A Family Working Together (Part 1)

June 28th, 2023:

It was around 6 PM on June 18th, and the entrance to the Weixing Garment Factory was alive with something unexpected – kids in school uniforms, backpacks slung over their shoulders, running and jumping in and out of the factory gate. I hadn’t seen anything like this at other clothing factories. As it turned out, they were kids of factory employees, and they lived here in the factory compound with their parents. The factory employed about 1,100 workers, and half of them were married couples. On this specific day, I went there to interview one such couple who have been working here for 21 years. They were from Jinan, Shandong province, and went by Uncle Liu and Auntie Hu.

Uncle Liu was born in 1970, the eldest in a large family with many siblings. After finishing middle school, he joined the army at 18, serving until he was discharged in 1991. At that time, if you had an urban household registration, the government would arrange a job for you when you returned from military service – usually in a government office, a state-owned enterprise, or a public institution. But Uncle Liu, born in the countryside and registered at a rural village collective, wasn’t eligible for such benefits. “Sure, if you had connections, or if you paid a hefty fee, you could still pull some strings to get a job – perhaps taking over a relative’s job in a public office after they retire. For school teachers, it was common for their sons to take over their positions when they came to working age. But that process was tough.” So, like many veterans, Uncle Liu had to fend for himself. After 1993, even urban veterans weren’t guaranteed jobs anymore, though the government helped them in finding work or self-employment opportunities. Many became civil servants, police officers, firefighters, security guards, or, in some cases, technicians. In fact, a lot of the security guards I’ve met at the factories were veterans – there’s something distinctive about them: they’ve got that sharp, sturdy, disciplined look about them, the kind of guy who speaks with commanding confidence and authority. Uncle Liu’s just like that. Unlike most veterans, however, his first job after leaving the army was in business.

Uncle Liu and Auntie Hu met through a matchmaker. It was love at first sight; they made a stunning couple – handsome and beautiful, they were a perfect match. They soon got married and had a son in 1997. Auntie Hu, one of two siblings, came from a relatively well-off family; her father worked in construction budgeting. Uncle Liu’s father, on the other hand, was a rural school teacher who started teaching at the age of 16. He was eventually promoted to the position of a full-time teacher. He worked hard, but with so many kids to provide for, life was much tougher for their family.

In 2000, Uncle Liu and Auntie Hu took their business to Shenzhen. Their son, just three years old, was left in the care of his maternal grandparents. Three years later, in March 2003, Auntie Hu took a job at Weixing Factory, and Uncle Liu joined her in June. He brought the same determination and discipline he had learned in the army to his new job, transforming that into his strong work ethic in the factory. He held himself to incredibly high standards and thrived on hard work. “The tougher it got, the harder I pushed myself.” He also had a sharp mind for problem-solving. Starting as a worker, in just a year and a half, he was promoted to team leader, and from there to supervisor. “I worked on the production line at first, then moved to a half-managerial and half-hands-on work role, and eventually became fully focused on management.” He worked his way up, step by step, from the very bottom of the workshop floor. It’s truly impressive.

Since 2014, to make extra money, Uncle Liu has also been driving for Didi (a ride-hailing service) after shifts, pulling in over 10,000 yuan a month. Auntie Hu is no slouch either – she’s highly skilled, an expert on the button production line, and her income also exceeds 10,000 yuan. “10,000 yuan per month in 2014 – and each of us earned so much. For factory workers, that’s a pretty good salary.” Since joining the factory in 2003, they’ve developed both personally and as a family, while also witnessing the company’s growth and evolution.

Weixing Factory started out as a button manufacturer and has been a key player in the garment accessory industry for over 40 years. The company has gone through four major stages of growth and development:

1. Start-Up Phase (1976-2003): In 1978, the predecessor of Weixing Group, Linhai Organic Glass Factory, was established. By 1984, they had developed and patented unsaturated polyester resin buttons, becoming a leader in the button industry. In 2001, they implemented a grand corporate strategy to expand their product line to zippers and metal accessories.

2. Rapid Growth Phase (2004-2011): In 2004, Weixing went public,  becoming China’s first domestic company in the button and zipper industry to become listed. By 2006, they had launched a "one-stop garment accessory supply" model and established industrial parks in Jiangnan (Southern China) and Dayang.

