China’s Factory to the World Is in a Race to Survive

It’s quiet these days on a Sunday afternoon in the streets of Dongguan, where almost every block outside the center is a factory or housing for workers. A red banner advertising for staff above one plant says it has enough orders to keep production lines busy for a year. Locals say the sign has been there at least two years and it’s no longer true.

Only a few years ago, things were very different. Even on Sunday, the streets were busy and the chimneys were spewing pollution. The city was the epicenter of China’s export boom. Built largely with money from Taiwan, Dongguan sprang up between Shenzhen and Guangzhou making toys, furniture, shoes, mobile phones, everything.