Factory Girls by Leslie T. Chang
Why I chose this book
I chose this book because the longer I live in China, the less I realize I know about this fascinating country. I am on a constant mission to learn as much as I can, and this book came highly recommended. I am also a huge fan of Peter Hessler’s books on China, and he just happens to be the husband of the well-reknowned journalist Leslie T. Chang who authored Factory Girls.
About the book
This book profiles the lives of several female workers from the countryside and their experiences migrating and working in Guangdong factories during the height of China’s impending industrialism. We learn about where they come from, what they hope to achieve, and what the act of “going out” to work means for their lives.
Thoughts
Factory Girls painted a really dynamic picture of China’s massive migrations to feed the demand of production around the country, but especially in the southern regions. Living in Shanghai, I don’t often see this side of life in China, and while this book was published over a decade ago, I imagine that many of the stories and experiences are much the same today. Overall I really enjoyed it, and I often still wonder about how the lives of our protagonists have turned out since meeting the author.
Notable Quotes
“In China, people from such humble backgrounds rarely spoke in public. But here they were, each person unapologetic and full of faith that her personal story was interesting.”