factory workers

[avadavat]

There's a debate about whether doing repetitive work in a factory for low pay in sometimes harsh conditions is exploitative or worthwhile. Lately, I've come to learn that these jobs that people in developed countries would never do are often the best jobs available in these poor regions of Asia. The poor workers want these jobs because they pay more than farming and they can be richer than their neighbors who don't work in the "sweatshops".

It makes me sad to think about people working 12 hours a day or more to make the things we buy, but this is work they want to do so they can improve their lives - it would be worse to take these opportunities away from them. It's good to see that campaigns exposing the bad practices of the factory owners, the multinational behemoth companies, have made working conditions better and salaries higher. There's more monitoring of these factories nowadays to ensure the workers are getting a fair deal.

Now we can see what it's like to work in one of these busy factories. This thread is partly an eye-opener to the manual labor being done throughout Asia, and also an appreciation of the poor workers who we would otherwise never see but are still very beautiful. Their beauty transcends their meager circumstances :whistle:

On to the pictures! Let's start off with a great series by the photographer and activist Michael Wolf (http://www.photomichaelwolf.com/intro/index.html) called The Real Toy Story. He bought a bunch of toys with the label 'Made In China' for an art exhibit in Hong Kong and then visited toy factories in China's Guangdong Province to see the workers who might have made them.

[avadavat]

These hardworking ladies still have their dignity, even if they make less than $1/hour. Some of them are strikingly beautiful and the small chance of ever crossing paths with them makes them that much more desirable :love:

[avadavat]

They are very skilled at their work. I wish they had a greater share of its profit but the multinational companies are always in a 'race to the bottom' to find the people willing to work for the least salary. When these ladies start making too much in Guangdong, the factory will move to Vietnam or some other poorer place. I see Mickey Mouse~

[avadavat]

making SpongeBob and little Hummers, eating in the canteen. The meat is too fatty though, it's better to eat at the food stall, but don't spend too much~

[avadavat]

time to put the toys into boxes for shipping in bulk

let's take a rest underneath the work table

long lines in the lunch canteen - this work makes us hungry

Michael Wolf's toy exhibit at the John Batten Gallery in Hong Kong in 2004

[mrmullusca]

Hey avadavat :hi: this is a great idea for a thread! I was thinking it just yesterday when the NYTimes ran an article with odd factory pictures!

[mrmullusca]

A movie just came out this month about Chinese factories called Manufactured Landscapes It seems pretty interesting.

http://alsolikelife.com/shooting/?p=170

[avadavat]

Thanks for the contribution, MrMullusca - the factory worker issues will be always in our minds now that global trade is so prevalent. We can remember the people who make all the stuff we buy.

The NYTimes covers this often with all their foreign correspondents in Asia - didn't they recently show the iPhone being manufactured in Taiwan?

This thread needn't cover just low wage workers, it could be the high tech industry too. There's something about an Asian lady in a lab coat with safety glasses that attracts my eye.

Probably the rock-bottom cheapest place to have a factory is where the economy is so bad and the citizens aren't free to leave - the totalitarian nations of the world! We'll have to look into getting some Myanmar factory pictures later. For now, the special economic zone between the two Koreas is a hotspot for cheap labor. South Korea can get North Korean people to work in Kaesong for half the price of workers in China - China is getting too rich! :oy:
There's thousands of big companies interested in Kaesong and other venture cities near the DMZ. The workers must like the factories, too, because from what we've heard about North Korea, there's often corrupt & negligent government decisions made that make malnourishment & starvation a distinct possibility.

[avadavat]

oh, that's the chicken factory in Jilin, China - good find, MrMullusca. They process more than 350,000 chickens per day there. That picture like an optical illusion - it's incredible that a factory could have that many workers under one roof~

in some countries, I might try to get an education so I wouldn't have to work in the factory and hurt my body, but in North Korea there are a lot of pressures to survive and support your family and not a lot of opportunities for growth. The Kaesong factories are one of the better places to get a leg up in that country. These ladies are embracing the opportunity in Kaesong~

[avadavat]

last of this batch from Kaesong - but there are probably a lot more to be found since this is a big joint venture of the two Koreas and they are proud to be working together. It's also curious to see how the North Korean workers get along with their bosses from the South. There's probably a lot of oversight from the North Korean police to ensure they don't escape~

[redeux]

whats sad is their lives are spent making crap for kids and junk that no one really 'needs'...
it could be worse , they could be soulless goverment workers...

