Will China become the poor man’s dealer for high end audio?

You speak as someone who could say with the same kind of prejudices that all americans are without tact nor education and  despise  anything  which is non american ... Saying that about ALL americans would be a gross caricature , even if someone add that he learned this in college discussion and with serious people doinf business in America ...Saying that china is unable to became creative even in high end audio is a CARICATURE, not a fact..

@mahgister  Respectfully, you need to read my words again and not bring along your own prejudice and bias.  First hand experience is the foundation of my statements.  Nothing you say has any bearing on my actual face to face experience.  Really presumptuous and arrogant to claim my experience is a caricature. You have a different first hand experience, fine, let's hear it. 

Creativity, that you newly introduce, is different than innovation.  Innovation is a completely different approach to design or manufacturing.  Creativity is a broad brush, ill defined terminology. 

It’s not uncommon to see certain Chinese hifi  brands that care rate very highly compared to other way more expensive options so I don’t see anything to indicate the Chinese are behind on any way.  Like any other country the product quality  vary the full spectrum from cheap as h-ll to top rated. 

The original question is about now and the future.  History from hundreds of years ago is a broader topic involving context to understand how and why.  I put more value in first hand experience of the last 20 years. There is a common theme related by people that have spent time in China doing business.  The average person is hard working and willing to learn a skill in order to build a better life.  A better life means elevating themselves to achieve a higher goal of elevating the country of China.  Higher education is reserved for those showing potential as defined by the government.

Also, directly from people doing business is that China is very good at copying, including mistakes.  In Engineering classes Chinese students frequently held the highest GPAs, knowing that number would determine job assignment when returning home.  They were very good at memorizing and taking tests.  Applying book learning to practical situations was a weakness.  In laboratory work, most Chinese students fell to just average.  Some did not have the common sense to keep their fingers out of live electrical circuits.

Can Chinese companies compete in high end HiFi gear.  Yes, but not with innovation.

I can also make similar assertions. I worked with a lot of technical folks in Silicon Valley for a decade. A lot of these folks were FOB from China (some went back to China to form business and innovate). In my experience the Chinese were some of the most brilliant and creative minds I worked with. I guess based on my experience I can conclude that all billion Chinese are incredibly talented and innovative. 

In the book "The New World Order", it predicts that the US is loosing its place in the world with China quickly. overtaking....to be followed by India.  Enjoy

What's to enjoy about that @stringreen ?