It’s holiday season and time for shopping. There are a bunch of items on your shopping lists ranging from small gifts, toys and festive decorations to Christmas and New Year cards. You go to a supermarket and choose from a variety of products that are not surprisingly labeled "Made in China."

　　假期临近，是时候买买买了!你的购物清单里一定包括了从小礼物、玩具、节日装饰物到圣诞节和新年贺卡等一大堆东西。走进一家超市，从各种各样不同商品中作出选择，它们都毫不奇怪地有着“中国制造”的标签。

　　What’s your first reaction to Made in China? If you still tend to relate Made in China to poor quality, you need update your ideas. China’s capability to produce high-quality products has been recognized by a growing number of foreigners. It’s a misunderstanding to associate low quality with Made in China.

　　你对“中国制造”的第一反应是什么?如果你仍然倾向于把“中国制造”和“劣质”划等号，那么你就需要涨涨姿势了。中国生产高质量产品的能力已经被越累越多的外国人认可了。把“劣质”和“中国制造”等同起来是一个误解。

　　I recently found that the question, "Why doesn’t China have the ability to manufacture high-quality products?" on Quora has sparked discussions. Almost all of the answers, submitted by both Chinese and foreigners, disagree with the assumption.

　　我最近发现“为什么中国没有能力生产高质量产品?”这个问题在Quora(国外一家SNS问答网站，类似于知乎)引起了热议。几乎所有的答案，外国人和中国人都有，都不同意这个问题中的假设。

　　For example, Web user Cameron Purdy answers the question saying that just because China manufactures poor-quality products does not mean it cannot manufacture high-quality products.

　　举例来说，网页用户卡梅伦·珀迪回答这个问题说，不能因为中国制造了低质量的产品就说中国没有能力制造高质量的产品。

　　Purdy explains that the poor-quality products one purchases in the US for example, are made in the quality that the American companies ask for. "In other words, the buyers are explicitly asking their contract manufactures in China to cut corners that they know will make the products lower quality so that the profit margins are higher."

　　珀迪以人们在美国买到的低质量产品为例做了解释，指出那些产品的质量是应美国企业的要求而生产的。“换句话说，合同中的买方明确地要求他们在中国的生产商们偷工减料，他们知道这会使得产品质量不好，但是利润率会很高。”

　　"The price that you pay for the product has no relationship to the cost of its manufacturing," suggested Purdy. For example, for an item priced at $20 in the US, the cost of manufacturing it paid by the American company is usually less than $1. To guarantee the room for profit, the Chinese contract manufacturer spends less than $1 to produce the item.

　　珀迪说道：“你支付用来购买这件产品的钱和制造它的成本没有关系。”举例来说，一件在美国标价20美元的商品，美国企业支付用来生产它的成本通常不到1美元。为了保证利润空间，合同中的中国制造商用来制造这些产品的成本就不能超过1美元。

　　You hope to get a product with a $20 value that is made for less than $1. What’s more, American consumers’ behavior to choose cheaper products further drives the product to be made in lower quality. For example, last year you bought a $19 product instead of the $20 one, the American company sensed that the $19 product was more popular and decided to make more $19 items this year. Then the American company pays less money to the Chinese manufactures to make this year’s items.

　　你们得到的是一件价值20美元，但是成本不到1美元的产品。此外，美国消费者们挑选便宜产品的行为进一步推动了低质量产品的生产。举例来说，去年你买了一件价值19美元而不是20美元的商品，美国企业意识到19美元的商品更受欢迎，于是决定今年生产更多的19美元商品。于是今年美国企业支付给中国制造商的钱就更少了。

　　The result of making low-quality products is also the result of a company’s behavior. "The sales have to go up and/or the costs have to go down. Something has to give," said Purdy.

　　制造低质量产品的结果同时也是一家公司行为的结果。珀迪表示说：“要么销售必须提上去，要么成本必须降下来。不得不放弃某些东西。”

　　Web user Amanda Wu, who lives in Shanghai, noted that many top brands have manufacturing factories located in China, and the most convincing example of China’s manufacturing quality is Apple products.

　　来自上海的网页用户阿曼达·吴指出，许多顶级品牌都在中国设有制造厂，中国制造业质量好坏最有说服力的例子就是苹果公司的产品。

　　On the back of the iPhone, one can find the product is Made in China - "Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China."

　　人们可以在iPhone的背后发现这台手机是产自中国--“加州苹果公司涉及，中国组装。”

　　Chinese and foreign Web users commented that some Chinese products with good reputations around the world are Haier, Lenovo, GREE, Huawei and China Railway High-speed.

　　中国和外国的网页用户们都评论说，一些中国产品在全世界都有极好的名声，例如海尔、联想、格力、华为和中国高铁等。

　　Being a native Chinese, Quora is an interesting platform as I always notice odd and old-fashioned questions and misunderstandings about China posed by foreigners. On the other hand, foreign misunderstandings can sometimes affect Chinese people’s minds. For instance, when Chinese people travel abroad, some would still avoid buying products Made in China.

　　作为一名土生土长的中国人，Quora是一个有趣的地方，因为我总是发现外国人提出一些对中国的古怪、过时的问题和误解。另一方面，外国人的误解有时也能影响中国人的看法。例如，当中国人出国旅游时，一些人仍然会避免购买“中国制造”的产品。

　　It’s time for the world to stop relating Made in China with low-quality products.

　　是时候停止把“中国制造”和劣质划等号了。

　　Just remember, you get what you pay for.

　　记住，一分钱一分货!