'American Factory': One factory, two worlds

BEIJING, Sept. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by China.org.cn on the documentary "American Factory":

'American Factory': One factory, two worlds

Former U.S. President Barack Obama's life after leaving the White House has been a full and glamorous one. And entering the entertainment business is a part of that career change. "American Factory," the first documentary distributed by his production company, became an instant hit after screening, garnering massive attention on the media and social network.

Though titled "American Factory," the documentary actually delves into how a Chinese-owned manufacturing company opened and ran a factory in the United States.

The story began in Dayton, Ohio, part of what Americans called the "Rust Belt." This region, which was once at the heart of the nation's flourishing industrial manufacturing and innovation, is witnessing a decline, amid a drop in American manufacturing and the shutdown of a local General Motors plant. In 2014, a Chinese corporation, Fuyao Glass Industry Group, the biggest automotive glass supplier in China and the second largest in the world, invested a billion dollars, refurbished the abandoned GM plant and moved into it. The glass factory then emerged is giving work to 2,000-plus Dayton residents.

This should have been a pleasing story in every way. And, what did happen, initially, was hopeful. However, it didn't take long for conflict to begin to seep in: Chinese and American mindset, working styles and management systems are very different. The gap was finally bridged after confrontation but also compromise.

The audience can see a prominent culture clash running through the whole film. The Chinese managers accuse American workers of being slow, lazy and grouchy, while the Americans complain about unsafe working conditions and intensive working schedules.

Indeed, this kind of conflict often emerges as Chinese companies go global. Chinese workers are forbearing, diligent, highly efficient and disciplined, to a level that sometimes baffles local people. As a matter of fact, these personalities need to be understood in the context of Chinese culture and China's social development phase. For a long time, the Chinese people needed to make greater efforts and devise more efficient systems to squeeze every last ounce of gain in terms of development, and to create opportunities for improving their lives.

This "American Factory" provides a microcosm of economic globalization. Faced with rising labor costs and the development of mechanization and automation, the decline in American manufacturing is inevitable, making globalization a much better solution. Meanwhile, Chinese companies going global still have a long way ahead in adapting to the standards, rules and culture of different countries.

It is a laudable attempt for "American Factory" to present all sides of the issue. The situation is not so much a culture clash as cultural integration. Globalization, ultimately, is the process of mixing together and forming connections. In a time when President Donald Trump has ordered American companies to leave China, people need vision and wisdom to get out of their own worlds and try to understand what they didn't previously understand.

China Mosaic
http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm

'American Factory': One factory, two worlds
http://www.china.org.cn/video/2019-09/12/content_75199637.htm

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