Manufacturing in China: Further Reading

Whenever I write about China, people eat it up. Most are curious and appreciate the transparency into Tortuga’s manufacturing process. A few have negative, knee-jerk reactions.

Invariably, the post generates more questions about China from potential customers and aspiring entrepreneurs.

I will continue to share our experiences here and on Packsmith. However, I also want to highlight the other great writing out there.

China Factory Visit Recaps

We aren’t the only company giving behind the scenes looks at manufacturing. Read about other brands’ experiences in China below.

• Tortuga
• Need/Want
• Brass
• Know any others? Leave me a note, and I’ll add the best ones.

Books on Manufacturing in China

My favorite books on manufacturing in China are more journalism than “how to.”

• Factory Girls by Leslie T. Chang. An in-depth account of the lives of female migrants working in Chinese factories. By far the best book I’ve read on factory life. For the TL;DR version, watch Chang’s TED Talk.
• Country Driving by Peter Hessler. He’s written several books on living in China. Each one is filled with real people whose stories give the reader insight into a fascinating country. Country Driving’s "Book III: The Factory" details the rise of a new boomtown through the lives of factory owners and workers.
• How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid. This is a hard one to describe. How to Get Filthy Rich is written in the second person and is closer to a parable than a how to book. Just read it. It’s short.

I’ll update this post as I find more worthwhile posts and books.