Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 129 Ultimate Invincible Limited Edition

In contemporary China, during a period of economic recovery, resources are relatively scarce, and radios serve as both entertainment and a window into information.

Very few people could afford a television, so a radio became the best alternative.

The Panda brand radio attracted much attention due to its successful export and its design, which was indeed more advanced than the radios sold in China at the time.

Not only are young people like Liu Guodong paying attention, but older people are also very interested.

At 6 a.m., just as dawn was breaking, the area in front of the state-run stores in Xidan, Beijing, was already packed with people.

The mornings in Yanjing in May were still a bit chilly. People were wearing coats and talking in hushed tones, and the air was filled with anticipation and anxiety.

There are only 500 units available, and it's unclear when the next sale will take place.

To be more precise, there were only 1000 units available for sale nationwide.

Currently, China's production capacity of high-purity germanium crystals is extremely limited.

After 9000 units were produced and shipped to various parts of the world, orders from around the globe continued to increase following the feedback after the official launch.

At that time, Japan could sell about a million radios from Sony alone. However, considering that new technologies were being used in China and that these were for export, there were also special requirements for quality.

When the Sony TR-57 was launched in 1957, it sold 10 units in the American market alone.

China is just getting started. Based on China's pricing, selling hundreds of thousands or even millions of units throughout the Warsaw Pact would not be a problem.

This directly reflects a severe shortage of production capacity. On the one hand, it is necessary to rely on the upgraded equipment, and on the other hand, much of the semiconductor-related production capacity is on the way to relocation, resulting in a lack of manpower and equipment for capacity expansion.

This was still a forced effort to supply 1,000 Panda brand radios to the domestic market.

Nationwide, only state-run stores in Xidan, Yanjing, and state-run department stores on Nanjing Road, Shenhai, sell it.

Other cities like Guangzhou and Wuhan do not have this feature.

The line at Xidan Store stretched from the store entrance all the way to the street corner, numbering two to three hundred people, with more people joining from time to time.

A handwritten notice was posted on the shop's glass window: "Panda brand radios have arrived today, limited to 500 units, first come, first served, while supplies last."

The handwriting is crooked, yet it stands out remarkably.

"I heard that the sound quality of these radios is exceptionally clear! They've been sold not only to Africa and Latin America, but also to the Germans!" a middle-aged man wearing a hat said excitedly, his voice brimming with undisguised pride.

A young female worker next to him chimed in: "I saved up three months' salary, just waiting to buy one for my dad today. He keeps saying he wants to listen to traditional opera."

There was a lot of discussion among the crowd. Some people mentioned that it was a high-quality domestic product, while others simply wanted to keep up with the trend, since owning a Panda brand radio was undoubtedly a symbol of status.

Only one thousand units will be produced nationwide.

Because the production capacity was also accidentally used for a scarcity marketing strategy.

At 7:30, the store's iron gate creaked open, and a sales clerk in a gray uniform poked her head out, holding a stack of numbered tags, and shouted, "Line up! One item per person, take a number first, don't push!"

The crowd immediately stirred, with those in the front pushing forward and those in the back craning their necks to get a better look, afraid of missing out. The sales clerk began handing out number cards at lightning speed, and in the blink of an eye, all 50 cards were gone.

Those who didn't get a number complained angrily, "How come they're all gone so quickly? Weren't there supposed to be 500?"

The sales clerk replied without even looking up, showing remarkable patience by not hitting anyone: "The goods aren't all unloaded yet, we're selling them in batches, what's the rush!"

At 8 o'clock sharp, the first batch of Panda brand radios was moved into the display case. The plastic casing, shiny black knobs, and white body exuded a simple yet sophisticated feel.

People in China today have never seen such a well-designed electronic product before, and their eyes lit up.

People who received their numbers stepped forward one by one, and the sales clerks quickly issued invoices, collected money, and handed over the goods.

A radio cost 120 yuan, equivalent to more than two months' wages for an average worker, but no one hesitated; the action of paying was swift and efficient. An old man held his newly bought radio, beaming from ear to ear, carefully stuffing it into his cloth bag, as if afraid of bumping or damaging it.