[grazyguy]

these pictures make me sad. to see these sadness, the empty in the eyes from the woman
They don't get what every human need: Love. To work in this factories must be the absolute psycho terror. Because its hard for the human soul only to do the same every day, not to get love, don't have time for the happy things in Live, generally only working. This make human soulless, without love, without feelings, they are going to be roborters, their poor souls are die through this.

The heads of these companies are true terrorists! A human live is for the heads oft these companies totally worthless.
I'm feel sick when i see this sadness in these pictures, only because some assholes only thinking to make more money!

I wish there is a way to help these woman. But the question is, how it is feasible?

[avadavat]

you're right, redeux, there are a lot of bad jobs in the world - we all would like to feel that we 'make a difference' in the world along with the money we make working in our jobs, but we often have to make the choice between a higher paying job and a job that directly helps the less fortunate.

So perhaps we should volunteer in our spare time because it seems like many volunteering jobs are virtuous - you can't do it for the money, right?

grazyguy, there are some things you can do to rectify the situation with the exploited factory workers. There is a factory in Thailand that was started by workers who didn't like their boss - so now they work in the factory that they own! The only problem is that as a start-up they don't have extensive customer contacts and they're working as sub-contractors now for low profits. They could use some new contracts :whistle:
This Thai factory is called the Solidarity Cooperative and the picture was taken by Junya Yimpraset

There's probably more examples of workers starting employee-owned factories because wherever there are bad bosses there are employees who wish they could be their own bosses~

[hajiro]

I have a question. I'm not sure that it's appropriate but just seeing these pictures made me wonder. Even though these workers made little money in these labors, what about the prostitute? Would life as a prostitute be easier than working in a factory?

[avadavat]

that's probably something these ladies debate within themselves, hajiro, whether to work in a factory or as a sex-worker. the money might be better, but the danger is greatly increased: arrest, disease, violence, etc

I thought I was mainly going to post signs of progress in factory working conditions and the poor getting richer, but this film I just learned about is shocking. I have to see this - it's called China Blue, a documentary about a girl working in a denim jeans factory in almost slave-like conditions. working 20 hours a day??? she has her eyelids pinned back so she doesn't fall asleep.

If this film is accurate, some of those reports about factories that treat workers well may be misleading - factories having two sets of time cards to disguise the harsh work hours, workers coerced into lying to factory monitors to hide their complaints...
this is very troubling :cry:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478116/
http://newsblaze.com/story/20070126232727nnnn.nb/topstory.html

also in China, the author and scholar Pun Ngai documented what it's like to live and work in a factory in the book Made In China

[porkar]

It's the new industrial revolution, but the peasants are not revolting.

[KillerB]

I like some cheap goods, most come from China. So what? If you think they should be payed more then those jobs should come back from overseas right?
It's not our fault that some other country's standard of living sucks. They make those economic decisions for themselves. They are working to make their country a better place, it will be a hard road for some. Japan was the same way after WW II, look at them now.

These people just want the same things that you and I already have. Leave them be and don't feel guilty.

[Poochy]

Is this supposed to be a picture thread or a discussion thread?

[iamsam]

Shouldn't this belong in the "Lounge" section??

[avadavat]

Is this supposed to be a picture thread or a discussion thread?

I would like to keep this thread in Amateur Alley, if possible, because there are more viewers here. I'll reduce the discussion and keep going with the pictures. I hope others can contribute more factory worker pictures as well. I'm also interested in pictures of these girls as they go about their daily lives and live in the factory dormitories.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/11/13/8393175/index.htm
This series tells an interesting story about girls making a go of it in Vietnam sewing Disney dolls. They work 48 hours a week (the legal maximum) and they try to save their fast-inflating paychecks by changing the cash into gold jewelry.

- 4 girls in a room!
- checking fingers after sewing all day
- the journalist brought a Minnie doll from the U.S. that costs $13 - a week's pay

[avadavat]

they call each other "Baby" - I don't know why...anyway, Baby Seven doesn't work as much so she always cooks dinner

the girls say they buy jewelry to avoid inflation but perhaps they're just being typical girls and wanting to wear pretty jewelry for a while before they pawn it~

Le Thi Mai gets dressed

factory workers often marry other factory workers - the girls don't like attending these marriages of their co-workers because they're obligated to buy a gift for the couple and they don't have a lot of money to spare

[ignoreme]

Shouldn't this belong in the "Lounge" section??

