At 11:30 pm on March 17, news came that the highway intersection in Huangmei County, Huanggang City, Hubei Province was unblocked. When Zhou Min saw the “Hubei Health Code” on the screen of his mobile phone turning green, his family packed their luggage overnight, grabbed the official stamped release slip and “hurried away”. The whole family drove nearly 1,000 kilometers to the long-awaited Kangle Village in Guangzhou.
Kangle Village is located in the center of Haizhu District, Guangzhou City, close to the Zhongda Textile Business District. Zhongda Textile Business District is the largest apparel accessories market in South China, just across the river from the city’s landmark Canton Tower. From the head of Kangle Village to the Lujiang Archway in the east, the village path in the city is more than 1 kilometer deep. Garment workshops are dotted on both sides. The management is loose and the rent is low, attracting a large number of immigrants.
Local villagers estimate that there are more than 50,000 textile workers from Hubei here. They “brothers lead fellow villagers” and go south to pan for gold, hence the name Kangle Village. “Hubei Village”. In urban villages, except for local landlords “collecting rent”, it is difficult to hear authentic Cantonese, and the “spicy” smell wafts from the streets to meals. Affected by the epidemic, the garment industry chain supported by Hubei people was suspended for two months.
Hubei Province is a major labor export province, with about 6 million migrant workers working outside all year round. Official data reveals that there are currently more than 2.4 million people living and working in Guangdong in the province, including 220,000 in Jingzhou city alone. The passage from Hubei is gradually opening, transportation capacity is recovering, and people in Hubei are eager to resume work.
“I’ve been stuck at home for too long! I can’t bear it, I can’t bear it, and the rent and other costs are just 1,000 yuan a day in (Guangzhou).” Zhou Min recalled to Caixin reporters on March 21. He purchased thermometer guns, disinfectants, masks, etc., and the Third Economic Cooperative of Leisure approved it to resume work on March 24. But he couldn’t wait any longer, and his customers kept urging him. Zhou Min’s small workshop started work in three days with a “rush”. If he couldn’t find workers, he asked his wife and son to “step in” first and be responsible for cutting cloth.
The apparel industry has always been ahead of seasonal changes. The epidemic is raging in winter, the peak new clothing trading season in spring will never be recovered, and summer cannot be missed again.
“Hubei Village” is looking forward to starting construction
On March 25, at the Guangdong Provincial Epidemic Press Conference, Bu Xiaoqiang, President of the Provincial Clothing and Apparel Industry Association, introduced, Guangdong Province is the largest garment province in China, with output accounting for a quarter of the country’s total. “Due to the mild winter in 2019 and the early Spring Festival, the inventory of winter clothing increased, and due to the delayed opening of the market due to epidemic prevention and control, the industry missed the spring clothing sales season. Delayed resumption of work and production will affect summer clothing sales.” Bu Xiaoqiang said that the epidemic situation The impact on the industry may last until August, putting great pressure on corporate liquidity and expenses.
When Caixin reporters visited Kangle Village in early February, the entrance to the village was strictly guarded against outsiders, and entry and exit required a Guangzhou local ID card. The villages in the city were deserted, clothing workshops were strictly prohibited from operating, and managers pulled off the power switches one by one. Outsiders left behind are worried about “sudden water and power outages, and cell phone batteries running out of power.” They don’t dare to move around. “They don’t even dare to leave the village entrance. Once they go out, they can’t go back.”
“Outsiders have only been allowed in these two days. Before, even birds couldn’t fly in.” On March 21, a canteen owner’s wife told a Caixin reporter that her family was from Hunan and had been trapped in the village during the epidemic. Two months.
In late March, the epidemic situation in Hubei stabilized. Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other cities lifted the 14-day quarantine requirement for people returning to work from Hubei. Low-risk areas in Hubei can pass with a green health code without the need for separate travel. isolation. Currently, the epidemic situation in all cities and counties in Hubei except Wuhan is at a low risk level.
Connaught Estate also pressed the “resumption button”.
On March 21, the village gained popularity. Several bosses moved small benches and sat at the street corner, putting up small blackboards to recruit workers. They held up samples of clothes to be processed, but few people cared about them. A Caixin reporter approached them and asked them where they were from. The small bosses waved their hands quickly, and one of them said, “We are not from Wuhan, but from a low-risk area in Hubei.”
