Monday took us on another factory visit in Baoding (pop. 1,700,000). This time it was an investment casting foundry that is run by an old Communist guy and his two sons (and one of their wives). It is a success story for the privatization of Chinese industry. The family is warm and very dedicated to growing their business.
All over China you see people using these brooms. At first, it's funny - "Look at that! That guy just tied a bunch of sticks together for a broom." But then you realize that it makes sense, and they mock our need to pay money for a store-bought broom. They both do the same thing - why would I spend $10 for something that is growing in the yard? All over China this is the norm - they use things that get the job done and no more.
Baoding is known for their dog and donkey meat. On the way to lunch, one of the factory guys stopped off at a street vendor and picked up some donkey sandwiches. It was very tasty - much like a greasy pulled brisket. However, later that night my stomach disagreed with that assessment.
At the foundry, we noted that their metallurgy lab looked like it was from the 50s. They acknowledged this and explained that their intention was to upgrade their equipment last year, but then the air quality laws came out, so they instead invested in pollution control equipment. Many of their local competitors did not have the same foresight and thus did not become compliant - they are now out of business. We heard similar stories at all the factories we visited. The pollution control laws put a ton of factories out of business, but the remaining ones are now stronger and have more business than they can handle. The old buildings are being torn down in order to support the never ending growth.
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