bobbin lace. It was originally produced in the town of Chantilly, France. It was well accepted during the 17th century. It is designed by a fine net ground and delicate flowers, scrolls and branches. The design is commonly outlined with heavy silk thread. This lace is generally used in wedding gowns.

Battenberg lace, also popularized as Renaissance lace, is made by using loops of woven tape held together by yarn brides to form patterns. Making Battenburg lace was a recognized hobby in the United States in the early 1900’s. It is now made by machine and is commonly used for tablecloths and in bridal gowns.

Venetian Lace, created in Venice, Italy, is a weighty lace with floral, sprays, foliage or geometrical designs. In the 17th century this lace was accepted as more valuable and had greater regard than jewels. Women of this era put it on the sides of their skirts and the range of layers of their lace petticoats would be seen. This lace garlanded kings as they were crowned and the garments of the wealthy were heavily covered with it. This lace is still utilized today, particularly for wedding gowns.

Machine made lace

In the early 1800’s Lace machines were developed to make lace. John Leavers created a machine in 1813 that made designs and backgrounds at the same time. The Leavers machine set up the production of intricate lace patterns similar to those made by hand. Lace produced on the Leaver’s machine is called Leavers Lace.

Raschel lace is made on a Raschel warp knitting machine. This type of machine can make laces similar to those made on the Leavers machine, but at higher speeds and at less expense. At present a majority of the manufactured lace in the market is made on Raschel knitting machines. Laces that are multifaceted, light and delicate are produced cheaply and faster on these machines.

Princess Lace

This type of lace is used mainly for wedding veils and other ceremonial occasions. The net is made by machine and the flowers are made with a needle by hand.

Nowadays, wedding gowns pay more attention to details. Simple designs were preferred in the past. But the concentration is now shifting to adding a small amount of detail. This detail typically covers some type of lace appliqué. Currently, the historical gowns are also in demand as they are the latest trend. The 18th century gowns are well-known today. These gowns have more lace than some of the gowns from other historical periods.

Using bobbins and needles are the two basic techniques that are being used since the 17th century for making fashionable lace. However, one can also use a crochet hook, knitting needles or a tatting shuttle to make lace. Moreover, machine-made nets can also be embroidered to give unique patterned laces. Holes are formed in the lace when lace is being made and are not cut out later.

Bobbin Lace

Bobbin lace is made from multiple threads, each wound on separate bobbins. The design (pricking) of pin-holes is marked on a stiff card which is tied to a firm pillow packed with straw (nowadays a piece of polystyrene is often used). Though more threads can be added (or removed) as the design progresses, few threads are fixed at the beginning of the pattern. Basically, all the stitches involve two pairs of bobbins, i.e. four threads. Once the stitches are made, they are held in such a position that the pins are pushed through the pin-holes, in the pricking, into the pillow. The pattern motifs, which can be outlined with a gimp (a thicker thread), are usually worked in cloth stitch (forming areas resembling woven cloth) or half stitch (giving a more open effect), but more elaborate filling stitches are also used.

There are two ways in which such bobbin laces are made. One is a continuous process of making straight laces, where the motifs and ground of meshes or bars are made in one continuous process. Second is a process of making part laces, where the motifs are made separately and then joined with bars or a mesh ground. Once the lace is finished it is released from the pattern by removing the pins.

Based on their place of origin, the different styles of lace are named and the traditional English bobbin laces described below are no exception.

Honiton Lace

Named after the town in Devon, which was the center of a lace-making area, Honiton lace is a part lace traditionally made with very fine thread. A major advantage of part lace at the time when hand-made lace was produced commercially was that the various motifs could be made by different lace makers. This meant that large items like shawls and smaller items like collars, all could be finished faster. In contrast, the lace makers today, prefer working on their own and making separate motifs which are complete in themselves.

