Damage of the Economic Explosion of China

Ashley Xuzhao

ENG 3U1
Ms. Jeon
November 28th, 2016

Damage of the Economic Explosion of China

In the last fifty years, China has experienced an economic boom that has reshaped the
country forever. Chinas GDP has steadily been increasing every year by over 10% since 1999,
with the exception of the year 2009 (Crabtree and Wu). Currently China sits as an economic
giant globally, second only to the United States of America but already marked as the worlds
largest trading nation. A leading reason behind the economic boom is the huge manufacturing
machine that China has become by utilizing the considerable workforce of the 1.3 billion people
living in the country. However, while this seems to have brought China many successes, they are
largely overshadowed by the negative impacts of this boom. The excessive amounts of
manufacturing in China has led to Chinese citizens and residents to experience the damaging
mental, physical, familial repercussions that are affecting their living conditions.
Opponents may argue that it was because of the large amounts of manufacturing that
many Chinese workers have jobs and a source of income. This would have in turn improved the
living condition of much of the working class in China. However, this is mistaken. The
conditions in sweatshops are less than favourable and very inhumane. The facilities do not
provide safe and hazardless workplaces as that would be too costly. Many large Western
countries import the manufactured goods from China; however, they do little to improve the
situation of these factory workers. Most of the manufacturing workforce in China consists of the
150 million migrant workers who have little status in the city. These people are denied state
benefits and protection, social security rights, and many other human rights. The factories where
these workers slave in for most of the day are unsafe and dramatically increase occupational
disease and injuries (Sweatshops). In 2009 alone, one million workers reported to have suffered
physically due to their work with more than 200,000 having contracted a disease due to their

unsafe work environment (Herney 57). There were an unprecedented number of work-related
incidents as well as unstable mental health issues resulting from the conditions of these
sweatshops. In a factory that is run by Apple, suicide nets were strung about the building to
prevent workers from killing themselves due to the heavy stress they face coupled with the
despair they feel. It seems there is no chance to improve their life without working themselves to
the bone, which is a contradiction in itself (Cooper). Therefore, the jobs provided by the
manufacturing in China leads to the maltreatment and suffering of the working class.
An interesting study by Gallup also brought to attention to the fact that despite the
economic growth of China, the citizens judgement of their life standard and quality differ little
in comparison to a decade ago. The GDP has already tripled, yet peoples lives do not seem to be
becoming any more satisfying. This seems like a strange mystery on its own and there does not
seem to be a clear answer to the question. It could be possible that peoples expectations rise as
incomes rise, thus creating this flat line. Another possibility could be that even though people are
richer in China, their actual living environment is still substandard to those poorer in first-world
countries (Crabtree and Wu).
The heavy amount of manufacturing done in China has led to pollution on a national
scale. The tremendous amount of greenhouse and anthropogenic gases released into the air in
these past decades have been enough to create a country filled with smog, toxins, and poisons.
Countries like Britain boast of its environmental prowess with its mountains filled with greenenergy wind turbines. Yet this is only possible with the Chinese manufacturing as most of these
technologically advanced turbines are produced in China, attributing to the heavy pollution
present. The manufacturing of these turbines created a deadly by-product, the toxic lake of Batou
in Northern China. Now the land surrounding the lake has decayed away as civilians living in

