This week we went to Mainland China, not to far from Hong Kong. We were in the factory cities so there really wasn’t much to see or do.
The factory visits were interesting. We followed four products from Target: baby doll, calculator, plate, jeans. It was shocking to see that at each factory there wasn’t much automation. It was a bunch of assembly lines and people working diligently. I did not expect that at all. You would think it would be much more efficient to have machines do all the work and it probably would BUT… labor is very cheap in countries like China! Their expenses must be significantly lower than those in the states!
Child Labor. Im sure a few of them are NOT of age (16) though. It is really hard to tell when it comes to Asian people, they age so well! A lot of people are against employing young children and I am as well, to a certain extent. Here is my opinion:
Growing up in India and seeing the poverty and struggle, I can totally understand why some children would need to work. I mean when your family has NO money and NO ability to sustain any sort of living, what other choice do you have? Especially when the child has no access to education. These families have NO other way out. (I know this will spark an argument).
There is thin line to what is ok and what is not though. I feel it is ok is situations like the Electronics factory (calculators). The young teenagers were just putting the finished products into boxes and packaging them. The room had a comfortable temperature and the assembly line wasn’t demanding. But when the conditions are harsh, with long hours, and dangerous equipment and fumes… that is not ok.
This is my opinion. I am sure most people would completely disagree and think I am crazy! But most people don’t understand how it is like to live a poverty stricken life either.
Thank you to my parents for working hard and giving my brother and I this comfortable life.
On a happier note. We stayed at a 5 star hotel throughout the trip… so that’s where program fees are going! Honestly it was a relief though. We had really comfortable rooms with a huge tub! After all that walking around in the factory, it was needed. We booked one of the Karaoke rooms and partied all night! It was so much fun! Professor Hasler joined us as well! He is simply amazing! He is so easy to talk to and is genuinely interested in our live and education! I am so excited to get to know him better.
Until next time…
