China’s humanising development

Neil Davenport’s review on spiked of Leslie Chang’s Factory Girls: Voices from the Heart of Modern China brings out the human side of China’s rapid economic development. Critics tend to one-sidedly condemn China’s rapid industrialisation and the huge internal migration that has accompanied it. But Davenport show it is generally seen as far preferable to the isolated tedium of rural life. He concludes:

“By portraying how Chinese people are actually living their lives, as opposed to talking about how they should be living their lives, Chang provides a clear and dynamic portrait of Chinese society and the individuals undergoing transformation. The conclusion to be drawn from Factory Girls is not that development is dangerous but that its humanising reach cannot come quickly enough for millions of Chinese people. There is nothing misanthropic or childish or apologetic in advocating that.”