3. Strategic Adjustment Phase (2012-2016): In 2013, the company divested from its optical lens business to focus solely on garment accessories.

4. Global Expansion (2017-present): Starting in 2017, Weixing began expanding its production capacity both at home and abroad, building industrial parks internationally in Bangladesh and Vietnam, and domestically in Shaojiaodu and Weifang. Their marketing network now spans major cities in China and across five continents.

   
   

Weixing set up its first production base in Shenzhen in 1990. At that time, the factory had just eight employees and mainly produced buttons and zippers. As the company grew, it reinvested its profits, buying 84 acres of land in Shenzhen’s Bantian district in 2001. “After a decade of hard work, it turned into what it is that you see today: five factory buildings, three dormitories, and an office building over there. At its peak, around 3,000 to 4,000 people worked in the factory, all at once.” In recent years, they’ve transitioned from labor-intensive manual processes to semi-mechanized and fully mechanized production.

Weixing has also stepped up its environmental efforts. “Parts of the production chain that are harmful to the environment have been outsourced, you know, to small workshops or Southeast Asian suppliers. We pay these small, less heavily regulated workshops to produce the buttons and ship them to our factory; we put our labels on the buttons and sell them as our products. Our brand’s name is like a certificate. Raisin button production is an example of such.” Resin, a by-product of petroleum, causes significant environmental damage during its production, so relocating these operations was a necessary step for the factory to meet regulatory requirements. The Shenzhen government’s environmental standards have been getting stricter, requiring companies to invest more and more in wastewater treatment and emissions collection. “They told us to collect and detoxify wastewater and particulate emissions from the smokestacks. Processing wastewater is easy – wastewater flows out from particular parts of the assembly line, and you collect them in a large tank. But smokestack emissions – how do you trap all the air going out? But we’ve invested in that technology and rebuilt the smokestacks, and we meet most of the sustainability standards, with 90%, even over 90% confidence. The thing with environmental regulations is, you gotta understand, that whenever the city changes the mayor, the new leadership team would introduce their own way of doing things, their own system and goals of regulating stuff and making highlights. This one might focus on smokestack emissions. The next one might be tight on chemical pollution, so on. Weixing has been keeping pace with these regulations.”

When I ask Uncle Liu and Auntie Hu about the factory, they always beam with pride.

Q: You’ve been with the factory since 2003, and you’ve witnessed each other’s growth over the years.

A: Absolutely. Back then, this whole area (he points around the factory) was nothing but wasteland – dirt roads and barren fields. There weren’t even proper roads, just muddy dirt paths. There were a few hills in the distance. See those tall buildings over there? There used to be small villages, with some small houses, and a few tiny factories. All of that’s gone now, everything’s been torn down, and the roads are paved. This factory here started as a tiny private business with just a handful of workers, and now it’s grown to thousands. People might now know it, passing by this huge industrial park, but there’s a lot more to it. It’s been quite the journey for the factory – it hasn’t been easy! Our factory even made it into the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Daily. The Big Story of a Small Button, that was the title of the article.

Q: That’s really inspiring! It’s a testament to both the workers and the factory. Is most of the production now done by machines – automated?

A: Yeah! I wouldn’t say the production process is fully automatic now, but I’m sure it’s pretty close. Some warehouses are now fully run by computers – AI, you know, such a big thing these days. And a lot of the other processes are automated. You don’t even need people to handle materials anymore. You just enter the work order into the computer. Orders come in through the computer, and you can leave it to the machines to take care of the rest.

Q: When you first joined, was most of the work still manual?

A: Oh, definitely. Back then, everything was done by hand. It was a very labor-intensive process; clothing accessories and stitching are what you call labor-intensive industries. We had production lines for resin buttons and metal buttons, and it was pure manual labor – button after button, zip after zip.

Q: So now that the factory has become more automated, it sounds like the machines have replaced a lot of tasks involved in manufacturing?

A: Yeah, that’s right.

Q: Does that mean fewer people are needed? Have people lost their jobs for this?

A: They did. Exactly. In the old days, every machine along the production line had a person standing in front of it. You needed a lot of people, so we had way more workers. Now, with automation, they just aren’t needed. The factory used to have 3,000 or 4,000 employees – now we’re down to just around 1,100.

