Recently, a set of video clips (片段) featuring a man showcasing umbrellas with various creative designs has gone viral on the Internet, even spreading overseas and attracting foreign netizens with the unimaginable “Chinese creativity”, CCTV news reported.
In the clips, there are shining laser (激光) reflective umbrellas to dispel darkness, umbrellas with floor-length plastic curtains to prevent one’s clothes from getting wet, twin umbrellas specially designed for couples and many others. All of them are made by the man in the clips, Lei Penglin. 38-year-old Lei has operated an umbrella factory in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. Netizens affectionately call him “uncle” due to his performances in the clips.
In 2014, Lei established his own factory. At first, his factory received thousands of orders. However, as the competition intensified, Lei had to explore new opportunities. He found that creative and unique products always stood out. Therefore, Lei started to infuse creative ideas into the products and, in 2022, his umbrella with an attached flashlight gained popularity. “Consumers pursue personalized products. So the umbrellas have to function as decorations aside from just preventing sunshine and rain,” Lei said.
In the comment section of the product videos, Lei noticed an interesting request with many likes, suggesting to him to make a reflective umbrella for walking in the dark. Following the advice, Lei created the “laser reflective umbrella”, selling over 70,000 units once upon release. From then on, Lei started to attach great importance to comments to absorb new ideas.
Presently, Lei spends several hours reading comments every day. “Basically 300 to 500 comments a day, I will read and reply to them all by myself. Only by carefully observing can I know everyone’s need, and solve the after-selling problems on time,” he said. Several products developed based on the comments have been on shelf. “Almost all the umbrellas made so far can be sold; none have suffered loss,” Lei introduced.
In the future, Lei hopes to make some Chinese-style umbrellas that can be paired with Han-style clothing. “I want to try something new and also advocate for our Chinese culture,” Lei added.
4. What is the feature of Lei’s umbrellas?
A.Conventional. | B.Innovative. | C.Unimaginative. | D.Durable. |
5. What does the underlined word “infuse” in paragraph 3 mean?
A.Divide. | B.Burst. | C.Integrate. | D.Emerge. |
6. What is Lei’s attitude towards his future career?
A.Uncertain. | B.Indifferent. |
C.Dissatisfied. | D.Optimistic. |
7. What contributes most to Lei’s success according to the author?
A.Promoting his products through social media. |
B.Paying attention to customers’ comments and needs. |
C.Seeking uniqueness to compete with other producers. |
D.Adding elements of traditional culture to his products. |