I Agree...this stuff 2 serious...could any of "U" moderators Do It?!?http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb147/ignoreme77/020.gifhttp://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb147/ignoreme77/020.gifhttp://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb147/ignoreme77/020.gif

[Poochy]

Avadavat, the author of the thread, has indicated that he would like to keep it as a picture thread in AA, so please try to keep the discussion to a minimum.

If anyone feels a need to discuss the issue in more detail, please feel free to start a separate thread in one of the discussion forums. Thanks!

[avadavat]

Michael Wolf takes some incredible factory pictures - this is an industrial air conditioner factory in China where the workers line up like soldiers and the work is very regimented. do you know some other photographers who visit factories?

The NYTimes photographer Chang W Lee visited a toy factory in Yangzhou, China where the workers are testing the toys more to avoid product safety issues like the Thomas the Tank Engine lead paint problem

In Taiwan they have high tech factories where the workers are more dignified and better paid - this is the Garmin Int'l. factory where they make portable GPS units

we'll have to take a close look at the famous clothing brands and their Asian factories - I'm not sure what to think about them: are they improving conditions for their workers? This is an Adidas factory in Bangkok

[avadavat]

time to take a look at the a Nike factory - there must be lots more pictures of Nike factories scattered across south Asia - can you find more to post?

I'm undecided about whether I would mind working in an eel factory - this one is in Taishan, China - it's not really healthy to eat these eels, though they're tasty, because they grow in polluted ponds (by U.S. standards) and are heavily medicated so they don't die~

The Yijia Ethnic Commodities Company, a maker of Muslim hats, in Qinghai Province

[avadavat]

These jobs in Qinghai at the hat factory and the plant nursery look to be rather gentle and reasonable jobs - but the economy in Qinghai is so poor that the pay won't be high

[avadavat]

These plant nursery ladies may be beautiful in and of themselves, but they look even better surrounding by blooming flowers :whistle:

Lots of free beer when you work at the Qinghai Brewery where they also make barley wine

[avadavat]

We'll change up the theme slightly here and look at working in Asia in general, not just in the factory. As it happens, in recent years there have been way too many college graduates in China for the number of jobs available and there is great competition for work~

Let's take a look at the cutthroat contest to be an airline stewardess. Perhaps a thousand applicants here for China Eastern Airlines and they'll hire 25~

but I'd date any of these beautiful girls! :whistle:

[avadavat]

It sure doesn't look like Equal Opportunity Employment - the judges check the girls' height and body parts for uniformity, etc - why do they have to be so critical - the losing girls might think they have a bad body but they are so wrong!

[avadavat]

it seems like in China there's a lot of waiting in lines...it used to be that the Chinese didn't queue up like Western people do - they'd all be in a jumbled mess~

in this thread we'll also look at people looking for work. the recent college graduates numbered about 4 million in China and 25% of these won't be the lucky ones - too bad

here's a job fair in Nanjing

[mrmullusca]

I made up the title, I got the post from here http://jishi.teein.com/01/306/134376494.htm

[mrmullusca]

They get plenty of fresh air, and lots of bricks to play with!

[avadavat]

mrmullusca, it puzzles me how they can be so happy working in a brickyard

have you seen that Zhang Yimou film "Not One Less"?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0209189/
I guess they'll do whatever they can to support their families

back to the job fairs in Nanjing & Shanghai - expectant faces still looking...

redeux's post about the haughty Shanghai college girl was really enlightening if it was true http://forum.scanlover.com/showthread.php?t=13878
in the 2nd section of her post she opined about the college student job fairs:
I especially wouldn’t dare to say anything positive about the domestic job market. I shake with fear as soon as I catch sight of those job fairs flooded with thousands of college students. My god, how could this be a job fair for talented people? It’s really like Omaha Beach in World War II! I am a gentle, frail woman — how can I get by these stinking men?

[avadavat]

we can't forget the hearty goodbyes to the Chinese army recruits as they are sent off for boot camp - a fond farewell!

back to Beijing for more job fairs. we must remember that these college kids go to such great lengths to wade through this morass to get jobs that aren't in factories - I guess that provides ample motivation

it sure helps my perspective when I think of the crowded job fairs I've attended - nothing like these!

