for those people who are interested, i've sent an update to crowdsupply and another one today about shenzen.
joe, you're right: internet connectivity between china and the rest of the world is massively-truncated. the effect is quite dramatic and goes a long way to explaining the entire economic situation here. businesses can't do business, basically.
have found some parts suppliers, they're documented here http://rhombus-tech.net/suppliers/shenzen/
--- crowd-funded eco-conscious hardware: https://www.crowdsupply.com/eoma68