Vuvuzela's Sweet Sound Spreads to China
Chinese manufacturers are set to rake in huge profits from the sale of the traditional South African plastic noisemaker, the vuvuzela, as the worldwide craze has hit back home. 90% of the horns in South Africa were made in China.
The vuvuzela, in case you didn't know, is the horn you hear during World Cup games that has angered fans and players, has many defending its authenticity, and has been talked about far too much on television. The World Cup even thought about banning them. But how can you hate such a longstanding, truly authentic South African tradition? You can't! The craze is spreading back to the vuvuzela's manufacturing hub, China, where since May, one company has recently received orders for about 150,000 horns for local sale.
The vuvuzela costs only about 29 cents to make, according to the Jiying Plastic Product Corp., a company that has sold more than one million horns since the beginning of the year. The company's general manager, Wu Yijun, told AFP, "The World Cup frenzy has greatly driven our business, and we expect revenue will jump more than 100 percent this year from a year earlier." The company plans to make as many as 500,000 more before the World Cup is over. Get ready, world. You can't fight the charm of the vuvuzela.