[avadavat]

in Beijing:

grim faces - work shortages suck

still, there are a lot of pretty unemployed girls...I can't help noticing :bingo:

[avadavat]

job-hunting in Beijing, Nanjing, and Chongqing:

now these are real job fairs! how could you survive this crowd? I need oxygen!:cry:

[avadavat]

cool action shot at the job-fair in Chongqing

now to Xian for some eager graduates in long lines

[avadavat]

here's a welcome change of pace - another Chinese airline recruiting a very select few to be new flight attendants! :love:

China Southern Airlines silhouetted in Shanghai

which one looks like a flight attendant?

excuse us, ma'am, but we really need to check the height of your forehead - it's a crucial aspect for the comfort of our airline patrons~

are your arms long and slender enough to serve cocktails to white collar womanizers?

we like you, candidate #11, and the lady on your left - great bust! :nice:

[avadavat]

the hardest part is telling these beautiful ladies that they'll make great flight attendants, just not with China Southern Airlines~

this is the best angle for evaluating who will be the best new flight attendant, don't you think? tells us everything we need to know about these ladies...the rest is just details like flight safety, good manners, and handling stressful situations with uncooperative passengers...look at those legs!:exhausted:

back to the job fairs in Beijing, Chongqing, & Chengdu

what is the cameraman doing in Chongqing???

your resume goes to the top of this pile!

[mrmullusca]

SNL ( think) ran a skit for Gap Kids, clothes for kids made by kids. Well here you have it! A 6 year old boy. Chinese text follows

他是贵州来昆的打工者，这个小朋友大概也就是6岁左右的�*��*�；在这个应该是天真烂漫、嬉戏玩耍的年龄里，他却早早地承担起家�*的重任！

[avadavat]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/world/asia/28drug.html?pagewanted=all#

Heparin is a blood thinner used in medical procedures such as cardiovascular surgery and dialysis. The raw material for making heparin comes from pig intestines and, of course, much of the production comes from China. They had an outbreak of blue ear pig disease last year which made the pig price go through the roof. Heparin suppliers couldn't afford to buy from their usual reputable suppliers, so they bought from mom & pop pig slaughterhouses in small villages and these were not inspected for cleanliness. Thus, it's not surprising that many patients who got a dose of heparin recently (400 patients in the U.S.) had serious complications - another Chinese medical danger

but this local heparin-producing lady from Xinwangzhuang, a village in Jiangsu Province north of Shanghai, is pretty good-looking.
If she gave me bad heparin, I'd forgive her! :hero:

[iamsam]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/world/asia/28drug.html?pagewanted=all#

Heparin is a blood thinner used in medical procedures such as cardiovascular surgery and dialysis. The raw material for making heparin comes from pig intestines and, of course, much of the production comes from China. They had an outbreak of blue ear pig disease last year which made the pig price go through the roof. Heparin suppliers couldn't afford to buy from their usual reputable suppliers, so they bought from mom & pop pig slaughterhouses in small villages and these were not inspected for cleanliness. Thus, it's not surprising that many patients who got a dose of heparin recently (400 patients in the U.S.) had serious complications - another Chinese medical danger

but this local heparin-producing lady from Xinwangzhuang, a village in Jiangsu Province north of Shanghai, is pretty good-looking.
If she gave me bad heparin, I'd forgive her! :hero:

Seriously? You need to get out more bud... :giveup:

[smartpatrol]

Wow, there's nothing more sexy that pictures of people working for subsistence wages at sweatshops and unsafe factories in a country with some of the worst labor laws on Earth. What a turn-on. Can we get some war crimes footage next?

[avadavat]

Seriously? You need to get out more bud... :giveup:

sarcasm doesn't come off well in writing, i guess...

[avadavat]

Wow, there's nothing more sexy that pictures of people working for subsistence wages at sweatshops and unsafe factories in a country with some of the worst labor laws on Earth. What a turn-on. Can we get some war crimes footage next?

Hey, if you like Asian ladies for their minds (as well as their bodies) it might be a good idea to know what's going on in their countries of origin.

[smartpatrol]

Hey, if you like Asian ladies for their minds (as well as their bodies) it might be a good idea to know what's going on in their countries of origin.

I DO know what's going on China. That's why I don't get why you're posting pictures of folks working in factories there. Kinda doesn't fit in with the theme here, and not exactly erotic, unless watching workers being exploited in a Third World economy gets you hot.

