Village Revolts Over Inequities of Chinese Life

A long-running dispute between the local authorities and farmers in a southern Chinese town exploded into open rebellion this week, residents said.

Migrant ‘Villages’ Within a City Ignite Debate

Some migrants welcome gated communities as a way to fight crime, but critics see them as a sign of barriers facing rural migrants.

10 Held in China for Mistreating Factory Workers

Police arrested a factory boss and nine foremen at a brick kiln late last month and rescued 32 mentally disabled workers, according to the state-run news media.

A Textile Capital of China Is Hobbled by a Downturn Gone Global

Shaoxing, where 20,000 textile and garment factories once hummed, was a city that globalization built. Now, it is suffering as demand wanes in the U.S.

China Fears Tremors as Jobs Vanish From Coast

Jobs on the once-booming Chinese coast are vanishing at a stunning pace, leaving millions without work.

College-Educated Chinese Feel Job Pinch

Anxiety is rippling through a generation of Chinese who had grown up thinking that prosperity was guaranteed.

Trade Losses Rise in China, Threatening Jobs

China’s exports and imports shrank at an accelerating rate last month, a trend likely to set off more job losses in the country’s export-oriented coastal regions.

Factories Shut, China Workers Are Suffering

An export slowdown that has been magnified by the global financial crisis is contributing to the shutdown of factories in China’s coastal regions.

Wal-Mart to Toughen Standards

Wal-Mart plans to announce that it will require manufacturers supplying goods for its stores to adhere to stricter ethical and environmental standards.

China Tells Businesses to Unionize

Already facing rising labor costs, corporations doing business in China are now under a Sept. 30 deadline to let their workers unionize.

As Its Work Force Ages, Japan Needs and Fears Chinese Labor

With one of the world’s most rapidly aging populations and lowest birthrates, Japan is facing acute labor shortages.

Sichuan’s Migrant Sprawl Now a Network of Worry

Efforts by migrant workers to get word of their families in Sichuan are being thwarted by downed telephone lines and disrupted cellular phone base stations.

Beijing Confirms Deaths of 6 Workers at Olympic Construction Sites

Officials said that six workers had died and four others had suffered injuries at Olympic venues since construction for the 2008 games began five years ago.

Korean Fire Ends Migrants’ Hard Journey Home

The victims were among an estimated 300,000 ethnic Koreans from China who now live in South Korea and pursue their “Korean dream” at the lowest rung of South Korea’s labor market.

In Chinese Factories, Lost Fingers and Low Pay

Worker abuse is still commonplace in many of the Chinese factories that supply Western companies, according to labor rights groups.

Labor Group Says St. Patrick’s Sells Sweatshop Goods

A workers’ rights group accused St. Patrick’s Cathedral of selling religious items made under terrible conditions in sweatshop factories in China.

Wages Rise in China as Businesses Court the Young

Higher wages in China are likely to lead to higher prices in the United States.

Beijing’s Lack of Penalties in Labor Cases Stirs Outrage

The government of Shanxi Province said only six low-level figures in the Communist Party or the local government will be prosecuted in an embarrassing labor scandal over slavelike conditions.

As Unrest Rises, China Broadens Workers’ Rights

A new law strengthens protections amid increasing signs of restiveness among tens of millions of migrant laborers.