FACTORY GIRLS

LESLIE T. CHANG Translated From ENGLISH to MARATHI By GAURI DESHPANDE

Jan 2021 · MEHTA PUBLISHING HOUSE

About this ebook

CHINA HAS 130 MILLION MIGRANT WORKERS—THE LARGEST MIGRATION IN HUMAN HISTORY. IN FACTORY GIRLS, LESLIE T. CHANG, A FORMER CORRESPONDENT FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL IN BEIJING, TELLS THE STORY OF THESE WORKERS PRIMARILY THROUGH THE LIVES OF TWO YOUNG WOMEN, WHOM SHE FOLLOWS OVER THE COURSE OF THREE YEARS AS THEY ATTEMPT TO RISE FROM THE ASSEMBLY LINES OF DONGGUAN, AN INDUSTRIAL CITY IN CHINAS PEARL RIVER DELTA. AS SHE TRACKS THEIR LIVES, CHANG PAINTS A NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN PICTURE OF MIGRANT LIFE—A WORLD WHERE NEARLY EVERYONE IS UNDER THIRTY; WHERE YOU CAN LOSE YOUR BOYFRIEND AND YOUR FRIENDS WITH THE LOSS OF A MOBILE PHONE; WHERE A FEW COMPUTER OR ENGLISH LESSONS CAN CATAPULT YOU INTO A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SOCIAL CLASS. CHANG TAKES US INSIDE A SNEAKER FACTORY SO LARGE THAT IT HAS ITS OWN HOSPITAL, MOVIE THEATER, AND FIRE DEPARTMENT; TO POSH KARAOKE BARS THAT ARE FRONTS FOR PROSTITUTION; TO MAKESHIFT ENGLISH CLASSES WHERE STUDENTS SHAVE THEIR HEADS IN MONKLIKE DEVOTION AND SIT DAY AFTER DAY IN FRONT OF MACHINES WATCHING ENGLISH WORDS FLASH BY; AND BACK TO A FARMING VILLAGE FOR THE CHINESE NEW YEAR, REVEALING THE POVERTY AND IDLENESS OF RURAL LIFE THAT DRIVE YOUNG GIRLS TO LEAVE HOME IN THE FIRST PLACE. THROUGHOUT THIS RIVETING PORTRAIT, CHANG ALSO INTERWEAVES THE STORY OF HER OWN FAMILY’S MIGRATIONS, WITHIN CHINA AND TO THE WEST, PROVIDING HISTORICAL AND PERSONAL FRAMES OF REFERENCE FOR HER INVESTIGATION. A BOOK OF GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE THAT PROVIDES NEW INSIGHT INTO CHINA, FACTORY GIRLS DEMONSTRATES HOW THE MASS MOVEMENT FROM RURAL VILLAGES TO CITIES IS REMAKING INDIVIDUAL LIVES AND TRANSFORMING CHINESE SOCIETY, MUCH AS IMMIGRATION TO AMERICAS SHORES REMADE OUR OWN COUNTRY A CENTURY AGO.

लेस्ली टी. छांग यांनी प्रामुख्याने दोन तरुणींच्या माध्यमातून मांडलेली स्थलांतरित कामगारांची कहाणी. तोंगकुआन या औद्योगिक शहरामध्ये या दोघी तरुणी करिअरमध्ये असेम्ब्ली लाइनपासून मोठी झेप घेण्याच्या प्रयत्नांत असतानाच्या तीन वर्षांतला त्यांचा जीवनसंघर्ष लेखिकेनं त्यांच्या सोबत राहून प्रत्यक्ष अनुभवला. स्नीकर कारखाना, इंग्रजीचे वर्ग आणि मुलींना घर सोडून बाहेर पडायला लावणारी गरिबी, रिकामपणानं ग्रासलेल्या शेतीप्रधान गावांचं छांग यांनी केलेलं प्रभावी चित्रण.

About the author

Leslie T. Chang lived in China for a decade as a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, specializing in stories that explored how socioeconomic change is transforming institutions and individuals. She has also written for The New Yorker, National Geographic, and Condé Nast Traveler. Factory Girls is her first book. A graduate of Harvard University with a degree in American History and Literature, Chang has also worked as a journalist in the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. She was raised outside New York City by immigrant parents. She and her husband, writer Peter Hessler, live in Cairo with their two daughters.

लेस्ली टी. छांग यांचे वॉल स्ट्रीट जर्नलच्या प्रतिनिधी म्हणून बीजिंगमध्ये दशकभर वास्तव्य होते. त्या पीटर हेसलर यांच्याशी विवाहबद्ध झाल्या. हेसलर हेही चीनविषयी लिहितात. छांग कोलोरॅडोमध्ये राहतात.

Journalist-turned Chinese professional and a Mass Media degree holder Mrs. Gouri Deshpande resigned as a Senior Copy Editor from reputed newspaper Maharashtra Times, a regional daily of the Times Group, and embarked on the journey of mastering the Mandarin language. During her journalistic career, she has published a number of articles on various subjects. While writing a few reports on China and translating a China-based English book, she encountered the Mandarin language for the first time. This extremely difficult, yet interesting and logical language attracted her, and she decided to learn this language. While perusing certification, she got an opportunity to work in China on a Chinese government’s project. Currently, she is working as a Mandarin Business Data Analyst.

मुंबई विद्यापीठातून मास मीडियामध्ये पदवी घेतलेल्या गौरी देशपांडे यांनी अंदाजे १२ वर्षे महाराष्ट्र टाइम्स या वृत्तपत्रामध्ये संपादकीय विभागात काम केले आहे. वरिष्ठ उपसंपादक म्हणून कार्यरत असताना त्यांनी विविध विषयांवर विपुल लेखन केले. वृत्तपत्रासाठी काही लेख लिहीत असताना आणि चीनवरील पुस्तकाचे भाषांतर करत असताना त्यांची चिनी भाषेशी ओळख झाली. ही भाषा अतिशय भावल्याने त्यांनी ही अत्यंत अवघड, पण अतिशय तार्किक आणि रंजक भाषा शिकायचे ठरवले. ती शिकत असताना त्यांना चिनी सरकारच्या एका प्रकल्पासाठी प्रत्यक्ष चीनमध्ये जाऊन काम करण्याची संधी मिळाली. त्यांनी पूर्ण वेळ या भाषेमध्ये काम करायचे ठरवले आणि सध्या त्या मँडरिन बिझनेस डाटा अॅनालिस्ट म्हणून काम करत आहेत.