Is there no creative industry in China?

Baidu (the Chinese based web company) has shown off its demo video which details its mobile OS based on Android. It has no originality whatsoever, it's borrowing UI elements from Apple and Google.

Is it so hard in China to find creative agencies or local designers that companies (Meizu, Baidu) are forced to take individual bits from iOS and Android to create this Frankenstein OS?
I am honestly curious as to the state of product and user interface in design in China. China's rich history shows us how creative they are in their inventions and ancient art but when it comes to today's modern technology it feels like China is just playing catchup. They are capable of producing the behind the scenes hardware that powers these beautiful operating systems but can't invent their own ideas for what a phone should look and feel like?

Check out the video at YouTube

Baidu Yi OS - YouTube

If you're going to copy the iOS Messaging app, at least change the colour
Baidu Yi OS - YouTube-1

An obvious clone of the Google mobile web app
Baidu Yi OS - YouTube-2-1

Apple isn't the only one to implement the great UITableView
Baidu Yi OS - YouTube-3-2

Always been a big fan of the UISegmentControl

Posted 03/09/2011 as baidu, apple, china, design, google, mobile

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foobar

if you only knew how software industry works ... instead of developers making the bold decisions, the decision, even the l&f are made by a timid project manager who trusts the solution already tested than creative and different. if you look more closely every industry, including US, is suffering from the same creativity infanticide. so don't be so judgemental about the china industry as a whole. PS: i am not chinese or have any near or distant chinese relative that i know of. (03/09/2011)

Borden

Creativity is the cream of freedom, as a native Chinese, I want to say, we people are not stupid, nor lazy, we just have no chance to be creative. (03/09/2011)

wmr

http://www.cn.wsj.com/gb/20110901/opn095615_ENversion.shtml (03/09/2011)

Creazil

In Chinese schools, the kids learn by route alone. There is no creativity or fantasy anywhere, traits of individualism is simply not encouraged. The Chinese are good at imitating and producing, but not creating. Older dynasties were less oppressive and thus created better art. (04/09/2011)

ras

You can't innovate without competition in a country whos companies are only after 1 thing: money. Ride the money coaster and use someone else's ideas until competing markets open up. Also, lacking originality and not being creative are two different things. In creative spaces such as art and sculpture, China has some great talent. (04/09/2011)

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