Bedfordshire Lace

Bedfordshire Lace was made not only in Bedfordshire, but also in other counties of East Midlands’ lace making areas like Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire. Created around the middle of the 19th century and inspired by the 17th century laces, this lace later developed features of its own. Some of the delicate ones, especially those designed by Thomas Lester, were also borrowed from Honiton lace. Technically, it is a straight lace and the pattern motifs are usually joined with bars of plaited threads.

Bucks Point Lace

Bucks Point Lace, one of the East Midlands laces, was made all over the area and not just in Buckinghamshire. Created in the 18th century, it is an English version of a type of mesh-grounded lace. Traditionally made with fine thread (not as fine as that used for Honiton lace), it is a straight lace in which pattern motifs are often outlined with a thicker gimp thread.

Torchon Lace

Torchon Lace is an exception to the rule about names. Surprisingly, the French word Torchon means a duster! It was not regarded as a very fashionable lace in the 18th and 19th centuries; hence was given a rather pejorative name. In Britain, Torchon is often the first bobbin lace learnt, but there is nothing second-rate about it today. It is a straight lace with a type of mesh ground different from that found in Bucks Point.

Needle Lace

Needle laces have the same basic techniques for all types of laces. The design is drawn on a parchment (nowadays architect’s linen) and this is fastened to a backing fabric. Foundation threads are then couched down along the lines of the design with threads which pass through the pattern and underlying fabric. The design motifs are then filled with rows of buttonhole stitches, each end of the row being linked to the foundation thread. The motifs are then joined with short bars or a mesh ground of buttonhole stitches. The motifs can be also embellished by attaching extra threads to the outlines of the motifs. This raised outline (cordonnet) can be decorated with picots (decorative loops) as well. Once the lace is finished it is released from the pattern by cutting the threads which couched down the foundation threads.

As in the case of bobbin lace, needle laces are often named after the place where they were first made, like Venetian Gros Point and Alençon are perhaps the best known. Each type of lace has its distinctive features. Today’s needle lace often adopts techniques from different styles and tries to create something distinct.

Major Market

India

Ginza Industries Ltd is one of India’s leading manufacturers of stretch lace fabrics. The company makes 2 million meters of the material per month, exporting 20 per cent of the output. The US and the EU are its largest markets. Designs are available in floral, mesh and jacquard patterns. Fabrics are made greige goods and then dyed in a single color or two or more shades. Printed stretch lace is also manufactured.

Krishna Embfasteners Pvt. Ltd uses imported Lycra, blending it at a rate of 5 to 7 per cent with nylon, to make plain or printed stretch lace. Floral, jacquard, chain-link, flocked and net designs are produced.

Annually, more than 180,000 meters of stretch lace fabrics are exported by Ram Swaroop Rattan Lal exports. The company uses nylon with 4 to 10 per cent Lycra for increased sheen and softer hand. Its produces designs like plain mesh, floral motif, zigzag and jacquard with straight or scalloped edges.

In India, Wazir Ahmed and Sons presently has four imported machines among its equipment for lace trimming and plans to install several more.

Swiss Embroidery Mills of India is lessening its expenditure by importing China-made circular knitting machines. These cost nearly $14,000 each, against $64,000 from Germany. The company intends to install 12 new circular knitting machines this year. It exports 300,000 meters of lace trimming.

Bishan Lace Pvt. Ltd of India exports 125,000 meters of lace trimming per month, with Europe and North America as its main markets.

KDS Exports, another Indian supplier, makes laces in paisley, peacock and floral designs. This company which exports 55,000 meters of lace fabric monthly also provides designs that emphasise Indian cultural motifs.

China

Hangzhou Shaoshi has made designs with superior stretch capability and intricate patterns objected to the high end. The company makes 1 million yards of stretch lace fabrics per month, with US and Japan among its leading markets. It produces mesh and jacquard lace for sleepwear and underwear, and embroidered lace and water-soluble lace for bridal gowns and bed linen.

