China on the move: Dongguan and China's economy

Watch Video

Play Video

Dongguan is located in the traffic corridor between Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It is famous for its manufacturing facilities and cheap labor. Its economy is export-oriented and is one of the biggest beneficiaries of China's reforms and economic successes. On the other hand, it is also one of the major victims of the financial crisis. Liu Ming filed this report.

Liu Hongtao has been working in Dongguan for more than ten years. He started as a migrant worker in 1995 and now owns a big manufacturing factory. He chose to produce home lamps as he hoped they would help light up his life and future.

Liu, an ordinary worker in Panyu, Guangdong, said, "I came to Dongguan several times and found it was a very poor city.But I could feel strongly that there was a powerful hand pushing the city forward. Then I decided to develop my career here. I had some experience in the lamp production industry. So I started my own business in 1997, the time of the Asian financial crisis. I hoped that I could bring some light to my career."

Liu got on the city's track of high-speed development. During the past decade, Dongguan has grown to become one of the largest manufacturing bases in China and one of the biggest in the world. Most of its products are exported to foreign countries. The global boom economy created many job opportunities. But, as an export-dependent economy, the city was one of the most severely hit in the global financial crisis. Factories collapsed and many migrant workers lost their jobs.

A migrant worker said, "We can't choose what kind of job we take nowadays. It's just good to have any sort of job at all. The pay is usually low...and we can't do anything about it. The economic landscape does not look good."