[avadavat]

I DO know what's going on China. That's why I don't get why you're posting pictures of folks working in factories there. Kinda doesn't fit in with the theme here, and not exactly erotic, unless watching workers being exploited in a Third World economy gets you hot.
The theme here at Scanlover is "Asian", isn't it? Which is a pretty broad category.
Now, I agree that most of these factory worker pictures aren't erotic - and certainly hardship, sweat, and tears isn't something to get off on.
But what I'm looking for is beauty, which can be found in unlikely places. Despite these Asian workers' bad lots in life, their beauty can still shine through it all.

Now, back to the pictures...

Making rice dumplings, or "Zongzi" - Asian ladies are prized in factories for their nimble fingers

[avadavat]

I'm very much in favor of these factory workers challenging their bosses and protesting for higher wages and benefits. Unions are what they need, though it's an uphill battle. Here, 1000 workers have closed off a highway in Shenzhen to protest for unpaid wages - and they won this dispute - the company paid up~

The 2nd picture lady could be a fashion model - maybe she will be one day!

[avadavat]

The police are so docile when they're on camera - it's the film we don't get to see where they break out their clubs and other civil order-restoring devices

These factory jobs aren't as bad as they might seem - why else would so many people be coming in from the countryside and scrambling to get these jobs?
It probably is better than selling your body and possibly getting diseases

People don't need all ten of their fingers anyway~

[avadavat]

Now we travel to Hangzhou to visit a big beverage factory that's been in a disupute with the European company Danone over something...I mean, come on, it's just beverages. Let's all tip back a cold one and relax~

They make all kinds of good things to drink - it gets pretty hot and thirsty in Hangzhou :whistle:

we see congee, water, and milk in these pictures - keep those bottles moving!

The Christmas season has past, but China gets a head start on toy-making - for them, Christmas always starts in July!

[rei itou fan]

its not only the factory workers who suffer in chinese factories...toy designers..such as myself...of the non caucasian variety suffer too.
Tons of chinese politics in the office, a daily struggle through chinese intolerance and disrespect for other cultures...etc....some don't even get paid their full wages too...
The pictures may seem shocking/disturbing but actually Factory workers now have a slight "upperhand" since the start of this year..after china passed a minimum wage law..workers are leaving tightwad factories for better paying ones...a lot of factories have closed down cause they couln't find workers..
but whatevr your opinions are about chinese factory workers...exploited or not..blahblahblah...
remember that they are feuling the growth of an EVIL regime that grows more powerful on the the global stage everyday..and that these "poor" factory workers dont give a shit about you if you are not chinese...
being a decent person just does not cut it in china...I have been robbed, threatened , cheated, swindled by some of the very same chinese factory workers the world takes pity on...search the net and you'll find articles on torn/shredded american flags used as fillers
for chinese made items that they then sold in the US. Talk about a slap in the face!
(again..american chinese comments on my rants dont count as real Chinese comments,
you guys are american. period. if you did stay in china..you'd probably be in the abovementioned pictures...get it..America hasd given you opportunities..show some gratitude and stop playing the "I'm an exotic chinese" card.)

[avadavat]

China's economy has been slowing recently. It's not just due to the preparations for the Olympics. With the slow U.S. and European economies reducing demand for goods, Chinese factories aren't exporting as much. That's what the NYTimes says today in an article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/business/worldbusiness/05yuan.html?ref=asia&pagewanted=all

Growth in China is slowing from an incredible 11% per year to a still impressive 9%. Factories had been searching hard for workers in recent years and having to pay workers double-digit wage increases because of the shortage.

I hope this slowdown doesn't erase all of the gains Chinese workers have made in negotiating with their stingy employers.

Today's article had a great picture from a textile factory in Huaibei. The work looks cool and the worker is good-looking :whistle:

[vangion]

You know what
Cry me a goddamn river

Try following some American workers around and see what they endure for a few dollars
Fewer actually by comparison than these women you want us to open our eyes to make

My wife is from Vietnam and I have seen first hand the conditions of the sneaker factory and "sweatshops"

I would gladly trade that existence for crawling around in 120 to 140 degree attics sufferring heat stroke, animal bites, broken limbs and dislocated shoulders
I have suffered all this year alone with no health insurance and I am no where near a minority

The Vietnamese have almost free health care
My wife had a physical over there and it cost her fifty cents, because she used to be Vietnamese

The average starting wage for a factory worker is $35 per month
Compared to $30 for my wifes whole family, they do quite well

Finally
As far as converting their money to gold
That is what they do, it's called a savings account
They don't pawn the jewelry later that cash it in for the price of the gold because the mark up on jewelry is very very low

[smartpatrol]

I would gladly trade that existence for crawling around in 120 to 140 degree attics sufferring heat stroke, animal bites, broken limbs and dislocated shoulders
I have suffered all this year alone with no health insurance and I am no where near a minority

What the hell do you do for a living? And have you considered taking up a new trade? The last time I was seriously injured at work, I quit and moved to a new town ... no job is worth that kind of crap. And just what does being or not being a "minority" have to do with it?

