Dongguan, the legendary "holy land of part-time work", once attracted countless young people to give up graduate school entrance examination and employment, and flock to start a new life. Today, the former glory of Dongguan is gone. Why did this paradise for migrant workers fall so quickly? With only three words, uncover this sinking - "not alive".
Not alive", a pun intended. It literally means that there is no work to do, and it implies that there is no life, no hope, and no prospects. These three words reveal the hidden truth behind the decline of Dongguan.
1. No work: Dongguan's manufacturing industry has been hit hard, and orders have fallen sharply.
In the past, Dongguan was famous for its manufacturing industry and was a corner of the world's factories. However, with the escalation of the Sino-US war, orders have decreased, and many factories have closed or laid off employees. Dongguan's manufacturing industry has been hit hard, and a large number of migrant workers have lost their jobs. Dongguan's manufacturing industry has no work, which directly leads to the lack of work for workers.
Once, Dongguan's manufacturing industry was outstanding, and orders were surging. When I come here to work, I basically don't have to worry about having no work. But now, the epidemic and the first war have formed a double blow, Dongguan's manufacturing industry has declined, but migrant workers are still flocking to it, and the result is that there are more people and less work, and the army has nowhere to place.
Dongguan manufacturing industry is not working, how can migrant workers still expect to have a job? It's like a river without water, and no matter how many fish there are, they can only turn their bellies. The lack of work directly led to a sharp decline in income and the shattering of the dream of working.
2. Angry: Rent prices are high and life pressure is huge.
Once upon a time, the rent in Dongguan was cheap and the pace of life was relaxed and relaxed. But now, in just a few years, Dongguan's rent and living costs are no longer inferior to those of first-tier cities. High rents and prices have directly led to a sharp decline in the quality of life of migrant workers.
Even more worryingly, incomes are shrinking. There is no work, the performance is difficult to deliver, and the overtime pay and bonuses are discounted. The cost of living has soared, but income has shrunk sharply, and the migrant workers have naturally lost their life and can only live in anxiety.
Once upon a time, part-time workers could save for a down payment and realize their dream of buying a house. But now, I can't afford a mortgage of nearly 10 million yuan by working part-time, let alone buying a house. The lack of money undoubtedly plunged the migrant workers into despair for the future.
Without money and dreams, and without motivation in life, migrant workers have lost the motivation and vitality to struggle. This lifeless state has gradually lost the vigor and vitality of Dongguan.
3. No prospects: Lack of industrial upgrading and lack of high-end jobs.
Dongguan's industrial structure is dominated by low-end manufacturing, which leads to a lack of industrial upgrading and a lack of high-end industries and jobs. Faced with the dilemma of having no work to do, migrant workers have nowhere to go.
In contrast, the industrial structure of cities such as Shenzhen has been optimized and upgraded faster, and a large number of high-end industries and jobs have emerged. This has directly led to a large outflow of migrant workers from Dongguan and a serious brain drain.
With no money and no prospects, Dongguan is gradually losing its attractiveness. This has invisibly exacerbated the vicious circle of "loss of vitality and talent". Dongguan is unable to provide high-end employment opportunities, and migrant workers have to find other jobs, further accelerating Dongguan's decline.
No life, no life and no prospects, constitute the troika of Dongguan's decline. If we want to regain our strength, Dongguan must face the essence of the problem and fundamentally solve the dilemma of "not living" in order to rebuild the glory of the past.
However, can the dilemma of "not living" be reversed, and can Dongguan rise again? It's still an unknown. We wait and see, and believe that with the entrepreneurial spirit and industrious wisdom of the people of Dongguan, we will be able to turn danger into relief and rebuild new glory.