China's Industrial Revolution
by Bryce McCanne
China’s Industrial Revolution
Bryce McCanne
12/18/14
Ms. Tucker
Block F
In China there is a new movement to industrialize. All major countries today have experienced the industrial revolution. China is one of many recent countries to industrialize. These three pictures directly above show the terrible working conditions that the workers deal with, the overpopulated area that the factory workers live in, and the depressing environment the workers cope with. The picture to the far left shows the designated areas for the workers to live. The small space inside is the home for many workers, "10 or 15 to a room with 50 people sharing one bathroom"(Leslie T. Chang). It is necessary to include this as one of the 3 pictures because; this displays the workers horrible living conditions. The picture to the right is of an operating factory in China. Workers are forced to stay in their spot and do their job in the factory over and over for the whole day and night. It is necessary to include this as one of the 3 pictures because; this displays the workers horrible working conditions. The picture in the middle shows some of the workers doing their job in the factory. The workers are often underage and always underpaid. They are stuck in a factory that they have no way out for many years to come. It is necessary to include this as one of the 3 pictures because; it shows the truth behind the unhappy workers. All three of these pictures shown together provide an accurate depiction of the industrial revolution in china.
The industrial revolution today can be described as rigorous, congested, exhausting, unfair, and hopeless. In the same factories where they make iPads for thousands of Americans to use, factory workers "stand so long that their legs swell until they can hardly walk" (Charles Duhigg and David Barboza). Factory workers are forced to suffer through their job with little to no breaks. Many suffer injuries, "factory workers lose or break about 40,000 fingers on the job every year"(David Barboza). the factory workers have to handle these horrible conditions every day; not all of them can live through this. 24 year-old Xu Lizhi committed suicide because he was "crushed by both the dullness and stress of factory jobs, insufficient wages and a steady accumulation of personal disappointments"(Ishaan Tharoor). Factory workers are forced to deal with these rigorous, congested, exhausting, unfair, and hopeless conditions to the point where some decide to take their own lives.
Despite the current conditions, the Industrial Revolution in China's future is bright. In all major industrialized countries, there were problems with workers rights and living conditions. The solutions to those problems where workers going on strike, a strike is when the worker's needs are not met and they do not work until they are. In China, the factory workers have recently gone on strike (2010). As shown in the past, the "strikes will help Chinese workers get a decent wage, better working conditions and respect for human dignity"(Brooks Keogh, Gale database). The Chinese Industrial Revolution is following the same path as other countries Industrial Revolutions before it. Due to this, China's Industrial Revolution's workers rights should improve, and the country will flourish.
Works Cited
Barboza, David. "In Chinese Factories, Lost Fingers and Low Pay." New York Times 5 Jan. 2008: n. pag. Print.
Chang, Leslie T. "U.S. misses full truth on China factory workers." CNN. N.p., 1 Oct. 2012. Web. 18 Dec. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/30/opinion/chang-chinese-factory-workers/>.
Duhigg, Charles, and David Barboza. "In China, Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad." New York Times: n. pag. Print.
Tharoor, Ishaan. "The haunting poetry of a Chinese factory worker who committed suicide." The Washington Post: n. pag. Print.
"Chinese push back can be a win-win." USA Today 23 June 2010: 10A. Global Issues In Context. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.