Lin Yong, who had just returned from Jingzhou, Hubei, sat alone in a garment factory of more than 200 square meters. Dozens of sewing machines were covered with a thick layer of dust.
“I ask all day long, when will work be allowed to start? February and March are the peak seasons.” Lin Yonggang submitted an application for resumption of work. “Last year, the workers were full and the business was in full swing. The epidemic has put an end to the peak season.” He felt sorry for the 18,000 yuan a month rent for the factory, and even more for the equipment he invested 500,000 to 600,000 yuan for. “I’m afraid that the investment will be in vain, and making clothing is risky. Shipping speed, price, and quality are all competing in Kangyue Village.” Lin Yong said.
In previous years, crowds of people gathered after the Spring Festival. In almost all aspects of garment production, including cutting, sewing, ironing, printing, etc., you can quickly find “experts” in Kangyue Village. Traders select suitable fabrics at the Zhongda Cloth Market, place an order here, and within 24 hours, they can receive a batch of ready-made garments that can be shipped across the country and even around the world.
80,000 Hubei people are waiting to return to Guangzhou
In Kangle Village, the threshold for opening a garment workshop of about 200 square meters is not high, and the start-up capital is Between 300,000 and 500,000 yuan. A diligent garment worker’s monthly salary can reach tens of thousands of yuan.
Most of the upstream customers of garment factories come from the wholesale stalls of the Guangzhou Shisanhang and Shahe area clothing cities. Taobao orders and foreign trade orders come from a variety of sources. A single clothing order ranges from dozens to hundreds. thousand�. Although the form is flexible, orders are unstable and competition in this industry is fierce.
In recent years, wages and rents have increased every year, and many bosses have called them “unprofitable.” The epidemic in 2020 disrupted the rhythm of the industrial chain, and the spring of Kangle Village seemed particularly anxious.
On March 29, one week after Kangyue Village resumed work, congestion occurred on the small road leading in and out of the village. Those who transport fabrics, buy and sell goods, and deliver food, people are shouting “give way” through masks. All the lights in the garment workshops were on, and the squeaking sound of machines could be heard. But the bargain-hunting recruitment splendor of previous years has not yet occurred.
At the door of Jingzhou native Lin Yong’s garment factory, there is a pile of floral fabrics used for sewing summer women’s clothing. A dozen workers are sitting on the machine and rushing to work. Lin Yong complained that there were not enough workers despite the orders. The cost of lathes responsible for the final process of clothing was 18 yuan/piece in 2019, but it rose to 30 yuan/piece in 2020.
At 9 o’clock every morning, Lin Yong wanders the streets, holding up a “Wanted” sign to recruit odd jobs. “Many workers in Hubei have not returned yet. Is it because the children have not started school and parents have to take their children to online classes at home?” Lin Yong said depressedly.
“Now more than 1,000 people from Kangledong (Hubei) have returned. Detailed data cannot be provided for the time being, and the number of people is still increasing.” On March 30, a staff member of the Kangledong Community Public Service Station told Caixin reporters. Fengyang Street, where “Hubei Village” is located, has jurisdiction over more than 20 community committees, and Kang Ledong is one of them.
According to official statistics from Haizhu District, Guangzhou has the largest number of Hubei residents in the district, with nearly 190,000 people registered. As of March 29, there are still 85,000 people waiting to return to Guangzhou.
The Guangdong Provincial Clothing and Apparel Industry Association recently conducted a survey on 273 companies, 8 industrial clusters and 6 professional clothing markets. Among them, 70% of the companies reported that the upstream and downstream companies in the industry chain started operations out of sync, resulting in The supply of raw materials and auxiliary materials is insufficient, and sales channels are not smooth.
The epidemic situation abroad is severe, and garment factory owners have found that the foreign trade orders they received in 2020 have been almost halved.
“The peak season of the new year is almost over.” The bosses of “Hubei Village” all said the same thing repeatedly. The next good season may be half a year from now, when autumn and winter clothing sales take place in October and November. But the epidemic alert has not been lifted and the supply chain is blocked. They can only “get by”. The village has informed that the rent of the garment factory can be reduced by one month at its discretion.
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