Q: Where do most of the 1,100 workers come from?

A: Mostly from Guangxi, and Guizhou, with a lot from Hunan, Hubei, and Sichuan too. There are very few of us from the north. In fact, I think there are only two of us from Shandong here (points to his coworker at the post of security guards).

Q: Most from the Southern provinces. 

A: Exactly.

Q: What’s the gender ratio like? And the age breakdown?

A: More women than men, I’d say about 60% women. As for age, I think most workers are in their 30s or 40s. A lot of them started here when they were in their 20s, and now, well, we’ve been here a long time! To be honest, we’ve got a long workday, very loaded schedule. Young people these days don’t want that. They aren’t interested in coming to work here anymore.

Q: That’s something I’ve heard at other factories too – very few young people joining. Why do you think that is?

A: Well, for one, young people care more about freedom than money. They want to have fun, to live a life with excitement. They don’t mind if the salary’s a little lower as long as the job’s enjoyable. Here, the pay is higher than in other garment factories, but when you compare it to electronics factories, we lose out. In electronics, the work hours are shorter, and they get two days off a week. Here, we work long hours – 8 AM to 8 PM, sometimes even later, like 11 PM. After a quick shower and a bit of phone time, it’s already past midnight, and you have to go to bed, Then you have to be up early the next day and do it all over again. It’s relentless. Second, the environment—young people want cleaner, more comfortable workplaces. Our factory’s environment isn’t bad, but it’s not as clean as an electronics plant.

Q: So they’re looking for a balance between work and life, with some space for fun?

A: Exactly! If they have to work from 8 AM to 11 PM every day, they won’t be able to handle it. They won’t stay. But for people like me, in our 40s, with families to support, we don’t have much choice. We have to work hard. I’d say 60% of the workers here are married couples—at least 50%.

Q: Compared to other garment factories, the hours are long, but the pay is better, right?

A: Yes, our management is strict, but that’s why we’re more efficient. Every day we have a production plan. Let me give you an example: if you’re making zippers, and your target is 500 pieces a day, you have to meet that quota. If you’re fast, you can be done by 7 PM and go home. But if you’re slow, you might not finish until 11 PM. It’s all about how quickly you can work.

Q: Of the 1,100 workers here, where do most of them come from?

A: Mostly from Guangxi and Guizhou, with quite a few from Hunan, Hubei, and Sichuan too. You don’t see many from the north. In fact, from Shandong, where I’m from, there’s only two of us.

Q: Oh, so mainly from the southern regions. And how’s the gender ratio? What about their ages?

A: Women make up about 60%. As for age, most are over 30 or 40. Many of us started in the factory when we were in our 20s. To be honest, this job takes a lot of time. Young people don’t want to come here anymore.

Q: I’ve noticed that trend in other clothing factories as well—young people are scarce. Why do you think that is?

A: Well, for young people, it’s not just about the salary. They care about freedom—they need a job that’s fun. They don’t mind a lower salary if the work lets them enjoy life a bit. Compared to other clothing factories, the pay here is higher. But if you compare it to electronics factories, we don’t stand a chance. Electronics factories have shorter hours, plus weekends off. Here, we work long hours, with just Sundays off. You’re on from 8 AM to 8 PM, sometimes even till 11 PM. After that, it’s a quick shower, maybe scroll through your phone, and by the time you sleep, it’s past midnight. Then you’re up early again the next day—it’s like that every day. Once in a while, maybe it’s ok, but doing that everyday? It’s too much for young people.

Second, the environment. Young people like clean, neat, square, modern workplaces. Clothing factories aren’t as clean as electronics factories. Our factory isn’t bad, but it’s still not what they’re looking for.

Q: Right, they want a balance between work and life, some space for fun outside of their jobs.

A: Exactly. They need some downtime. If you ask them to sit there and work from 8 AM until 11 or 12 at night, they can’t take it. They just can’t sit still for that long. But if you can handle it, the pay is good – easily over 10,000 yuan a month if you’re fast.

Q: Over 10,000 a month is quite good compared to other factories.