In less than half an hour, the first batch of 100 units sold out. Those who missed out refused to leave, crowding around the entrance waiting for the next batch. By 10 a.m., the second batch of 200 units was also snapped up. A young man, having missed out, slapped his thigh in frustration: "I should have lined up last night!"

There were also a few scalpers in the crowd, who were sneaking around talking to the buyers, trying to buy them at a higher price, but most of them were firmly refused. The newspaper said there were only 1,000 units available, so who would be willing to let them go?

Compared to the bustling atmosphere in Beijing, the scene at the state-run department store on Nanjing Road in Shanghai was more orderly but also more tense.

There were even locals in Shanghai holding up signs that read: "People from Nanjing are prohibited from buying Panda brand radios in Shanghai."

Indeed, the people of Shenhai were very worried that the people of Jinling would come and steal their already scarce goods.

The local newspapers in Nanjing were overjoyed and published an article announcing the sale of Panda brand radios, clearly indicating the specific sales location: Shenhai Nanjing Road State-owned Department Store.

They were afraid that people in Nanjing wouldn't be able to find a place to buy it.

For the people of Nanjing, the Panda brand radio represents a synergy greater than the sum of its parts. It evokes memories, even childhood recollections, as the radios manufactured by the Nanjing Radio Factory used to be called by this name.

Especially after seeing the picture in the newspaper, the desire to buy it increased dramatically.

As a landmark shopping destination in Shanghai, the news of the arrival of Panda brand radios at the Nanjing Road State-owned Department Store had spread throughout the streets and alleys several days in advance. The store decided to issue tickets a day in advance, with each person allowed to purchase 500 radios with a ticket.

Even so, on the morning of the ticket sale, a long queue still formed in front of the store, with the ratio of Nanjing locals to Shanghai locals reaching 4 to 6. Can you believe it?

A middle-aged woman in a woolen overcoat stood at the front of the line, clutching a crumpled ticket in her hand—the one she had queued for three hours to obtain the day before. She said to her neighbor, "My husband, Old Zhang, said that with this radio, we can listen to the news from Beijing, even faster than the newspapers!"

A young man wearing glasses next to him pushed up his glasses and whispered, "Uncultured Nanjing folks can hear the news from Beijing on any radio. The good thing about this radio is that the sound is clear."

These words were spoken cautiously, but the sharp-eared middle-aged woman still heard them and shrieked, "You little rascal! Who are you calling Shen Haining? I think you're the one who's not Shen Haining!"

To the middle-aged woman, being told she was from Nanjing was undoubtedly the greatest insult she could receive.

This small section quickly erupted into a heated argument, even though it sounded like a young man being bombarded by a middle-aged woman.

The shop assistants quickly stepped in to mediate: "Don't make a scene, can we fight?"
If you can use your hands, don't just talk!

"Hmph!" The middle-aged woman was clearly still angry.

At 9 a.m., the store opened for business. The sales clerk stood behind the counter, with several stacks of packaged Panda brand radios behind her, and two policemen were nearby maintaining order.

Customers lined up according to their ticket numbers, handed in their tickets, paid, and received their goods—the whole process was as smooth as an assembly line. A little boy followed behind his mother, watching longingly as the radio was packed into a canvas bag. He couldn't resist reaching out to touch it, muttering, "Can I listen to stories tonight?" His mother smiled and nodded, "Yes, and you can listen to songs too!"

By 11 a.m., all 500 radios had been sold out. Only one sample remained on the counter. The salesperson specially plugged it in, tuned it to the frequency of the Central People's Broadcasting Station, and the announcer's deep voice came from the loudspeaker.

Those who didn't manage to buy anything gathered around the counter and listened for a while.

"It's actually clearer than mine."

"Didn't you guys notice? This radio can actually pick up the announcer's tone of voice."

"As expected of a panda, not only is the design beautiful, but the sound quality is also significantly better than the previous radio."

"I don't know when the goods will be available."

After a while, many people sighed and dispersed, especially those who had come from Nanjing, who were even more unconvinced.

