Dreamwork China

Last week, the New York Times printed an explosive story chronicling in great detail the working conditions of Chinese migrant workers, specifically those employed by Foxconn. For those unfamiliar with the company, Foxconn is the world’s largest manufacturer of electronic products with its greatest base of factories in China. Its biggest and most notorious client is Apple, for which the company makes the iPhone and the iPad. You can read both parts of the NYT story here and here.

That NYT story and this documentary come during a time that Foxconn wishes the world could erase from its memory. Recently, dozens of Chinese Foxconn migrant workers threatened mass suicide if pay discrepancies and issues of working conditions were not resolved. It was a final act of desperation after years and years of beleaguerment.

I can only chalk it up to karma and pure irony that in the wake of Steve Jobs’ death and his subsequent public sainthood that what the NYT describes as the “human cost” of an iPad and the controversy surrounding Foxconn is now the dominating headline concerning Apple. And yet, if you watch the clip above you will see a different side to the story. This is the heartbeat of big corporations; these are the people with dreams both big and small struggling to survive. I find it fascinating to hear some of these people speak of Foxconn as a happy respite from their daily personal lives, an escapist’s sanctuary.

There are two things in particular that struck me most about this clip: 1. Every single one of the Chinese migrant workers featured in this clip spoke of their dream to one day own a company of their own. It has been my experience living in America—a country whose government will defend its “American Dream” fairytale to no end—that most dream of only being employed, never being the employer. Even at the mercy of one of the world’s largest corporate enterprises, these people can still taste the reality of owning their own company on the tip of their tongues, no matter how long it takes. 2. The fierce ambition of women in such a male-dominated culture is on such full display in this clip that I became infused with instant inspiration and appreciation. You might notice its the women who bear the brunt of the stress that comes from just simply living; they work longer hours while enrolled in school. 

If you’re curious and would like to know more about Dreamwork China, visit the film’s official website here where you can also view the photographs taken in the initial seconds of this clip. 

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