A: Well, that’s true, but think about it – you’re working 15 or 16 hours a day. It’s like doing two months’ worth of work in one. Young people just can’t manage it. But for those people in our 40s, they have no choice because they have elderly parents to take care of and kids to raise. They need a steady job. They have to buckle down and work. I’d say at least 60% of the workers here are married couples, at least 50% for sure.

Q: So compared to other factories, the hours are similar, but the pay is better, right?

A: That’s right. We’re stricter with management, which means better output and efficiency. Every day, we have a production plan. For example, let’s say you’re on the zipper line, and your task for the day is 500 zippers – you have to hit that 500. If you don’t, you better have a good reason. Because every order has a deadline. If the client places an order, they expect delivery in 15 days, and we have to meet that deadline. From the moment the order comes in, everything is planned out – how long it will take, who will do it, and what stage each order is in, everything. All the progress and updates are trackable on the computer, so the team leaders know exactly what needs to be done each day. The production team gives you your daily goal, and there’s no way around it. If you don’t, it’s not acceptable. The work is intense, and you need to stay highly focused.

Q: That kind of intensity and focus must be hard to maintain for older workers. Can older workers keep up with that?

A: Yeah, it gets tough as we get older. That’s why I switched to security when I hit retirement age. The pay is lower, but the workload is lighter, not as demanding. I work eight hours a day, and even if I have to work overtime twice a week, it’s no big deal. My wife retired too but got rehired as a temp worker.

Q: How’s the pay for temp workers? Is it still based on piecework?

A: She’s a skilled worker, so her rate is higher than others – about 1.3 times what a regular worker gets. So, if you’re at 1, she’s at 1.3.

Q: Oh, so the rate is actually better after being rehired?

A: Yeah, well, because temp workers don’t get a base salary or any other benefits, like company contribution to medical insurance or pension plan. They only earn based on how much they produce.

Q: Is the retirement age here the same as the national standard – 60 for men, 50 for women?

A: Yeah, exactly the same. Women retire at 50, men at 60. It’s aligned with regulatory standards; they force you to retire once you hit that age.

Q: I’ve heard that some women retire at 55 though, does that happen here too?

A: Sure, female managers retire at 55. But most women retire at 50, unless you’re in a specialized position, like administrative or technical roles, then you might retire later.

Q: What kind of specialized roles?

A: Office jobs like administration, finance, HR, or supervision. They might retire a bit later, but once they do, they won’t get rehired.

Q: So when your wife was rehired, she didn’t return to her old position?

A: No, you can’t go back to your old job after you retire. It’s just not good, not sustainable, for the factory’s long-term growth.

Coworker: Yeah, the company has rules about this. We’ve got about 80,000 employees across the whole Weixing Group. If you’ve worked in Shenzhen, you can’t transfer to the Weixing factories in Shanghai or Tianjin. If you’ve worked at Weixing in Chongqing city, you wouldn’t be able to work here at Shenzhen Weixing either. Everything’s connected in the system – they can check your record, no matter where you’ve been.

Q: Earlier, you mentioned that at least 50% of the workers here are couples. Do most of their kids live back in their hometowns?

A: For people our age, most of our kids are already in, even almost done, with college.

Q: And for those in their 30s? Where are their kids?

A: A few have their kids in schools here, but most leave them back home under the care of grandparents. The kids visit during the summer or winter breaks. Or over winter breaks, it’s more like we going back to our homestowns and visiting our kids. The company gives us 15 days off for the Chinese New Year, and they even arrange buses to shuttle us back home, so there’s no need to worry about train tickets.

Q: What about other holidays like National Day or Labor Day? Do you get those off?

A: We get all the national holidays. The company follows the rules pretty strictly.

Q: I saw a few school-aged kids with school bags walking into the factory earlier. Do they live here?

A: Yeah, they live with their parents in the factory dorms. There’s a primary school and a kindergarten right behind the factory, provided by the government for the community. There are also some local private businesses setting up schools.

Q: In some factories, only a few people can live in the dorms, and you have to work your way up. Is it the same here? Do you have to meet certain criteria?

