Jennifer Pak

3 weeks ago | marketplace.org | Jennifer Pak

The Xiangguang Hats company from China’s southern Guangdong province is one exporter able to expand beyond the U.S. market. It started when President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on certain Chinese exports in 2018 during his first term. Xiangguang’s hats, which include baseball hats, trucker hats and cartoon bear hats with floppy ears, faced an extra 20% duties. Back then, 40% of Xiangguang’s sales were to the U.S.“But now, we sell mainly to South Africa, to big brands like supermarkets.

1 month ago | marketplace.org | Jennifer Pak

Seventy percent of the nearly 1,300 cars on display at the Shanghai auto show, which ended last week, were electric vehicles. They were mostly brands unfamiliar to Americans, such as China’s XPeng Motors, Deepal, and NIO. Chinese EV makers pack their cars with a lot of features. XPeng’s flagship electric sedan, the P7+, is spacious with soft leather seats that also have heating, cooling and massage functions.

1 month ago | marketplace.org | Jennifer Pak

Electronics factory worker Mo Guilan said she was doing an entry-level job in southern China’s Dongguan city, but her employer gave her all the usual maternity benefits. Once she told her bosses she was pregnant, they lightened her job load to make sure she was not overworked and had a basic three-month maternity leave. Still, Mo is not keen to have more children. “I won’t consider a second child for health and financial reasons,” she said.

2 months ago | marketplace.org | Jennifer Pak

Dozens of workers at a shoe factory in southern China’s Dongguan city glue, sew and buff foam slippers and canvas shoes. They punch every hole and lace every shoe by hand. “Every lacing is [done] manually. There is no robot. I think the big brands tried and failed,” James Gau, whose company ShoeBot owns the factory, said.

2 months ago | marketplace.org | Jennifer Pak

Up until late last year, a popular brunch spot in Shanghai with free-flowing alcohol that was not too expensive was the Bull & Claw. “It was housed in a beautiful villa-style lane house [with] three floors,” said Rachel Gouk of the Shanghai-based food and drink blog Nomfluence.