Shantou SEZ Weifeng offers spangle embroidered, colored embroidered and special corded stretch laces. The fabric is available in multiple shades and bright colors, with beads or sequins and with mesh, gauze or opaque backing. Changle Baihua Knitting Textile is another main supplier, producing 500,000 yards of lace per month.

In China, Guangzhou Shuangying offers lace trimming by using tricot machines. It produces 800,000 yards of lace trimming every month. It has brought latest machinery to increase its capacity to make special patterns on lace trimming, particularly jacquard designs. Now, it has RSJ 5/1 and RS high-speed warp knitting machines and an RJTC machine. There are also German made Karl Mayer, Raschel warp knitting machines and Spanish CADT systems Yiwu Taileisi Lacework Co. Ltd, which produces tricot lace and lace fabric, uses KABC and Mayer systems.

Guangzhou Pearl River Tiansuo’s produces lace and stretch lace. The company exports 2.8 million yards of lace trimming monthly. Guangzhou Pearl River Tiansuo Embroidery Co. Ltd’s factory has set up 182 Torchon machines from Japan, 15 Comez machines from Italy and 32 Miller systems from Switzerland.

Pure Textile (Guandong) Co. Ltd has 100 warp knitting machines, covering Textronic, jacquard, Raschel and latest CADT systems.

Yiwu Taileisi produces tricot lace models featuring floral patterns. It exports three tons of lace trimming per month, largely to the US and the Middle East.

Price factors and market scenario

Many producers in India feel that their monthly orders have doubled since the WTO textile quotas were lifted in January 2005, and in terms of export, Knit Fabrics & Lace calculated to US$ 3.287 million, showed 234 per cent increment during January-April 2005 against January – April 2004.

As ways of further increasing competitiveness, they are increasing their production technology with respect to providing latest designs. The upgrades are also targeted to decrease costs through improved efficiency.

But this expansion is also forcing makers to raise their product prices under efforts to maintain reasonable profit margins. As a result, these particular companies are indented to increase product prices by as much as 25 per cent in short periods to counterbalance the new expenses.

Moreover, most lace trimming producers in China as well as in India aim to limit their price rises to 15 per cent by applying a range of cost-cutting measures. They believe that elevating prices significantly would reduce their competitiveness and drive buyers away.

The prices of lace trimming from India and China mainly rely on width of material, intricacy of design, particular designs and type of manufacturing equipment utilised. The producers believe that the price will rise in the coming days, as they counterbalance with the present equipment expenditure and the increasing cost of key raw materials used such as cotton. To adjust higher prices, companies are adding value to their products. Some producers plan to increase their prices by about 25 per cent.

The Jolly Laughing Buddha is also known as Hotei or Pu-Tai. He is extremely popular in China where he is also known as the Loving or Friendly One. He is derived from an eccentric Chinese Zen monk who lived well over a thousand years ago and

He is now a dominant feature of Buddhist and Shinto culture. He has a very open and jolly demeanour he was regarded as an incarnation of the Maitreya bodhisattva who will be the Future Buddha. He has large protruding belly and jocular smile have and is known commonly as the “Laughing Buddha.”

His features graces many temples, restaurants, and jewellery and has come to represent a Buddha of contentment and abundance. He is nearly always seen carrying a linen sack which is always full and is full with many valuable items, such as rice plants (indicating wealth), sweets for children, food items, or the grief of the world. He is the Buddha of the weak, the poor and children.

Laughing Buddha Wooden Statues

These statues are usually represented by a fat, smiling or laughing bald man in monk’s robes and has an exposed pot-bellied stomach symbolizing happiness, good luck, and good fortune. Some statues also have small children at his feet. These statues often have an alm’s bowl representing his Buddhist nature.

In other depictions he may be found on a cart drawn by children, or holding a fan called an oogi. All of these features represent him as an itinerant monk who travels taking away the sadness from the people of the world.

Legend has it if you rub his large stomach, it will produce wealth, good luck, and good fortune. He is also the patron saint of restaurateurs, clairvoyants and bartenders. When one drinks or eats too much friends blame it on the Laughing Buddha’s influence.

