CHINESE HIGH-TECH RICE COOKER

China is the home of the world’s industry. Price is cheap, and quality? Well, generally speaking, it is depended on the price that you choose. But the tragic thing is, people tend to see Chinese products as cheap and in low quality. As you know, one of China’s current agendas is moving toward quality and automation. And yeah, if you live here in China, I have to admit that it’s amazing to see a lot of innovations that keeps coming.

The High-Tech Rice Cooker

Yes, just like the title! I’m very excited to tell you that China’s Xiaomi, is producing a high-tech rice cooker that has wifi feature with it. As you know, Xiaomi is Chinese leading smartphone manufacturer that shook the world with a very cheap and good quality of smartphone. And once again, do you know how much is it????

US$153!!!!

The sophisticated Xiaomi’s rice cooker

The WiFi feature of the rice cooker

Can you imagine! The cheap price and the feature!

Lei Jun at the launching of Mijia

OK, lemme give you a brief explanation about what does Xiaomi mean actually. It is consisted from 2 Chinese words. Xiao (小) and Mi (米). Xiao itself means small; besides, Mi means rice. So, when I found out the news, like why rice cooker, Xiaomi? Then, I realized maybe one of the reasons is that it is related to their name! Ha! But, it is more than that

Xiaomi has not only been producing smartphones, but also other household appliances that have wifi feature too, the so called “smart” air conditioner and a “smart” air filter. Lei Jun, Xiaomi’s CEO, is one of the proofs that China is a new superpower for quality consumer electronics.

Chinese’s Tale in Japan

Because of the terrible history of how Japanese colonized Chinese during the WWII, most of Chinese people, I’m sorry to say, hate Japanese. During my first year in China, I couldn’t speak Chinese and when I was about to buy food, the seller asked me, “Are you Japanese?”. I said no. And my friend told me that, that seller, he didn’t want to sell food to Japanese. Many other stories how Chinese don’t like Japanese because of the dark history in the past. Many don’t want to go to Japan, don’t even want to eat Japanese food.

When I told my Chinese friend that I was going to Japan for my holiday, she told me that Chinese people who travel to Japan, they always bring the toilet seat and rice cooker home. It may sound ridiculous to bring a toilet seat home (even the first time I heard it, I bursted in laughter). But this is the story…

To be honest with you, my mom and I are a big fan of Japan’s Zojirushi and Tiger. Not only us, but lots of Indonesian moms, they’re in love with Zojirushi and Tiger. They are a super great kitchen appliance brands, like their thermos and rice cooker are amazing! I remember, I still have their meal set thermos and my mom told me that she bought it last 21 years ago when I was born and ’till now? The quality is still good! But, they are pricey! Because the distance from our country to Singapore is close, we usually buy it at Singapore as it’s cheaper. For Chinese, Japan is close! And there’s an exception for Chinese about Japan, I think… Yes, these brands’ products are their exception!

Japan’s made rice cooker

Another thing. The toilet seat. OK, I promise you, Japan has the world’s most comfortable toilets! Though you are in public places, like subway’s station for example, the toilets have the “it” toilet seat. It’s warm and super convenient, plus, super clean!

Based on this facts, Lei Jun, when attending China’s “Two Meetings,” the annual gathering of the nation’s legislature and top advisory body, mentioned rice cookers as a symbol of how China’s manufacturing is inferior to Japan’s. Lei Jun said “At the beginning of last year there were reports that many [Chinese] people were going to Japan to buy rice cookers and toilet seats. At first I thought people were superstitious toward foreign products. But later I researched Japan’s rice cookers, and I realized that they’re indeed excellent, Japan’s skill level at making rice cookers far surpasses China’s.”

One of Xiaomi’s mission is to upgrade China’s reputation as a manufacturer. Besides, Lei Jun has also expressed his desire to create a truly global Chinese brand that consumers know and admire, like Samsung or Sony. The company describes the purpose of its smart hardware division as “promote an upgrade in Chinese manufacturing with a new concept of ‘Made in China’ products.” As a consumer, I have to admit that they’ve made it!

There are a lot of Chinese local brands and rice cookers aren’t a bad place to start. Based on datas, in 2015, Chinese consumers spent an estimated 10.8 billion yuan (about $1.6 billion) on rice cookers. Let’s take an example, Midea occupies 30% of the market. Midea is one of Chinese local brands that makes home appliances. It has a market cap of about $19.8 billion. Whereas Japan, is the king of high-end rice cookers. They made a breakthrough, like handmade iron bowls (yeah, this is the point that my mom likes about the Japanese rice cooker) and settings that can change the rice texture. The number of rice cooker that has been exported from Japan to China has increased more than 20 times since 2005.