Guangzhou - Toy Factory, Government, and Pearl River Delta Cruise

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Today was a day full of field trips that ended with a cruise of the Pearl River Delta.

Our first stop was Fowind Toy Inc. This company makes many different types of children’s toys for company’s such as Hasboro, McDonald’s, and Hallmark. They are most well known for their Transformer toys. We were able to see the display room with all the finished toys that they produce. Then we walked through the assembly part of the plant, the final painting, and the boxing area. It was amazing to see how many workers were in the factory. We were told that they have mostly female workers who work 40 hours a week and earn 1,100 yuan a month. They are provided apartments next to the factory with lunch breaks every day. They also get healthcare and retirement benefits. For this factory in Guangzhou, most of the workers are from outside the city. I found it very interesting to see where the Hasboro toys are produced, especially because that is a local company. The workers at this factory seem to be treated very well.

Our next stop was the People’s Congress of the PRC where we heard about the People’s Congress structure and functions. It was difficult to understand what was going on, because our host was speaking in Chinese and then it was being translated. From what I understand, the process in China is much more democratic than I thought it was, but still not on the same level as the United States. Next, we went to the Office of Ministry of Civil Affairs. We heard about the social services provided to the region that we visited.

My favorite part of today was the cruise on the Pearl River Delta. We were able to see the highest buildings in Guangzhou, and the most expensive. That particular part almost looked like Hong Kong! Some of the buildings were quite amazing, as were several of the bridges.

Tomorrow we have our final lectures, and Saturday we are taking a group tour of important areas in Guangzhou. Sunday we head back to Hong Kong for a final day before we fly out. It has been a wonderful trip so far, and I am enjoying seeing many of the differences between north and south China.

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