A: Here, it’s not really based on seniority, but on your rank and pay grade within the company. Our wages are divided into two parts: a base salary and a tiered salary. For the tiered salary part, managers get a certain rate, workshop supervisors another, and department heads at yet another. It’s all clear, standardized. Every year, they evaluate your performance once. If you do well, you get a raise. If not, you might get a pay cut. There’s a whole incentive system in place. We used to call it the “horse race” system – everyone competing to perform better. We’ve borrowed a lot of good practices from other successful management models over the years.

For example, my wife and I have been here for 21 years, worked my way up to management, and now we live in a two-bedroom apartment of about 70 square meters in the dormitory buildings. There are also single dorms, rooms for two, four, and six people. Single workers usually stay in the single rooms. If someone has a girlfriend or boyfriend, they might rent an apartment outside the factory, in the nearby [urban] villages.

Q: How many dorm buildings are there? Do more people live on-site or rent outside?

A: There are three dorm buildings—one for women, one for men, and a third one for the management-level workers. Some buildings are six floors, others eight. But with over a thousand workers, the dorms can’t house everyone, so most people rent outside.

Q: So, dorm assignments are based on merit and contribution, which seems fair. Those who don’t perform as well end up renting outside.

A: Exactly. If you aren’t as capable, or if you’re a bit lazier, they won’t assign you a dorm room. The dorms are decent, though. We’ve got air conditioning in the summer, hot water in the winter. You don’t pay rent, just a little for utilities like water and electricity.

Q: How are dorms allocated for married couples? Are they placed in the men’s dorm or the women’s dorm?

Coworker: My wife and I live in a couple’s room in the women’s dorm building. It’s an eight-story building.

A: My wife and I live in the six-story dorm building. Floors one through five have couple’s rooms, or “family rooms,” as we call them.

Q: Does everyone eat in the same cafeteria?

A: Yes, the cafeteria is company-owned, not outsourced. It’s not a money-maker. A meal outside the factory might cost you 20 yuan, but here, it’s only 7 or 8 yuan. When we first got here, back in Bantian, meals were 2 or 3 yuan, maybe 4 or 5 at most. But of course, inflation has hit, and prices have gone up everywhere.

Q: How’s the cafeteria food?

A: They make about a dozen dishes each day. You serve youself, grab what you want. You have a card that you top up with money, and then you swipe it when you eat. If you want to eat better, you just swipe for more. More money, better food.

Q: So overall, it sounds like the benefits and working conditions here are pretty good?

A: Yeah, the benefits are solid, and the pay is great. But it’s a tough job, though, no doubt about that. The company has high standards and strict demands, but after all, they’re all about long-term development. Back when I first started, they didn’t even allow couples to join the factory. That came later; little by little, they loosened that rule.

Coworker: In the old days, if you had a scar on your forehead, you couldn’t get in. If you had dyed your hair blonde, you can forget about it too.

A: Yeah, in the early days, the company was really strict. But it’s not easy to run a business with so many people. It was tough for the company because there was barely any turnover. People didn’t leave, so they rarely had any openings. And keeping that many workers on staff, employed, paid, is no small feat.

Q: Actually, it sounds like allowing couples to work here was a smart move. It probably helps attract more people, right?

Coworker: Absolutely. Like for us, working security. Alone, I’m only making a few thousand yuan a month. But if both of us, husband and wife, work here, it’s much better. My wife makes over 10,000 a month; it adds up.

A: Right, with two people working, you can live off one salary and save the other.

Q: That’s not bad, especially considering some factories are struggling to pay their workers these days.

A: My salary isn’t even as high as my wife’s anymore. It used to be about the same, though. We both were making over 10,000 a month.

Coworker: Given the current situation, the pandemic’s effects should last about three to five, but I’d say we haven’t seen any major drops in client orders. In fact, business might even be growing a bit, so we’re in a good spot. Things are still looking up.

A: I’d say the pandemic proved this company has staying power. This business has sustainability in the long term.

Coworker: Yeah, we’ve never had a paycheck come in late, not even by a day.

A: Right, wages are always on time. If anything, they pay early, never late.

Coworker: When it comes to paying wages, the factory does it right.

A: Very punctual, very reliable every time. You can count on it.

Q: In all these 10, 20 years you’ve been working here, you’ve never seen them miss a paycheck?

Coworker: This factory has never been short of money. No cash flow problems ever.

