Petronella Sibeene The recent visit by the Chinese President was an eye opener for myself as a journalist as well as other newsreaders. Splashing more than one billion Namibian dollars each to a number of countries in the region, Namibia included, I think it is high time we as the general public admit that looking East has its own rewards too. Without annoying some one or insinuating anything, Chinese products in Namibia have been criticized to a large extent. There is a public perception that Chinese products are cheap or of poor quality. The other day I overheard a young lady telling her friend that during that past weekend, she took a taxi to the northern industrial area, commonly known as Chinatown. Going shop by shop and taking her time, her eye was caught by some small “women stuff” that were on display. She could not resist but bought herself some sexy underwear. Apparently, when it was time to wash it, whatever happened in the washing machine, God forbid! What was once eye-catching lingerie came out all in a different form. The colour was no longer the same and cuts were all over as if the washing machine had shredded it to pieces. Annoyed with the episode, the young lady did not mind spending a few more coins for a taxi back to the shop where she’d purchased her “secret wear”. After complaining bitterly to the shop owner and demanding that she gets her money back, the shop owner had the guts to say, “Why wash? No gualantee. No Leturn me speaky no Engliis.” Still in Chinatown, another lady bought herself a pair of slippers given the hot season. Excited about her new purchase bought for next to nothing, she decided to fling off her old shoes and slip into the newly bought purchase. Was it long before the thong of a slipper snapped in mid-motion? She remembered the adage that says “wait until it is night before saying that it has been a fine day”. These are just two events among the many that people have used as a weapon in criticizing Chinese products. But hang on, is it not just typical of human beings that we criticize even before we are well informed about a situation? Perhaps a bit of research will save us from all the energy we waste talking about the Chinese products being cheap. Do you realise that on a daily or monthly basis you purchase a product that was made in China? Whether you are a low-cash person or the most moneyed man in the City, we all have used and still use products that are made in China. I have some reservations about the products we get, alright, and as the saying goes, “the king’s trumpeter need not always blow his horn when the king is around”. Therefore praising and blowing horns is not all I do. Meaning, some exported products are good and designed for the short-term, but we can all agree that much of the stuff we get from our colleagues from the Far East are nothing but satisfying, though not always. However, China has more than a billion population, and we can understand the labour. They are productively driven. To start with, the plate you eat from and your coffee mug are all Chinaware. The television sets, I-Pod, digital videos, cellphones, toys, vehicles, most clothes even those in boutiques are mostly made from materials coming from China. All in all, it is all about how you choose what you buy and where. Otherwise, it would be unfair and fair to generalize maybe and say Chinese products are cheap. Like I said, if you want a pirated DVD, get it, only make sure it works. The same goes for the sexy panties or otherwise learn how to speak Mandarin when you go claim your refund. Eewa!