[porkar]

...Today's article had a great picture from a textile factory in Huaibei. The work looks cool and the worker is good-looking :whistle:[/quote]

I bet she spins a good yarn.:evillaugh:

[Asakura]

I like this one, just cause she is so cute!

[Coleridge]

I like this one, just cause she is so cute!

Some of these girls are cute. I just want to say that if you think the girls are hot or not, this is a worthwhile thread. Yes, maybe it ought to be in the Lounge, but I agree with the original poster. These women are still beautiful although they are not working in beautiful industries. Hard working women such as these are the back bone of the world wide community. Yes, times are tough all over, but Scanlover is for Asian appreciation and these girls deserve it.

It's not particularly sexy or anything but there are plenty other threads for that on Scanlover. It is getting some interesting discussion. Someone said earlier these girls are like robots, but the truth is that they are human beings, human women with all the same feelings as an airheaded Japanese gravure model, probably much more.

Personally I'm glad the original poster made this topic. There are topics here for people who love boobs, people who love asses. There are very few topics for the quiet dignity of human beings these women represent. I'm sorry if I said too much, but people always complain about too little discussion on Scanlover, and then when a topic like this comes along, people say it's out of place. This is not the kind of beauty we usually post, but it's beautiful and interesting anyway. Reading this thread honestly brought tears to my eyes a bit.

[dog]

These 2 are the pictures of the girl in the I-phone Factory in China. Apparently, she took a few pictures while testing the phone and FORGOT to delete them! lulz >_<

I think she is pretty cute, but to say it as a beautiful mistake is a bit too much -"-

[wu4607]

These 2 are the pictures of the girl in the I-phone Factory in China. Apparently, she took a few pictures while testing the phone and FORGOT to delete them! lulz >_<

I think she is pretty cute, but to say it as a beautiful mistake is a bit too much -"-

Is factory worker fetish a new thing? personally i dont have the hots for them...

[Jaden]

hahaha maybe this is viral marketing campaign, or this girl does this on ALL the phones she makes, or she wants to be famous???

Fun to think about.

I would not mind if MY came with her picture on it.

[avadavat]

Is factory worker fetish a new thing? personally i dont have the hots for them...

You don't swoon over pictures of the proletariat? They are quite beautiful underneath their hairnets and work clothes. All those JAV girls are so overexposed. Give me a true working girl any day
:bingo:

[avadavat]

Some of these girls are cute. I just want to say that if you think the girls are hot or not, this is a worthwhile thread. Yes, maybe it ought to be in the Lounge, but I agree with the original poster. These women are still beautiful although they are not working in beautiful industries. Hard working women such as these are the back bone of the world wide community. Yes, times are tough all over, but Scanlover is for Asian appreciation and these girls deserve it.

It's not particularly sexy or anything but there are plenty other threads for that on Scanlover. It is getting some interesting discussion. Someone said earlier these girls are like robots, but the truth is that they are human beings, human women with all the same feelings as an airheaded Japanese gravure model, probably much more.

Personally I'm glad the original poster made this topic. There are topics here for people who love boobs, people who love asses. There are very few topics for the quiet dignity of human beings these women represent. I'm sorry if I said too much, but people always complain about too little discussion on Scanlover, and then when a topic like this comes along, people say it's out of place. This is not the kind of beauty we usually post, but it's beautiful and interesting anyway. Reading this thread honestly brought tears to my eyes a bit.

Thanks for your thoughts, Coleridge. I like having threads in ScanLover that try to capture the beauty of Asian girls in everyday life. And illustrating the hardships of the working class gives us some perspective.

[avadavat]

I'm really into bicycling, and since I bought a carbon-aluminum Cannondale this year I've sought out every stretch of smooth pavement I could find to practice my pedaling cadence. It's even better riding with a group for drafting and conversation. I was rather disappointed but not surprised that Cannondale imports a lot of bicycle parts from China and then puts only the finishing touches on the bike in an actual American factory to make that Made in USA sticker somewhat honest. Probably these ladies made the greater portion of my bike.

from TheNHBushman.com's Flickr page

[avadavat]

I think I would enjoy working at a textile factory if I could jump into piles of soft cotton with some cute Thai coworkers during our break time.

