Indian gods, made in China

Chinese entrepreneur Zhao Qingfeng’s shop walls are adorned with images you would certainly not expect to find in a shop in China, a country which is officially atheist. In one corner is a collection of beautiful images of Lord Krishna as a child. In the other corner are framed photographs of Ganesha. Every inch of the walls are covered with half a dozen different gods and goddesses from the Hindu pantheon: including images of Hanuman and Saraswathi.

Images from Zhao’s shop, ‘Zhejiang Yiwu Yijie Crafts Company’, find their way into the homes and offices of thousands of Hindus across India. More than a hundred Indian companies buy Zhao’s products, and distribute them across India – their customers usually being unaware of the origin of these products.

Zhao’s business is one among many Chinese businesses which demonstrate the depth to which Chinese manufacturing has penetrated into the Indian market – from cell phones and other electronics to clothes and shoes, many products in the Indian market have reached the country from across the South China Sea.

There are, reportedly, at least three other companies in China which have been producing images and idols for the Indian market. Most of the factories of these companies are located in Cangnan, a county close to Wenzhou – a thriving port which has a reputation for being a centre of entrepreneurship. Some of the companies reportedly have listed annual sales of 10 million Yuan (Rs. 10 crore). They also export a range of images for the Christian community.

Zhang Daofeng of the ‘Wenzhou Tonghengli Stationery Company’, runs a factory in Cangnan. He reported that his company’s ‘Indian gods series’, which includes three-dimensional images, posters and statues, are being sold across the subcontinent of India. Zhang is one of the earliest producers of images of Hindu gods.

Zhang estimates that today, between 30 and 40 companies in China are doing the same, even as they struggle to stay competitive as wages across China rise every year. “Many of the new factories offer poor quality,” he says, “but the Indian customers are very price sensitive so business is down.”

Despite rising prices, however, Indian orders haven’t stopped coming. One trader says that the reason is that despite any shortcoming, it is still easier to order in China because “everything is produced in bulk, and the trade is very organized.” He says that their customers simply have no alternative. “It’s still easier to order from China,” one trader said. “Everything is produced in bulk, and the trade is very organised.”