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If you read the Western press much, you will get a very distorted view of what Chinese life is -really like. The average foreigner will probably assume that there is little freedom in China, that daily life is highly regulated, and that most of what you buy is substandard and fake. You might find it strange that in fact, daily life is much freer and more casual in China than elsewhere, that there is a very large majority of honest workers and business people, that you can purchase thousands of high quality and authentic products here, and that the so-called "American Dream" is actually at the moment more alive and well in China than in America! A simple way to describe what Taobao would be to say it's the Chinese equivalent of Amazon.com or better, buying online with "Chinese characteristics". The "old school of thought"here in China is that it is dangerous to buy online, that the products are all fake, and that you will often lose your money. Based on my experience, this manner of thinking is definitely "guoshi le" or out-of-date. Taobao has a system for reviewing sellers and helping you pick the responsible ones. | 
