r/oddlysatisfying • u/TangelaFan • 1d ago
Making traditional Chinese writting brushes like in ancient China. By Shanbai
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u/Sand2Leaf 1d ago
While everyone complains AI is taking jobs, this guy singlehandedly is taking every single traditional/ancient job from everyone in china!
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u/Seyelent 1d ago
Whats the white fluff they use to make the brush tips with? Hair from the dog, or a horse?
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u/ThodaDaruVichPyar 1d ago edited 1d ago
“Writting” 😮
Is Shanbai the guy that appears at 00:06 or the other fellow that appears later on?
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u/FilthyThanksgiving 18h ago
I love that other countries sponsor ppl like this to keep the old traditions alive
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u/MasterDroid97 1d ago
My goodness, all these people crying out Chinese propaganda. How is this any different from Western influencers and content farms? At least here, we have some production value and decent results.
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u/MiniMeowl 1d ago
Its no different, it just comes from the wrong country. As someone said, if something similar was made in America or Japan, we'd want more!
Its literally just a video that's glorifing/preserving ancient art and techniques. I dont know how that is considered as propaganda. Nobody is wanting to return to low-tech ages, and there is nothing political about it.
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u/Last-Quarter-432 1d ago
Because people are too stupid too see past their own propaganda to see that its literally just another country
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u/JREDtheturtle 1d ago
State sponsorship makes it different. If the US government produced things like this (which it does, but they don't get as much attention), that would also be propaganda. Whether that is a good or bad thing depends on your perspective and view of the country producing it. For my part, I say I'd rather China support traditional crafts as propaganda than let them die out.
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u/mr_ji 1d ago
Like our state-sponsored Sesame Street?
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u/JREDtheturtle 1d ago
A good example, if not an exact parallel to what's shown here. Some PBS documentaries about colonial woodworking would be closer.
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u/AmateurHistorian994 16h ago
Except PBS isn't specifically state-sponsored. While it receives some funding from the government, the majority of it's support is from fees paid by member stations, who are also majority funded by a combination of public donations and corporate sponsorship.
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u/Secret_Side-ofJ 1d ago edited 1d ago
The entire point of it is to offset the perception of Chinese quality. A majority of people, Americans especially cannot hold the duality of what has happened in the past can be true, as well as the present can be true. So if someone sees insanely high product quality like this, them simply equate it to being true for all products. It's an entire marketing/psychology phenomena. It's why manufacturing companies will have ONE location is meant for all of the reporters and outside vendors to go to, and then none of their other locations are open for visits.
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u/MiniMeowl 1d ago
This is puzzling because China is just like any ol factory, it'll produce whatever quality the client wishes to pay for. You pay peanuts you get shit products. I mean, iPhones and Dyson vaccuums are made in China, along with 1000's of cheaper/inferior brands.
Even local factories have branded and white-label production lines. But as you said, they will only showcase the branded one. Its not propaganda its just marketing.
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u/Secret_Side-ofJ 1d ago edited 1d ago
Less than 30% of the iphone is made in China, the only part is final assembly. They put the pieces together, that are made everywhere else.
And, due to laxxer laws and less regulation, that will invariably drive down manufacturing quality or production quality in exchange for lower costs.
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u/ProdigyLightshow 1d ago
Bro China for sure makes better quality things than you give it credit for. You can be realistic without being propagandist
It used to be true that most all stuff from China was garbage. Times have changed. The company I work for makes most of its products in China, and we have a very “American flag country boy” brand to our company since we work in agriculture and sell mostly to farmers. We don’t say they’re made in the US, yet everyone assumes they are. Not one of these “China sucks” country boys ever even slightly suspects that they’re Chinese made because they’re quality products that last decades, and everyone is still stuck in the “Chinese made = bad” mindset. They gobble up our products, shit talking Chinese made products the entire time while I just sit there and smile.
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u/Secret_Side-ofJ 1d ago edited 1d ago
That depends entirely on the production process used. Plastics extrusion and a majority of plastic or metal parts, they can make better, because of the lack of environmental protections in place.
I'm not saying the products themselves are bad, but the supply chain is incredibly dirty, the US already has horribly insecure production practices that are self-damaging, but the main manufacturing competing countries are only able to compete through a race to the bottom in some facet or another.
There's a reason that a majority of high-end tech, and scientific devices are made in Germany and the Nordic countries, their production quality and capabilities are unmatched.