A: Nope. They’ve always been financially sound, and then they went public, bringing in even more money. [Laughs]

Q: So where do you sell your zippers and buttons? Mostly within China, or overseas too?

A: Mostly domestic sales, but we’re also expanding overseas. We’ve got eight industrial parks, like in the cities of Linhai, Tianjin, and Shanghai. We even have parks in Bangladesh and Vietnam.

Q: Do they hire local workers for the parks in other countries?

A: Yeah, but the key technicians are all Chinese staff. We send our people over there. Our sales strategy has been pretty successful. We’ve got branches and sales companies in different regions all over China and abroad. It’s a sales-first model. At the time when we started, this model was pretty cutting-edge nationwide. You know, the awareness and marketing strategies we developed back then—we’re still using those today.

Q: What kind of buyers do you have?

A: Some are direct buyers, those are generally clothing retailers or garment factories. Others are middlemen. Our factory has a dedicated sales company.

Q: And that sales company is part of the same corporation?

A: Yep, under the same umbrella. The parent company is at the top, and beneath it are the sales subsidiaries and factories. It’s a system that works. Before I joined Weixing, I worked at Sanzhu Medicine Corp., and their marketing strategy was similar. Back then, Sanzhu had a sales network in every county in China. Once the higher-ups gave an order, they could push an ad all the way down to the county level. It’s a smart setup.

Q: That must’ve cost a lot in advertising.

A: Oh yeah, it’s expensive. Our most recent ad was done by Liu Shishi – Wu Qilong’s wife – and it cost 120 million yuan for one line. Before her, Zhang Guoli was our spokesperson.

Q: When did the factory start advertising like this?

A: Just in the past few years. Before that, the company was really low-key, never trying to make a splash. They were all about solid, steady business, keeping their feet on the ground.

Coworker: In China, Weixing is the only listed company in the clothing accessory industry. There’s another one, VPI, from Japan – it’s the largest in the world.

A: We went public in 2004. We have two stocks—Weixing Co. and Weixing Building Materials.

Q: Do long-time employees get rewarded shares?

A: Only the key technicians do, but not many. Higher-ups definitely get shares. They’ve been with the company since the '90s – they’re basically founders.

Q: You seem like you’ve done well here. Are you the most successful among your siblings?

A: Oh, no, not at all. I’m actually the least successful [laugh]. My second brother works for the education bureau, and my third brother is also a teacher. They’re both educators, but I’m just a factory worker. But I owe a lot to my father-in-law. He helped us a ton, especially with taking care of our child and buying our first home.

Q: How many children do you have?

A: Just one. Back when we lived in Shandong, the government’s family planning policies were among the strictest in the country. You couldn’t have more than one child. It just wasn’t an option at the time. My father passed away early, and my mother passed last year. My wife’s parents are both gone now, too. Her mother also died young, and her father passed away a few years ago.

Q: So, no elders left now. You’re the head of the family.

A: Yeah, we’re the heads of the family. It’s just us now.

Q: Looking back, do you think you’d be better off if you hadn’t left your hometown?

A: It’s hard to say. If we had stayed, we probably would’ve done okay, but doing well? That’s hard to measure. The local economy just isn’t as developed, and you don’t get as many opportunities. Compared to my schoolmates and friends back home, I’d say I’m doing pretty well. I don’t have any bad habits; I just focus on working hard. I’ve bought two or three properties – two in my hometown and one here. For someone who started out as a migrant worker, I’ve done alright. My son just started his job on July 8th in Hangzhou. He got into university and grad school all on his own. I’m really proud of him. He’s been through a lot.

He had to take a national standardized test to get into grad school, just like Gaokao (China’s standardized exam taken by students graduating high school; the score one gets on this exam determines which, if any, higher educational institution they can get into). When he was studying for his exams, I remember he told me how his dorm mates were always playing video games, so he’d go study in the hallway. You know how cold it gets in the north, right? He’d wear a hat and use his phone’s flashlight to read his notes. He went to university in Jinan and got into grad school in Hangzhou – Zhejiang Sci-Tech University. Not bad, right? It’s a good school.

Q: Zhejiang Sci-Tech is really impressive.