Some people have already started calculating how much they should spend to buy one from someone else at a higher price.

When Liu Guodong returned home, seeing his wife's expectant eyes, he helplessly gestured and said, "I couldn't buy any. It was just too hard to get. You have no idea how many people were buying them. I went to ask today, and they're selling them for at least double the price."

I hesitated for a while, but after they heard the broadcast effect of the demo unit, no one was willing to sell it anymore.

The old man who initially offered to sell it to me for double the price now refuses to resell it.

Xiao Fang smiled and pulled him into the house: "It's okay, it'll be fine next time. Come back and eat quickly."

What she didn't know was that the next Panda brand radio would not be available in China for another year.

The sale of Panda brand radios from China in Eastern Europe was like a drop of water falling on the ocean, causing almost no ripples.

The Chinese side did not hold a press conference, and the East German sales channels did not promote the products extensively; they simply displayed the goods alongside radios from other brands.

After all, they only ordered 500 units, and this number was distributed among the state-owned retail networks in cities large and small in East Germany, with each state-owned store receiving at most ten units.

On a summer weekend morning, the HO store in Leipzig was packed with shoppers, the air thick with the faint smell of coal smoke, and crowds thronged the radio counter.

HO stands for Handelsorganisation, which was East Germany's main state-owned retail network, selling a wide variety of goods; you could find products from almost all the countries in the Mutual Economic Assistance Council (MECO).

Radios were a necessity at the time, especially in East Germany, where you could only buy specially designed radios from state-run stores that could only receive broadcasts from East Germany and other similar countries.

Anna, a textile factory worker who had just turned thirty, stood in front of the glass cabinet, clutching her newly received payslip, her gaze wandering among the dazzling array of radios.

On the counter was an RFT Stern-Radio, made in East Germany, priced at 350 marks. It had a square shape, and the warm sheen of its plastic exterior gave it a reliable feel, but the price made Anna frown.

Next to her was a Spidola portable radio from Russia, costing only 250 marks. It was lightweight and stylish, and was playing Moscow music. However, she had heard from her colleagues that the sound quality of this brand was always a bit harsh.

The mark used in East Germany at this time was the East German mark.

The Tesla Talisman was also on the shortlist. Priced at 400 marks, it boasted an elegant wooden casing and a sound as clear as the Rhine River. However, that was half a month's salary for her, and she simply couldn't bring herself to buy it.

The Tesla here is not the Tesla of America, but the Czechoslovakian electronics company named after Nikola Tesla, who briefly studied in Prague.

You can still see the company's logo in Prague today:

In addition, the Tesla radio does indeed have a wooden casing. From today's perspective, the red and yellow color scheme of its instrument panel combined with the dark red wooden casing creates a very peculiar feeling, a strange beauty similar to that of Cthulhu.

(Tesla 308U amulet radio)

Just as Anna was hesitating, the salesperson took out a new item from under the counter—a Chinese-made Panda brand transistor radio, priced at 300 marks.

Saleswoman Karin, who was on good terms with Anna, said, "This is the latest product from China. Its quality is comparable to Grundig from West Germany, but the price is much more affordable."

In reality, it doesn't offer much real benefit.

The price that China sold to East German buyers was $20 per unit. According to the official East German exchange rate, it was 1 US dollar to 4.2 East German marks. However, in reality, the exchange rate of the East German mark had long since collapsed.

Following the Berlin crisis last year, one US dollar could be exchanged for 10 East German marks or even more on the black market.

Regardless of the specific exchange rate, the price of Panda brand radios was still much higher than their purchase price from China.

With its simple design, the black plastic case paired with the white dial does indeed immediately evoke the image of a panda.

Anna took the radio, turned on the knob, and listened to a news segment from Berlin Radio. The sound was loud and clear, with a deep bass, and even the subtle background music was distinct.

At that time, very few products had instruction manuals, especially in the Soviet bloc, where everyone was not engaged in commercial competition and no one would think of including instruction manuals.

Therefore, whether consumers will buy these kinds of products largely depends on whether the salesperson recommends them.

Salespeople know which products are good and which are of poor quality; this information gap is one of the important reasons why salespeople are in high demand today.

