When I told a friend of mine that an overwhelming amount of of the world’s 山寨 (bandit, or knockoff- see below) phones were manufactured within a 半径 (radius) of 2 miles from my apartment, he 怀疑 (suspected) that there was no way it could be true.  Just yesterday, I sent him an article from the 金融时报 (Financial Times) attesting to the widespread presence of these cellphones and their effect on international markets.  The article focused chiefly on the 华强北 (Hua Qiang North road) area, a nucleus for technology peripherals as well as knockoff phones and 盗版 (pirated versions [of]) software.  I have heard an unsubstantiated claim to the effect that that any knockoff phone containing 俄罗斯方块 (Tetris) will be seized at the airport as the owner passes 安检 ([the] security check) at the airport.  I have seen these phones in Shenzhen as well as in Laos, some even bearing real analog clocks on the handset!  If there’s anything that the makers of these phones have in common with students of learning Chinese, I’d say a strong 模仿力 (ability to imitate) is an asset.

山寨 shan1zhai4 – lit. “mountain village” “cottage”.  refers to counterfeit or knockoff items.  often associated with a bandit-like or renegade attitude.
半径 ban4jing1 – radius
怀疑 huai2yi2 – suspect
金融时报 jin1rong2shi2bao4 – Financial Times
华强北 hua2qiang2bei3 – Hua Qiang North road, a concentrated area full of markets for electronics and components
盗版 dao4ban3 – pirated [version]
俄罗斯方块 e2luo2si1fang1kuai4 – Tetris (lit. Russian blocks)
安检 an1jian3 – security check (as found in airports)
模仿力 mo2fang3li4 – ability to imitate/copy