by Yong Ying
I went undercover at Shein’s factory village
The goal of this video is not to cost these hardworking individuals their jobs but to shed light on a complex and multifaceted reality. The spark to film this video came …
The goal of this video is not to cost these hardworking individuals their jobs but to shed light on a complex and multifaceted reality. The spark to film this video came after I watched a short video about Shein Village on Red, a Chinese social media platform. I noticed comments describing the unpleasant experiences of Shein’s suppliers and supply chain workers. Later, I discovered that The Wall Street Journal had also reported on labor exploitation at Shein. Wanting to verify these claims, I decided to visit the village myself.To be honest, the working conditions are not bad at all—they align with industry standards in China. The pay rate reflects the market price, and while hours are long, many workers are paid per piece, meaning the more they work, the more they earn. Overtime is sometimes mandatory due to rush orders, but there is no additional overtime pay—only piece-rate wages, which is a common practice in China’s garment manufacturing industry.These workers are not classified as Shein employees because they work for factories that handle Shein’s outsourced production. While filming, I felt deeply conflicted. On one hand, the workers and factory owners are grateful for the orders, as they rely on this work to support their families in a competitive urban economy. Many have no better alternatives but to endure situations mentioned in this video in silence. I am glad that Shein provides business opportunities for these workers, enabling them to make a living. However, because Shein is so dominant, it holds immense bargaining power, driving down the prices it pays to factories. This system undeniably exploits China’s low-cost labor. I do wish these workers were better compensated for their labor—but at whose expense? I don’t know….At 6:30 – Translation Note:The worker says in Mandarin that earning over 10,000 CNY/month requires working “shí jǐ gè xiǎo shí” (十几个小时, literally “ten-some hours”). The direct translation should be “over 10 hours of work.” My use of “12+ hours” was a personal interpretation of the phrase based on this specific context (“ten-some” in everyday usage often suggests a moderate addition, leans toward 12–18, sometimes excluding the extremes (11 or 19)). For full documentary accuracy, “over 10 hours” is the more neutral translation. I appreciate my audience’s effort in ensuring translation precision. 🙂 SHEIN Supplier Factory Wage Investigation Report: https://www.sheingroup.com/protecting…