close quarters with this lake experience dramatic health deterioration. Teeth fall out, respiratory
distress becomes common, children are born with physical deformities, and an exponential rise
of cancer development is prominent (Perry and Douglas).
For most residents in Beijing, Chinas capital, it is the air itself that saps at peoples
health. This is a city, teeming with a massive population that breathes in poison on a day-to-day
basis. The effect of the smog in China is immediate, and I can attest to this because I have
experienced it myself. When I step off the plane and into Beijings airport, I can feel that the air
is more than just poor. As soon as I inhale, I fight the urge to cough out air that is best described
with a scent of gasoline mixed with something rancid. Even the sunny days with blue skies that
are taken for granted in Canada are a rarity in Beijing. When one can see the blue skies, it is a
cause for celebration as mothers finally dare to bring their children outside. On most days, streets
full of people who don masks and bring portable air purifiers with them are a common sight.
There are also many health drawbacks because of this smog. Air pollutionsubstantially
increased morbidity and mortality (Tong). The reason behind the killing smog in China sources
back to the copious amounts of manufacturing that releases greenhouse and anthropogenic gases.
The living cost in China has drastically changed over the last decade. I can recount when
my family would often buy clothing in China back home since the prices were a significantly
lower. It had only been a little over five years since my mother would constantly bring clothing
from China; now it is the opposite. Prices have skyrocketed to the point that family is asking my
mother to bring goods from Canada since the prices in China are so exorbitant. The minimum
wage in Beijing is 2,190 yuan per month; however, the monthly living cost is nearly double that
much at 3,989.1 yuan. (Living). While this living cost is significantly cheaper than in Canada or
any other first-world country, it is beyond reach for people who work minimum wage (Wages).

This has resulted in 36% of Chinas population to be living off two dollars per day (Sweatshops).
The wages provided by the manufacturers are not enough to survive which leads to many of
these workers to work double the normal hours, merely to provide basic lifes necessities for
themselves. This is inhumane and cruel, and the development of production only traps more
people into the cycle of poverty. For migrant workers, there are no other jobs available other than
the abundant amounts of manufacturing positions, forcing them to endure the work.
The heavy amounts of manufacturing have also polluted much of Chinas land. The
desire to make China an economic giant has come with the cost of the millions of acres loss of
fertile, arable land. One fifth of Chinas fertile farmland has turned into a toxic wasteland, unable
to produce crops and continuing to poison surrounding earth. This is a dangerous problem for
much of Chinas residents as currently China holds 22% of the world population, a stark contrast
to only 7% of the arable land (Tong). A farmer, Mr. Su describes the development of
contaminated land as, A mountain that towered over us. Anything we planted just withered.
The farmers that once lived off the land can do so no longer, so they are forced to find livelihood
in the city. This mass exodus of people forced the already intimidating urban sprawl to quicken
even further and for the large cities population density to increase even more. Young people are
caught by the idea of a better life waiting for them in the big city; however, this leads to a break
of tradition and separation in many families. Hundreds of families were also evicted from their
homes to accommodate the ballooning economy. The traditional homes of generations of
families, hutong, were unapologetically wrenched away from these landlords and demolished.
Mao demanded the transformation of Beijing from a "consumption city" to a "production city,"
an industrial metropolis that would lead China into the modern age (Kaiman). The families
who had their homes taken away have received little compensation for their loss. These people

often cannot afford to continue to live in the city centre any longer are left no other option but to
live on the outskirts of the city (Kaiman). In order to create China into a nation of production,
these beautiful pieces of history were stolen away and replaced by modern skyscrapers to boost
the business and commerce that only brings more manufacturing into China.
It is the heavy amounts of manufacturing and production in China that have caused its
residents to suffer in many ways. It allows sweatshops to run, leading to the health downturn of
its employees and the continuation of poverty. Pollution has ravaged Chinas air until it is riddled
with the contamination of poisonous and volatile aftereffects of manufacturing. Lastly, homes are
being lost as well as family traditions, leading to broken families and hardship. Therefore, there
should be a change in this nation, a change that those living in first-world countries should be a
part of. Perhaps as consumers in first-world countries, we should be willing to spend a few more
dollars on our purchases for those suffering for our low prices. Perhaps we should consume a
little less which would give a little less poison to the atmosphere. By sacrificing a little, we can
change the world for the better.

Works Cited
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Harney, Alexandra. The China price. New York: Penguin Group, 2009. Print.
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Wages and employment China Labour Bulletin, www.clb.org.hk/content/wages-andemployment. Accessed 21 Nov. 2016.