Waging a Living in China

University of Pennsylvania's Center for East Asian Studies presents a talk by Maris Gillette on the shift to a market economy has affected porcelain industry workers in Jingdezhen, China.

Maris Gillette, Haverford College

Dr. Gillette will talk about how the shift to a market economy has affected porcelain industry workers in Jingdezhen, China. After the central government withdrew financial support from Jingdezhen 's porcelain industry in the mid-1990s, ten state enterprise, four city enterprise, and more than a dozen collective porcelain factories went out of business. Tens of thousands of workers lost their jobs and were forced to reinvent their livelihoods. Dr. Gillette will discuss how privatization has affected employment opportunities and reshaped the industry.

Issues in Contemporary East Asia Lecture Series