Factory Girls

Factory Girls

by Leslie Chang

Pan Macmillan HK$169

Many of the women Leslie Chang interviewed for Factory Girls have probably lost their jobs because of the economic downturn, but that should not deter readers who want to know what it's like for the millions of other migrant workers on the mainland. For a close-up look at the lot of female labourers behind the machines that make China the world's factory, Chang befriended two assembly line employees and followed them as they job-hopped in the never-ending quest to improve their lives. Colorado-based Chang, a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal in China for 10 years, laces their stories with those of others who shared their dormitories, joined their English-language classes and dreamed their dreams, adding to the account her own family history. The difference between her grandfather's generation and today's, Chang notes, is that few migrants now want to return to their villages, whereas they once left home in the hope of returning to serve their country better. Factory Girls excels as a social commentary on the country's modernisation efforts, showing the cost at individual, familial and societal levels.