Very Large Laughing Buddhas

In Taiwan there are only four Buddhist temples which have him as their main Buddha. The Treasure Cognition temple in Taichung houses Taiwan’s largest statue with his bald head touching the ceiling of the main temple hall.

The Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou China has the largest one in China. It is carved from camphor wood and stands over 60 feet tall, and is gilded with over one hundred ounces of gold leaf.

The Lama Temple which is the only Buddhist temple in Beijing, China has the largest Laughing Buddha carved from single piece of wood.

The Laughing Buddha and Zen

The Laughing Buddha was travelling and handing out sweets to poor children and asking for a penny from Zen monks or the laity he met on the way. One day a monk comes up to him and enquires, “What is the meaning of Zen?” the monk drops his linen sack. “How does one realize Zen?” he replied. The laughing Buddha then took up his sack and went on his way.

The biggest secret to having a longer life is to be physically fit and healthy. Well, that’s not much of a secret anymore, is it? The real secret is how to remain healthy and prevent various illnesses from threatening your health. Some ailments that are considered fatal are heart attack, cancer, stroke and lots more. This is precisely why more people are showing added concern to the welfare of their body more than anything else.

Reaching the goal of a healthy life seemed challenging enough given the many influences that surrounds us that can easily divert our attention from the goal. Some of these influences are unhealthy foods, alcohol, smoking, and many other health-debilitating practices.

However, as hard as that goal may seem, there is something that can make the load a lot less lighter and that is by drinking a healthy beverage that is tea, particularly Dragon Well Green Tea.

This type of tea hails from China-where some of the great forms of tea originate. Otherwise known as Long-Gin or Lung-Ching, the Dragon Well Green Tea is very popular among the Chinese people. It has four distinct characteristics: flat leaves, jade green color, freshly sweet aroma and soft and mellow flavor that prevents it from becoming like black tea. It also has a trademark sword-shaped leaves.

It has a rich history dating back to 250 AD in Ancient China. Nowadays, it is grown in the peaks of the mountains Tieh Mu and Hangzhou in Zhejiang province.

How is Dragon Well Green Tea Made?

During the production phase, the loose leaves are dried under a wood-fired pan. This process kills enzyme activity and consequently removing green grass taste of the tea.

What are the health benefits of Dragon Well Green Tea?

There may be more than a hundred varieties of tea around the world, but among those that are quickly gaining popularity. Studies suggest that it is best for people who are obsessed with keeping fit and trim and maintaining an ideal weight. It will help you lose excess body weight. Its high concentrations of polyphenols help hasten lipolysis or the burning of fatty cells in the body. Needless to say, it’s good for boosting the body’s metabolism. Polyphenols are also antioxidants that can help detoxify the body from harmful toxins.

Regular intake of Dragon Well Green Tea can also enhance your immune system because of the presence of Vitamin C. This will help you ward of common illnesses like colds and flu, viral infections and diseases. Moreover, it strengthens bones and it helps keep radiant and flawless skin.

The Dragon Well Green Tea has surpassed many expectations about tea. If you want to be a part of the big secret to keeping fit and healthy, drink Dragon Well Green Tea everyday.

China, in addition to being the homeland to the Han people and fifty-five other ethnic groups, is also the birth place for one of the world’s most consumed beverage- tea. Tea plants originated in China and were first used for medicinal purposes. It is believed that tea plants have been in existence in China for six thousand years already. Two thousand years ago, tea was developed as a drink. Since then, the Chinese learned to grow tea plants and to use the leaves as various types of tea that we drink today. Chinese tea leaves can be separated into five categories, green tea, black tea, oolong tea, scented tea, and compressed tea.

Of the five categories of tea, green tea is probably the most well-known. It is an unfermented tea. Because green tea is not fermented, its tea leaves maintain its original and natural color. Some well known green tea include Longjing tea from Hangzhou’s West Lake region, Biluochun tea from Jiangsu, Maofeng tea from the Huangshan Mountains of Anhui Province, and Liu’an Guopian tea from Liu’an County of Anhui Province.