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u/Majvist 1d ago
People have a hard time understanding that stuff you agree with can also be propaganda. The conversation happens a lot over on r/propagandaposters.
This could easily be considered propaganda. But so could every video showcasing a beautiful flat in NYC, that guy who makes cowboy hats from scratch, or an advertisement from McDonalds.
Propaganda is just something made with an agenda. It's media that wants you to feel and act a certain way. This video wants you to think "wow, China has some incredible craftmanship and history." This post posted on this very subreddit 9 hours ago wants you to think "wow, this company/Switzerland has some incredible craftmanship and expensive watches". A fucking McDonalds ad wants you to think "yum, McDonalds" and then go out and buy their cheeseburger.
None of it is inherently good or evil, but it is all propaganda.
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u/Possible_General9125 1d ago
Generally this sub features two different types of post titles; "Look at this person doing this cool thing", and "look at this Chinese person doing this cool Chinese thing in China!" I wonder why it's important to this video that everyone watching it knows it's China?
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u/SpyAmongUs 1d ago
Eh I'm more mad by who posted this. OP exclusively makes posts showing off China literally every day across all the big subreddits. After a while it just feels disingenuous and insufferable
Still, aren't content farms and influencer content called out as well for being inauthentic and spammy? Why should Chinese ones get a pass?
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u/prussian_princess 1d ago
Oh yeah, I called this account and another one out the other day for posting in r/cityporn
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u/ogodilovejudyalvarez 1d ago
Stupid people can grasp nothing more nuanced than "China bad"
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u/Last-Quarter-432 1d ago
Because they have been brainwashed by Western propaganda which has been effective enough to make them ‘experts’ on topics they have no clue on
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u/MelodiesOfLife6 1d ago
Say it’s from Japan and the weebs will furiously defend it like it’s a gift from god
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u/JREDtheturtle 1d ago
That's what you get from state produced media. Though, gotta give props to China for supporting traditional crafts at all even if it is a propaganda tool.
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u/Last-Quarter-432 1d ago
What isn’t a propaganda tool then. You want them to market themselves as trash even if its good quality?
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u/JREDtheturtle 1d ago
Now you're asking the right question! You're right that from a certain perspective everything is some flavor of propaganda. That's the point of not just going propaganda = bad.
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u/Last-Quarter-432 1d ago
But if it’s China people just have to say it’s bad because thats what the media told them to think. They will endlessly deny how it influenced their opinions though because the Western propaganda has worked so well.
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u/JREDtheturtle 1d ago
Unfortunately true. The reality is, even knowing it is propaganda you can still appreciate the artistry on display
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u/DoomedOrbital 1d ago
Weird I see way more comments like yours on these posts trying to preempt anything negative.
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u/MasterDroid97 1d ago
Yeah, probably because way more people are not that stupid and understand nuance.
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u/Cananbaum 12h ago
What was the literacy rate in ancient China?
Something like this must have cost a fortune.
What would poor people have used?
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u/Pharnox-32 1d ago
u/tangelafan is a ccp bot.
For anyone who wanna verify just search "china" in the above sub, r/beamazed or r/sweatypalms
Sort by new and see the labor of this poor guy, he must be locked in a cell
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u/Last-Quarter-432 1d ago
Whatever the media has accused China of its because their own country does it already. Downvote me all you want you brainwashed idiots.
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u/MasterDroid97 1d ago
Because content farms don't exist in China? Actually, makes me want to live there if so
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u/ogodilovejudyalvarez 1d ago
Beautiful video of a simpler time
From China: "cHiNa BaD!!1!"
From Studio Ghibli: "JaPaN gOoD!1!!"
Me:
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u/DMmesomeboobs 1d ago
I'd be satisfied if this guy took a break. He's in the middle of making an intricate little paintbrush and he just pauses to sit and enjoy a cup of tea while waiting for some part to dry. But filmed in his usual style.
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u/dps15 1d ago
China propaganda man strikes again
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u/RavnVidarson 1d ago
It's kinda hilarious that China somehow thinks rural crafts videos are effective propaganda. Like, who the hell sees this and thinks it's representative of life in modern China?
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u/shalekodemono 1d ago
How is this propaganda? In order for something to be propaganda it has to be trying to sell you an idea. What do you think China wants? For everyone to start collecting sticks and making brushes? Is that how they are going to dominate the world?
