China's legendary knockoff market could soon be gone

Drones, phones, hologram fans and more knockoffs than you can wrap your head around. Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei electronics market is the geeky heart of China’s Silicon Valley of Hardware, but parts of China’s tech Mecca are disappearing.

This week, one of Huaqiangbei’s expansive, multistory malls filled with electronic goodies was shut down for demolition. The Gaokede Electronics Building, hosting some 2,000 vendors, closed shop on April 1.

Huaqiangbei has been called the “barometer” of China’s electronics industry. The area is known for its ample supply of components, and the big hardware firms are stationed nearby in Shenzhen. A less flattering aspect of its reputation is for the many products displayed there that weren’t even created in China, showing up as "shanzhai" products, or knockoffs.

You can find the fake US$100 iPhone X, not so original Beats by Dre headphones and many of the hottest Kickstarter gadgets before they even finish their crowdfunding campaigns.

In recent years, however, Shenzhen has been trying to rid itself of its “shanzhai” reputation by carrying out raids on fake goods.