The Netflix documentary “American Factory” tells the story of American workers on a production line owned by China’s Fuyao Glass in Dayton, Ohio. It vividly portrays the experiences and culture clash of American workers and Chinese management. It not only shows U.S. viewers how work in a Chinese-owned factory in the U.S. unfolds, but has also stirred up discussion in China.

The film, backed by Barack and Michelle Obama’s new production company Higher Ground, documents how Chinese auto-glass company Fuyao built a factory near Dayton, Ohio, where thousands of workers were laid off when General Motors closed its plant in the rust belt a decade ago. Fuyao brought not only new jobs to Ohio, but also high expectations and a harsh management style, customary in factories across China. It most notably spent more than USD1 million to put down a unionizing campaign. Although Netflix is not available in mainland China, pirated and Chinese-subtitled copies of the film have been circulated online, and it has been widely discussed on social media. On popular social network WeChat, a post offering a summary of the documentary along with discussion of whether Fuyao could be considered representative of a Chinese-run factory has been viewed more than 100,000 times.

Fuyao’s investment in Ohio was welcomed at first, but the cultural gap soon emerged. The American workers complained about long hours and insufficient safety measures. The Chinese management staff on the production lines were unhappy about the pace of the American workers and the quality of the products they were making. Fuyao’s billionaire Chairman, Cao Dewang – nicknamed “the king of glass” in China – visited the factory, replacing the top American Manager with a Chinese who had years of experience in the U.S. Some viewers expressed their fascination with the sharp contrast between Fuyao’s factories in America and China.

The Ohio employees worked eight hours a day, five days a week. Some made enough to rent their own apartments. They complained about the low wages and safety hazards despite the difficulty of finding other factory jobs. In the southeastern Chinese city of Fuqing in Fujian province, where Fuyao Glass was founded, however, migrant workers lived in dormitories, worked 12-hour shifts and went home once or twice a year. They chanted slogans every morning pledging to work hard. They picked up shattered glass with minimal protection. The contrast has led to a wave of reflections on the life of blue-collar workers in China as well as a heated debate over whether the country’s economic success has justified their ordeal or not.
Some regard the film as a poignant criticism of China’s labor abuse, which includes harsh working conditions, a workplace culture that encourages self-sacrifice, and state crackdowns on independent unions. But others said the film demonstrated the superiority of China’s culture and political system – without the harsh factory work, the country would not have achieved rapid development as a whole. They also defended entrepreneurs like Cao for creating jobs and lifting people out of poverty. Directors Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert said they wanted to spark a conversation about how the working class, both in China and America, were being affected by the forces of globalization and automation, the South China Morning Post reports.