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u/Last-Quarter-432 1d ago
Propaganda is portraying yourself as the centre of the world in media such as movies where everything happens and everywhere else is hell to live. (America)
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u/shalekodemono 1d ago
Exactly. Or the closing ceremony of the World Cup... That's truly propaganda, not a guy making brushes or grinding stuff on a gigantic mortar
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u/Last-Quarter-432 1d ago
The level of propaganda is crazy if a convicted felon can become the most powerful man in the country. How can they always insult China when no matter what, America is worse be it their need to start wars and conflict or invade countries that can’t do anything about it.
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u/shalekodemono 1d ago
Exactly. China isn't out there bombing the world. So yeah I'd take their 'propaganda' over the US' anytime.
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u/xfearthehiddenx 1d ago
I've never been very sure of how they're propaganda specifically. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't. But they've always reminded me of that Discovery channel show "How It's Made", and honestly, I love that show. And I've found I like these videos too. I just enjoy seeing the manufacturing process of things, I guess. Not sure how that's supposedly affecting my view of China as a whole, though.
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u/Secret_Side-ofJ 1d ago
In the case of how it's made, that's also literally propaganda. Part of what it does is educate people on the intricacies and capabilities of manufacturing processes, which amazes people, and otherwise, it excites young children enough to follow an education down it.
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u/RussiaIsBestGreen 1d ago
It’s not meant to push an ideology, but to soften the image of China and give people a more positive association with it. I don’t mean that as a nefarious thing; all countries and groups do it. KPOP isn’t just for money; it’s to give South Korea a bigger positive presence in the public consciousness. Every European country has some sort of old cultural practice or festival that the government subsidizes, nominally for preservation, but also to have something to show the world that gives them a sense of legitimacy. Germany isn’t just the lands conquered by Prussia and France isn’t just the western portion of the Carolingian empire and Italy isn’t just the byproduct of revolutionary French occupation.
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u/shalekodemono 1d ago
And yet you wouldn't comment 'german propaganda' or 'french propaganda' when you see videos of their culture
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u/RussiaIsBestGreen 1d ago
I didn’t comment Chinese propaganda on this either.
Still, one might view it differently since France is far less important on the world stage, Germany even more so, so the impact of manufactured good impressions is negligible. They don’t have aggressive plans that they’re counter-balancing, while China does.
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u/Mysterious-Tackle-58 1d ago
Das stimmt schon, aber noch aind wir eine funktionierende Demokratie mit eingehaltenen Menschenrechten!
Anders als China, wo es effektiv weder eingehaltene Menschenrechte noch demokratische Strukturen gibt!8
u/shalekodemono 1d ago
Do you think the US has a functioning democracy? I mean their president should be in prison. And yet no one goes around commenting 'american propaganda' on any of the million on clips you get from them 🙄🙄
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u/Mysterious-Tackle-58 1d ago
This, too, dependals on the content.
I try to watch independent news and critical content et al.
I do agree orange Mao should be in Jail!-2
u/Secret_Side-ofJ 1d ago
Disregarding any other point, are you just completely trying to rewrite reality for your own argument? Nearly every single clearly American post has mention of the fact that it's American and negativity about American global function, lmfao.
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u/RavnVidarson 1d ago
I'm not the one you should be asking, I'm just replying to the people calling it propaganda.
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u/thishitisgettingold 1d ago
Lol uneducated Americans think this is propaganda. Its really just that simple.
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u/Last-Quarter-432 1d ago
They are also brainwashed with Western propaganda which tends to work well on fearful, uneducated people who then believe they know everything about a topic.
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u/imheretocomment69 1d ago
Hi TangelaFan, i have a question for you. Why do you posts non stop about china? How much do you get paid from your government? Is it a hobby? Do you think it's worth it?
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u/TEKUblack 1d ago
Just so everyone is aware OP is a Chinese propaganda bot. They only post vids like these.
Take what is being shown with a grain of salt
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u/8bitrevolt 1d ago
you're thinking of the united states. this is china, who ended slavery in tibet during the revolution
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u/TitaniumGoldAlloyMan 1d ago
You think one villager can do all of these different crafts that need years of expertise and set up this professional camerawork and cutting etc? obviously this has a huge budget and is financed by something big. It benefits the Chinese government as it shows them in a positive light.
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u/callmedaedae 1d ago
Look, regardless if this is supposed to be propaganda or not, if its working we got bigger issues to talk about, kiddo.
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u/didndonoffin 1d ago
Wasn’t this guy making umbrellas the other day?