I so want to do this journey. Two Dutchmen, Maren Striker and Rogier Bikker, are driving the Silk Road route from Shanghai to Rotterdam using nothing but Chinese brand goods. One car, three months, eleven countries, 20,000 miles and a lot of sponsorship from July 26th to October 31st.
The car, the phone, even their underwear, will be Chinese-made, demonstrating China’s entry to the top of world manufacturing, reliable for quality and value having shaken off the outdated “Made-in-China as crap” tag.
Automotive brand BYD (Build Your Dreams) is a world-leading brand to watch, with added Warren Buffet in there somewhere. Other Chinese brands sponsoring the trip include rising Huawei with their Ascend P7, also known as the ‘selfie smartphone’; Lenovo, the fastest growing PC maker in the world, with their Yoga touchscreen laptops; AEE, set to be a world leader having grown to an outdoor camera brand used by outdoor enthusiasts as well as Chinese police, fireman and military forces; outdoor enthusiasts’ brand Ozark getting to grips with hostile terrain from scorching deserts to the highest mountain peaks; Braos cornering skateboard lifestyle clothing and sunglasses market; and XIYOUJI fashion.
You can follow the guys in their regular video blogs here:
http://www.brandnewchina.net
Anna’s food blog here:
http://annacheneats.blogspot.com/