Anna hesitated and said, "The Chinese-made ones do sound similar to the American products I heard about at my relatives' house in West Germany, and the effects are even better."

But won't it break down easily? I've never heard of radios being made in China before.

"300 marks?" Anna felt the weight of the radio in her hand and calculated in her mind that it was 100 marks cheaper than Tesla and more cost-effective than RFT. The sound quality was much better than those two brands. Her only concern now was whether its quality was up to par.

"Don't worry, I've sold five units and no one has said anything bad about them," Karin said confidently. "Besides, if there's a problem, you can just bring them back to be fixed."

"This is it!" Anna finally made up her mind and handed the 300 marks to the salesperson. The salesperson smiled, wrapped up the radio, and added as she handed it to her, "I'm only recommending this to you because of our relationship. You won't regret buying it."

The sales of Panda brand products from China throughout Eastern Europe have gone through a process of word-of-mouth marketing.

However, the real reason why Eastern European buyers increased their imports from China after the large-scale sell-out was thanks to the purchasing efforts of the Chinese community.

In 1962, there were approximately one thousand Chinese people in East and West Germany combined.

Due to strict immigration policies, the Chinese population in East Germany consisted mainly of diplomats, students, and technical personnel undergoing training.

On the contrary, West Germany, thanks to America's efforts in using the Marshall Plan to try to make it a showcase for the liberal camp, experienced a period of economic miracle recovery after the war, which attracted a group of Chinese immigrants from Asia.

From Hong Kong to 4V and then to Southeast Asia, many Chinese people traveled to West Germany after several twists and turns.

Of course, at this time the Chinese community in West Germany was just starting out, with a population of only about a thousand, far from comparable to that in England and France.

However, by chance, the Panda brand radio ended up being sold in Western Europe.

Interestingly, the Panda brand didn't flow from East Germany to West Germany, but rather from France.

In the St. Paul district of Hamburg, West Germany, a place with a vibrant immigrant population due to its port location, a small Chinatown once formed in the 30s. It was later closed by NAZI, but it is now slowly reviving.

On a narrow street stands the "Golden Dragon" shop, run by Mr. Feng, an immigrant from Guangdong province in China. The shop's red signboard prominently displays the words "Golden Dragon."

The store shelves were filled with tea, porcelain and sundries, but the most eye-catching item that day was a brand-new Panda brand radio on the counter.

Shopkeeper Feng, over fifty years old with graying hair, carefully wiped the radio, turned it on, and tuned it to a faint Chinese broadcast channel. A familiar melody came through the static, seemingly pulling him back to the misty, rainy village in Guangdong province.

Just then, the shop door creaked open, interrupting his thoughts. Sun Youyu, a regular customer and a Chinese dockworker at the shipyard, walked in.

"Good morning, Manager Feng!" Sun Youyu was a regular customer of Jinlong Restaurant, and he greeted him warmly.

"Good morning, Hans!" Manager Feng replied in fluent German, his tone warm. "What do you need today?"

Sun Youyu's gaze fell on the radio. "What's this? A new gadget?"

Shopkeeper Feng smiled. "This is a Panda brand radio, made in China. It's sturdy and durable, has clear sound quality, and isn't expensive."

Hans leaned closer, his interest piqued: "Made in China? Although you didn't say, I guess your silk and tea are made in China, but the radio?"
When will China be able to make good radios? I bought a Red Star brand radio because I thought it was made in China, but now it's just gathering dust in a corner.

Panda? You're just changing the name to try and make money off me again, Manager Feng, you're so wicked!

"It's possible now," Manager Feng said with pride. "I only brought two units. I'm keeping one here, and you can buy the other one if you want!"

Sun Youyu seemed thoughtful, sensing the weight in Manager Feng's words. "May I listen?"

Shopkeeper Feng turned up the volume, filling the entire shop with the soaring strains of Peking Opera. Sun Youyu blinked, astonished by the unfamiliar voice: "Not bad, this thing!"

Manager Feng said proudly, "That's right, I got this from Paris at a high price."

(End of this chapter)