Here are some Bangkok textile workers for your viewing pleasure from allie/gator's Flickr page

[avadavat]

It wouldn't be so bad to spin silk all day in a factory. Especially with Vietnamese girls all around. And to see them wear the curve-hugging silk garments after work would be great - if they could afford them!

here are photos from han01's Flickr page

it's time to go to Vietnam :whistle:
that girl is weighing silk worms - it's amazing to see a girl unafraid of creepy-crawly creatures~

[avadavat]

update on the China melamine scare - it's in pretty much everything from pet food to baby food and milk products - yuck!

however, the melamine inspectors might be kind of hot like this chick - I'd pass a few kidney stones to get with her! :exhausted:
China Widens Food Tests on Signs of New Safety Risks

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/01/world/asia/01china.html?hp=&pagewanted=all

The announcement came after food safety tests earlier this week found that eggs produced in three provinces in China (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/china/index.html?inline=nyt-geo) were contaminated with melamine, which is blamed for causing kidney stones and renal failure in infants. The tests have led to recalls of eggs and to consumer warnings.

Asian food safety experts warned consumers not to grow too alarmed over the finding of tainted eggs because they contained much lower concentrations of melamine than the powdered baby formula that caused such widespread problems in China.

Hong Kong food safety officials said a child would have to eat about two dozen of the eggs in a single day to become ill.

Still, if eggs, milk and animal feed are tainted, there is the specter of an even wider array of foods that could come under scrutiny, including pork, chicken, bread, cakes, seafood and candy.
China is also one of the world’s largest exporters of food and food ingredients, including meats, seafood, beverages and vitamins....
Beijing also insisted its food safety problems were exaggerated, perhaps partly as a protectionist ploy to slow the boom in Chinese imports.

But several farmers and melamine scrap dealers said in interviews last year that melamine had been used for years in animal feed, particularly fish feed. Many melamine producers said they believed that melamine scrap was nontoxic and would not be harmful to animals or humans.
Melamine dealers say the government crackdown on the sale to feed producers occurred only this year, after Sanlu Group announced that its powdered infant milk formula was tainted with melamine. That announcement, which came in September, set off a nationwide recall and government announcements that other major dairy brands were also selling melamine-contaminated milk.

“Before the Sanlu scandal, we were not banned from selling melamine to anyone” Niu Qinglin, manager of the Hebei Jinglong Fengli Chemical Company, said in a telephone interview on Friday. “I had heard melamine dealers sell melamine to animal feed companies and food companies. It was common before the Sanlu scandal.”

Mr. Niu said, however, that he never sold melamine or melamine scrap to food or feed producers. And he noted that regulators had moved in on the trade. “Now,” he said, “the government regulates that melamine cannot be sold to any animal feed manufacturers or food processing companies.”

[pewpewmigoo]

I love this thread yes some of them are hot but it shows what people can do not just a bunch of robots like here in the usa
The one thing that pisses me off is that for all the hard work the company pays them so little which is one of the reason I won't shop at walmart



damn im no longer a post virgin

[avadavat]

Glad you decided to speak up in this thread, pewpewmigoo. Maybe you have some pictures to share? They would be welcomed here :hurry:

here's a Burmese fish factory courtesy of NYGUS at Flickr

and a Cloisonne pottery factory from Schu World
very pretty creations!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloisonne

and a Bangkok factory from BIGLOUDGUY
what are they making - blue jeans?

[avadavat]

Julia Bovey has a really great series examining a textile factory in Jiangyin, China. She wants to know everything about fabric dyeing:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31671589@N04/sets/72157608354252100/

1 - if you worked at this factory, here are your new coworkers - cute!
2 - looks like interesting work
3 - I don't know how to operate this machine - hope she can teach me!
4 - have to check the fabric dye colors - don't want any colors clashing~
5 - factory tours are always better with gorgeous translators - she could translate this guy for hours and I'd be enraptured :love:

[avadavat]

1 - why do these foreigners care so much about fabric?
2 - that's pink! or is it magenta? maybe it's fuschia...oh crap, they're going to fire me, aren't they? it's the same color as my pen!