Following a late-night karaoke adventure, we were off to a later than usual start to the day. We boarded the bus at 9:30 and visited a clothing factory in Shekou, an emplacement--or military fortress—at the mouth of the Pearl River delta, and the accompanying Sea Battle museum, as well as Lin Zexu memorial park, where the park’s namesake burned opium during the Opium Wars. After dinner, the group separated into those that went for a Chinese foot massage and those that went to a bookstore.
The clothing factory we visited broke down many Western walls that we had envisioned before our arrival. It was clean, well-lit, air conditioned, and upon talking to Gilbert, a vice general manager, relatively well compensated for their work. What struck me during our visit was the efficiency of the Chinese factory system and the work ethic of the men and women inside. Not only were the workers unaffected by the parade of American tourists, also known as “The Big Noses,” the products they were making were sold in high-end stores such as Ann Taylor, The Gallery, and others including Old Navy and Banana Republic. Workers as young as 16 were seen sewing, ironing, and packaging the clothing to be shipped to the West. Abruptly at 12:00 noon, as my watch beeped, the workers exited the factory en masse for their lunch break, to return and hour and a half later.
Our journey to Shenzhen Book City was the highlight of the day for me, as Katie, Michelle, Karen, Bethany, Linda and I reconvened with Stephanie, a student we had the pleasure of meeting yesterday, and her friend Charity. These two middle schoolers squired us through the vertical maze of interconnected shops until we were finally able to find what we were looking for. The group was interested in finding a variety of goods, including books and music. Through constant asking by both Stephanie and Charity, we were able to find classic Chinese literature translated into English. The group agreed that both of these girls were the best tour guides thus far (no offense to our guides, whom we all have loved). We each came away with wonderful wares that we can enjoy on a personal level and use for implementation in the classrooms.
Overall, the day was educational and rewarding, another wonderful day on a wonderful trip.
Scott Bayer
Study Tour
