Gecawicz works at a headphone factory in Dongguan, an industrial city about 55 miles north of Hong Kong.
Source: City Population
Dongguan is in the Pearl River Delta, a highly important trade and economic zone in Southern China. That region alone, with nearly 110 million residents, has a GDP of more than $1.2 trillion.
Source: Forbes
With eight million residents, Dongguan is one of the most important cities in the Pearl River Delta. One in five of the world's smartphones are made there.
Source: The Guardian
Gecawicz said he decided to spend his summer in Dongguan to gain a better perspective of the products he uses every day — and the people who make them.
"You might not care about the iPhone charging cable that you buy for 10 bucks at 7-11, but somebody somewhere put in the effort to make sure that the cable was made right. That was a big factor for me, to gain the appreciation that a lot of people don't have for their products."
Most factory workers wear uniforms in China. Gecawicz received one, but at six feet tall, he couldn't fit into it. "It was way too small, so they just had me wear whatever," he said.
Gecawicz was on the factory floor earlier this summer, but now he works in the factory's engineering department. He helps develop prototypes for new headphone connectors.
One of the biggest misconceptions Gecawicz said other Americans have about Chinese factories is that they're all sweatshops. They "immediately jump to the conclusion that I'm working with children or in a literal sweatshop."
For instance, the factory workers get hourly breaks, where they use their iPhones or chat with their colleagues. The factory is air-conditioned. "It's a lot like working in an office in the US," Gecawicz said.
Indeed, China is much better off than the average American might believe. "There are still areas where there are villages without running water or power, but that's far less common than a lot of people think it is."
The smog in Dongguan obscures the sun. Gecawicz said this makes him tired all the time and that he's developing a vitamin D deficiency, a condition that's common in industrial areas of China due to the prevalent smog.
Source: Nutrients
