One morning in December, Zhang Li arrived at Everwin Toys in Dongguan to find a notice on the factory gates announcing production halt due to over 40% revenue decline from shrinking toy demand and global economic changes. Like her 2,000 colleagues, she had worked there for more than 15 years since her early 20s. “Now I’m in my 40s,” she said. “Where will I find my next job?”
Dongguan exemplifies a growing polarisation in the Chinese economy, where many factories and workers are left behind as hi-tech firms surge ahead. One morning in December, Zhang Li showed up for work at Everwin Toys in Dongguan to find a notice pinned to the factory gates. The message stated that due to shrinking demand in the toy industry and changes in the global economy, the company had seen its revenues decline by over 40 per cent and had no choice but to halt production. For Zhang, a worker of more than 15 years who joined in her early 20s, this threw her life into disarray, like her 2,000 colleagues. “Now I’m in my 40s,” she said. “Where will I find my next job?” Zhang is one of millions of migrant workers on the front line of China’s rapid economic transition, as its vast manufacturing sector adapts to rising global trade tensions and breakneck technological changes. Published on 2026-03-21, keywords include AI-driven robots, Topstar Technology, Celestica, David Wong, Kinpo Electronics, Labubu, Pop Mart, Lawrence Wong, Liang Lu, Daojiao town, Covid-19 pandemic, Guangdong province.