A: Yeah, and now he’s graduated, found himself a job, and even helped his girlfriend get one. She’s been his classmate since middle school, believe it or not.

Q: That’s amazing! I need to learn from you and your son.

A: [Laughs] You know, I’ve always approached raising my kid differently from others. It wasn’t just about his grades; I didn’t stress to much about that. First and foremost, the most important thing was teaching him how to be a good, kind, decent person, to have good manners. Second, he needed to develop his own way of studying that worked for him. When he was younger, he was a real troublemaker, always getting into fights and causing chaos. But I have to give credit to my father-in-law. No matter how mischievous my son got, the rule was always: do your homework first. After that, you’re 200% free to play all you wanted. He got whatever he wanted; he had things most kids in the north didn’t have. Skateboards, a computer, whatever – he never lacked for anything. But only after his schoolwork was done. Work hard, play hard.

Q: You and your wife work hard, and your son can see that. It’s no wonder he’s hardworking and motivated.

A: Yeah, he definitely feels it. Even though we’re not physically together, we’re always chatting – texting or video calling – every week. We come from a family of educators, so I’ve got connections. Most of my friends back in school went on to become teachers, and my older brother works for the education bureau. So wherever my son went to school, he had options. I told one of my old classmate – also a childhood friend – who’s now a teacher, “Just keep an eye on him for me. You’ve got full authority to manage him. You don’t have to say anything, just watch over him and act.” My son wasn’t scared of me, but he was scared of my friend [laugh]. He obeys what my friend says. So yeah, sometimes it’s all about having the right connections; it comes down to the opportunities you get.

Q: It’s a mix of opportunities and hard work. Some families just don’t have the means to support their kids through school.

A: True, but these days, things are different. Take my son, for example. When he went to college, I didn’t spend a cent on tuition. He took out student loans which covered both his undergrad and grad school tuition, plus he got scholarships. As for living expenses, I only had to support him through his undergrad, until his first year of grad school. After that, he never asked me for money. His professor hired him to work at his company part-time, covering his food costs. They gave him 6,000 yuan for meals, and he worked five days a week, eight hours a day, with weekends off.

Coworker: Yeah, student loans help a lot. My son’s studying at a university in Wuhan, and I only give him 2,000 yuan a month for living expenses.

A: Same here. I used to give my son 1,500 a month, and it wasn’t until his senior year that he started asking for 2,000.

Coworker: Well, costs of living are going up now.

Q: Yeah, inflation is making everything more expensive.

A: Yeah. We cover his clothes separately, but for basic day-to-day living expenses, 1,500, 2,000, that’s enough. My boy’s pretty sensible and frugal; he doesn’t ask for much.

Q: It sounds like you and your family are living a happy life.

A: Honestly, we haven’t had to worry too much about our son, that’s for sure.

Coworker: He’s got it better than me. I’ve got bad habits. My issue is that I gamble; he doesn’t.

A: Yeah, I don’t have any bad habits, really. The only thing – only vice – I enjoy is a little drink now and then.

Coworker: I started gambling six months after I arrived in Shenzhen. Lost about 300,000 yuan gambling over the years. If it weren’t for that, I’d be doing okay too.

A: Well, you must’ve had the money to lose! You must’ve been doing pretty well to lose that much. I’ve been in Shenzhen for so long, and I’ve never even touched a gambling table. Not once.

Q: What do you guys do for fun?

A: We’ve got a ton of stuff we can do. We get together to eat, drink, chat, and all that. There’s a group of us, five families in total, who get together every week. We’re really close with them. Some of them, you know, they’ve been working at the factory even longer than I have – 30 years now.

Q: So you don’t have much to stress about, then? Your son’s doing great, you’ve got three houses – life sounds pretty good!

A: Well, it’s not all that simple. My son’s going to get married soon, and he’ll need a house for that. We’ll definitely help out with that.

Q: Your family’s story is really inspiring.

A: [Laughs] I’ve told my son before: I haven’t done anything extraordinary, earth-shattering in my life, but I’ve been steady. I’m a middle school graduate who’s made it this far, and I’m satisfied with where I’ve ended up. My wife’s happy too.

I always say this to my son, that one day we should write our story down – an autobiography or something. But I just never started it. I’m not good at writing.