THE REAL TOY STORY: Photos Inside China’s Grueling Toy Factories By Michael Wolf

this-results-in-alarmingly-high-levels-of-occupational-disease-and-work-related-injuries-in-2009-alone-approximately-one-million-workers-were-injured-at-work-and-about-20000-suffered-from-diseases-due-to-their-occupation


China makes more toys than any other country in the world. In fact, a whopping 75 percent of toys come from the nation of nearly 1.4 billion people. But China’s rise in the world of manufacturing comes at a price. Even though China has had rapid economic growth in the past decade, more than 482 million Chinese — that’s 36 percent of the population — live on less than $2 per day, according to global anti-poverty nonprofit War On Want. Plus, 85 percent of China’s poor live in rural areas. Extreme poverty forces many of them to leave the countryside in search of employment in urban areas. German photographer Michael Wolf has taken a phenomenal series of photos he calls “The Real Toy Story” that shows what workers’ lives are like as they make all those toys. Wolf’s photographs come from visits to five toy factories around mainland China. For more information or to get in touch with Michael Wolf, we invite you to visit his website at the link below.


workers-endure-long-hours-6-7-days-a-week

workers-can-usually-jump-from-job-to-job-fairly-easily-but-they-usually-do-not-receive-a-substantial-pay-increase

toy-production-involves-close-contact-with-chemicals-that-are-incredibly-harmful-to-the-workers-health

they-endure-poor-working-conditions-such-as-excessive-and-forced-overtime-yet-dont-even-have-basic-social-security-benefits-or-employment-contracts

they-became-outcasts-in-the-eyes-of-their-government

their-living-conditions-are-prison-like-with-up-to-six-people-sharing-small-cramped-dormitories-and-up-to-50-people-sharing-one-bathroom

the-workers-lack-of-awareness-of-their-own-rights-and-the-chinese-governments-unwillingness-to-address-the-abuse-only-perpetuate-the-system-of-inequality

the-overtime-work-is-up-to-200-hours-a-month-which-is-more-than-five-times-the-legal-limit

the-limitations-on-migration-were-reduced-and-around-85-percent-of-chinas-rural-poor-flocked-to-the-cities-in-search-of-employment

thats-approximately-150-million-migrant-workers-who-are-utterly-unprotected

student-workers-are-organized-by-schools-to-do-internships

some-factories-promise-workers-a-10-minute-break-after-every-two-hours-of-work

rather-than-learning-skills-related-to-their-respective-discipline-the-students-work-as-frontline-production-workers

multinational-corporations-and-national-factory-owners-take-advantage-of-the-anti-union-climate

most-workers-never-have-benefited-from-these-promises

most-chinese-migrant-workers-do-not-own-the-products-they-spend-their-lives-making

migrant-workers-became-unable-to-access-state-benefits-or-protection-despite-chinese-laws-promising-equal-rights-for-all

many-women-are-forced-to-send-their-children-to-live-with-family-in-the-countryside

many-factory-workers-are-not-even-required-to-wear-safety-equipment-including-those-who-spend-extensive-amounts-of-time-spray-painting-toys

injured-workers-report-that-factory-management-does-not-show-interest-in-workers-well-being

however-the-restrictions-on-household-registration-of-the-hukou-remained-as-rigid-as-ever

how-did-it-get-like-this-before-opening-up-its-economy-in-the-late-70s-the-chinese-government-issued-tight-control-between-rural-and-urban-areas-which-encouraged-people-to-migrate-to-cities-illegally

female-workers-rarely-get-maternity-leave-and-with-extreme-hours-and-no-childcare-facilities-they-cannot-take-care-of-their-kids

every-day-the-workers-have-to-arrive-15-minutes-before-the-regular-work-shift-begins-for-a-work-assembly

even-during-the-30-minute-lunch-period-workers-must-return-to-the-shop-floor-early-to-resume-production-or-to-attend-another-meeting-they-are-not-paid-for-the-time-spent-in-these-meetings-or-assemblies

despite-the-terrible-working-conditions-workers-are-optimistic-that-they-will-be-able-to-gain-new-skills-and-create-a-better-life

by-age-30-female-migrants-are-considered-too-old-for-factory-work-and-are-discharged

but-as-china-moved-toward-a-market-economy-cheap-rural-labor-became-integral-to-the-countrys-growth

as-for-the-photographer-michael-wolf-he-has-a-display-made-out-of-16000-toys-purchased-second-hand-from-flea-markets-and-stores-across-california-each-toy-had-a-face-and-was-made-in-china

and-the-companies-usually-forgo-paying-the-workers-entitled-monthly-salary-if-theyre-on-medical-leave

after-the-work-shift-there-is-another-work-assembly-which-lasts-for-15-minutes

according-to-war-on-want-these-controls-were-part-of-the-permit-hukou-system-in-which-welfare-entitlements-such-as-pensions-housing-health-and-education-were-tied-to-a-persons-place-of-birth

www.photomichaelwolf.com