The black tea, unlike what its name indicates, is actually red. In Chinese, it is pronounced as “hong cha”, which literally means the red tea. Unlike the green tea, it is fermented. Famous black tea includes keemua tea from Anhui Province and Dian black tea from Yunnan Province.

Next is the oolong tea. It is half fermented. Its tea leaves, being loose and thick, are in shades of golden yellow. The most favored oolong tea is bohea tea, which is produced within the Fujian Province’s Wuyi Mountains. Other oolong tea may come from Guangdong and Taiwan.

The fourth variety is the scented tea. It is found only in China. Scented tea is created by smoking tea leaves with fragrant flowers. Examples of such fragrant flowers are jasmine and magnolia. Of all scented tea, the jasmine tae, produced in Fujian Province, is most famous. Jasmine tea is also most popular with northern Chinese and foreigners.

Lastly is the compressed tea, which is compressed and hardened into a certain shape. Compressed tea is suitable for storage and for transportation; thus it is mainly shipped to minority groups living in the border regions of China. Compressed tea can be separated into the tuo tea and the brick tea. The tuo tea is a bowl shaped compressed mass of tea leaves, produced in Yunnan and Sichuan. The brick tea is shaped similar to the shape of a brick. This type of tea is a favorite amongst the Mongolians and Tibetans.

Today, tea has grown to become a daily necessity for Chinese people. In fact, it has become a way of way. Tea drinking can promote a healthier lifestyle and the chemical compounds found in certain tea, such as the green tea, have been discovered to inhibit growth of cancer cells. Since the thousand of years in which Chinese tea has been consumed, tea drinking is only becoming more and more popular in today’s society.

From the spread of Zika virus and Ebola, to the distress between Israel and Palestine. From the worldwide threat of ISIS or Hezbollah, to the severe condition of the Syrian Refugees, climate change falls potentially more devastating and destructive.

This change is not caused by any single person, it’s the cause of all the 7.5 billion living in this world. Approximately 23 million tonnes of carbon dioxide are emitted each year, which estimates up to 700 tonnes per second. This high rate of emission is due to reckless use of nature by the human race. Humans for their greed, have been cutting trees and burning Fossil Fuels. Carbon emission from vehicles, fossil fuels etc. is the driving force behind global warming. Melting of the polar caps, intense heat waves and the change in the ecosystem are all signs of global warming.

The biggest emitters of these greenhouse gases, the United States and China formally announced to ratify the “Paris Climate Change Agreement” in the G-20 (Group of 20) summit in Hangzhou, China. The United States and China together are the largest emitters of carbon dioxide, which comprises up to 40% of the total emission in the world. Two leaders, but the same aim, of reducing greenhouse gases up to 26%-28% by 2025.

Contrary to the joint endeavor by the Chinese and ex-American president in 2016, newly minted as president “elect” of United States Of America in his campaign stated Global Warming as a “Chinese hoax.” Within a few days in office Donald Trump has been able to take massive steps to abandon the fact that global warming exists. Donald Trump has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to erase all the records of climate change from its website, leading to a waste of all the initiatives taken by ex-president Barack Obama. The appointment of Oklahoma’s Attorney General, Scott Pruitt, the biggest foe of the EPA, to disband all the records of climate change shows his grievance against the ex-government. Trump’s grievance was clearly shown when he pledged to abandon the “Paris Climate-Change Pact of 2016.” Such massive steps, within a few days of “presidency” makes a clear picture of how climate change is going to be dealt in one of the worlds largest economy.

Therefore, it’s time for each and every citizen of this world to voice out to curb the mishap that is close in the near future. Let not any agreement or pact by a group of people make the 7.5 billion people realize what steps we should take for our betterment. It’s time we stop the reckless use of the Earth’s resources for our greed and make Earth a better place to live…