[Animats]

That's what Naomi Wu really did while producing influencer type maker videos. "She knows Shenzhen like the back of her hand." Someone who bought her services describes her leading them confidently into sketchy alleys and up back stairs to unmarked doors, behind which were people making the thing they wanted.

She has a book about how to get electronics done in Shenzhen.[1] There was a previous edition published by a westerner, but Wu, a Shenzhen native, updated it. In ten years, Shenzhen changed a lot.

[1] https://www.crowdsupply.com/machinery-enchantress/the-new-es...

[Taniwha]

It's not really so much a book on how to get electronics done, more sort of an electronics specific phrase book, full of the names of things you can point at when looking for stuff in the markets.

The original was written by Bunnie Huang (a name to be sneezed at in his own right) who (I assume) grew up speaking Mandarin at home. Naomi is a local though and probably has broader local knowledge.

The original Shenzhen markets are still there (I've been going for a decade or so, they haven't changed that much), they're getting a bit crowded out by consumer electronics - I can still go and buy great tools in HQB at same places I was 10 years ago, reels of resistors at the same places, people will still sell you cut tape from part reels on the street - the big change are the electric bikes, you take your life in your hand each time you turn around :-)