Once a major hub for clothes manufacturing, Guangzhou’s Kanglu district has in recent years been beset by difficulties, including Covid-19, competition fueled by the rise of e-commerce, and a protracted facelift
In Guangzhou’s “garment kingdom,” factory worker Xiao Xilin finds himself with more time on his hands than usual.
At around 10 a.m. on October 1, the 47-year-old garment worker arrived at the Lujiang Labor Market hoping to get hired, despite most factories being closed for the weeklong National Day holiday.
“When I was here a week or two ago, there were probably just 50 recruiters in the entire market,” says Xiao. This number is only about a fifth of its peak when the market first opened last year, according to Guangdong-based media outlet Southern Metropolis Daily. The job market is currently the worst Xiao’s ever seen: even on the rare occasions when a factory worker offers him a gig, the pay is a mere 60 to 70 percent of what it used to be—hardly worth the effort of showing up at the market and waiting.
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In Southern China’s Once-Thriving “Garment Kingdom,” Business Fades Amid Urban Renewal is a story from our issue, “New Game.” To read the entire issue, become a subscriber and receive the full magazine.
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