An open letter to those who disparage goods "Made in China"

I'd like to invite your attention to the conundrum of wanting to save time and money and not wanting to buy factory items that were "made in China."

I'm sure we're all well-intentioned when we declare the desire to find alternatives to these products, and at the same time I'm aware that we're mostly unwilling to sacrifice the convenience and affordability the global economy provides. I think the humanity of parents who have left the care of their small children to relatives in rural villages in order to earn any wage at all in ShenZhen deserves our attention as well. I was among millions of "left-behind" children in my first years and attest to the brutal reality of this experience, however mitigated by my family's relative wealth.

I've seen the toddler I live with weep and cry uncontrollably when his mother leaves for a few hours -- I can only guess at the impact of having parents gone for years, and what circumstances would drive a parent to make that decision. 

I feel all of these things in the label "Made in China," and I invite you to include a bit more humanity as well -- for our well-intentioned selves as well as poverty-stricken families in rural China.

Regards,
Qian Li

http://qiancomposes.blogspot.com/

Posted from my 2008 Lenovo ThinkPad, Made in China