Dongguan City is an important prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province, occupying a significant position in the economy of Guangdong Province and even China. However, with the continued sluggishness of the Chinese economy, the internal competition in Dongguan has made technical personnel lament that it is too difficult to earn money. In Chang’an Town of Dongguan, factories used to be everywhere, but now rows of shops are closing down, and businesses are failing. In the industrial park of Gaobu Town in Dongguan, there are few people inside and outside.
Dongguan is a globally renowned manufacturing hub, especially famous for industries such as electronics, footwear, and furniture. It used to be called the “world’s factory,” attracting a large amount of foreign and domestic investment. What has happened to Dongguan now?
Blogger Xiaoxin from Chongqing expressed on October 23 that after arriving in Dongguan with his wife just a week before, he realized that they could not stay in Guangdong anymore. They packed up their belongings and returned to Chongqing that evening.
He said, “The biggest feeling of coming to Guangdong this time is that it’s too hard to earn money. After visiting around Dongguan, I found it really tough and too competitive.
“I found that it’s not just us technical people who are struggling, many processing businesses are not making profits, and other industries are also struggling. This morning (23rd), I went out for breakfast and saw a hair salon by the roadside charging only 10 yuan for a haircut. The owner has to pay rent and labor costs, so how can he make money?”
He sighed, “With everyone caught up in this competition, in the end, it’s all loss for themselves, and everyone is not making any money.”
Blogger Junbao from Dongguan went to Chang’an Town, the first major town in Dongguan, to shoot videos and talk about the decline of Dongguan.
He said, “The shops in Chang’an Town were once very busy, and it was hard to find a spot. There were factories everywhere around, at least a hundred, and nearby there were rental houses. Chang’an Town used to have the highest GDP in Dongguan. Its geographical location is relatively advantageous.
However, “if you look at it now, you will see rows and rows of closed shops in Chang’an Town. Stores selling clothes have basically all closed down. There used to be a large stage in town that was very lively at night, with people dancing square dances here. But now, it’s so desolate, it has turned into a parking lot. Doing business is too difficult now.”
“Before, there was a row of milk tea shops in town, and on weekends, there were large crowds. Over the past two years, businesses have been failing left and right. The shops are all closed, without any customers, Dongguan is really pitiful.”
Junbao said that now only a few shops are open, and it is estimated that the daily rent, water, and electricity bills are not enough to cover the expenses, definitely losing money every day.
He walked down a street in Chang’an Town with his camera, capturing many unemployed people playing on their phones. He said, “They are all unemployed, sitting and playing on their phones. The shops on the street are empty, with no one entering, it’s really tragic!”
Blogger “Sanpao’s Daily Life” who works in Dongguan recently stated that all the rows of fast-food restaurants in Dongguan had closed down.
He said, “We workers don’t go to fast-food restaurants to eat, so the fast-food restaurants have basically all closed down, some have closed just after three or four months. The current situation shows that fast-food restaurants are simply not getting any customers. Mainly because the food is not hygienic, our health is important. So fast-food restaurants are basically unsustainable. In Dongguan, the fast-food restaurants, one row after another, have all closed down.”
Dongguan blogger Laochen mentioned that he worked as a temporary worker in a factory in Gaobu Town, Dongguan last year. This year, there were significantly fewer workers in the factory, basically no one to be seen; outside the industrial park in Gaobu Town, there was absolutely no sign of people.
He said, “Last year, there were many people coming to and from work in the industrial park in Gaobu Town, and there were many people eating supper. There were dense stalls set up outside the industrial area. Now I only see two or three people selling, no business at all. Everywhere is empty, the streets outside the industrial park are all pitch dark, no one can be seen.”