Guangdong

History of technology

The Chinese Camera Equipment Chronicle — THE COMPLETE SERIES — Vol. 01

The pre-2000 roots of China’s camera equipment industry—how Hong Kong acted as a free-trade gateway, how OEM work accumulated know-how, and how early supply chains formed before the speedlite and LED boom.
History of technology

Part 3: Reform, Opening Up, and OEM — How Tripod Factories Gathered in Guangdong (1978–1999)

With Reform and Opening Up and Special Economic Zones, an OEM/ODM tripod manufacturing cluster formed in Zhongshan, Guangdong. It explains skill accumulation through contract manufacturing for overseas brands such as Manfrotto and SLIK.