The path to Made-in-China: How this was done and future prospects

Acetoin is an important four-carbon compound that has many applications in foods, chemical synthesis, cosmetics, cigarettes, soaps, and detergents. Its stereoisomer (S)-acetoin, a high-value chiral compound, can also be used to synthesize optically active drugs, which could enhance targeting properties and reduce side effects. Recently, considerable progress has been made in the development of biotechnological routes for (S)-acetoin production. In this review, various strategies for biological (S)- acetoin production are summarized, and their constraints and possible solutions are described. Furthermore, future prospects of biological production of (S)-acetoin are discussed.

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Made in China, fashioned in Africa: ethnic dress in Ethiopia and Mozambique

Africa ◽

10.1017/s0001972021000085 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 91 (2) ◽

pp. 317-336

Author(s):

Johanna von Pezold ◽

Miriam Driessen

Keyword(s):

Design Elements ◽

Grass Roots ◽

Made In China ◽

Made In ◽

Naming Practices

AbstractThe influx of Chinese-made African ethnic dress has been central to debates about the consequences of the growing Chinese presence in Africa. Exploring the reception of the Chinese-produced capulana in Mozambique and net'ela in Ethiopia, we demonstrate that Mozambican and Ethiopian manufacturers and traders, from the grass roots up to cultural elites, engage with Chinese imports with creativity and verve. While welcoming Chinese materials for their affordability, bold and bright colours and suitability for dressmaking, they fashion them in ways that fit their own tastes and the local fashion trends. We distinguish three practices by which people do this: first, by incorporating Chinese materials or design elements into their own products; second, by co-creating new designs and dress with their Chinese counterparts; and third, by altering the imported fabrics. Apart from fashioning imports, some manufacturers use strategies to distinguish their own products from Chinese counterparts. These strategies include naming practices linked to the stories of their origin and alterations to the material.

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Platform Capitalism ‘Made in China’? Intelligent Manufacturing, Taobao Villages and the Restructuring of Work

Science Technology and Society ◽

10.1177/0971721819841985 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 199-217 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Boy Lüthje

Keyword(s):

Intelligent Manufacturing ◽

Value Chains ◽

Policy Recommendations ◽

Employment Policy ◽

Social Shaping Of Technology ◽

Social Shaping ◽

Made In China ◽

The Impact ◽

Conditions Of Employment ◽

Made In

The article examines the development of advanced digital manufacturing (as outlined in the ‘Made-in-China 2025’ government plan) from the perspective of the changing socio-technical paradigms of production. The analysis focuses on the transformations of value chains and work, based on theories of social shaping of technology, regulation theory and regimes of production. Analytically, the author proposes to distinguish between ‘production-driven’ and ‘distribution-driven’ pathways of manufacturing digitalisation. The transformation of semi-rural industrial areas (‘Taobao villages’, named after China’s largest e-commerce platform Taobao) into mass production clusters for e-commerce is depicted as a paradigmatic model of distribution-driven transformation and as a characteristic Chinese strategy in this field. The article examines the impact on industry supply chains and work, leading to ever-more precarious conditions of employment. Policy recommendations focus on local strategies to stabilise supply chain structures and working conditions, as an alternative to the present top-down approaches to manufacturing modernisation in China.

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