(Xun Zhou, China) Everyone likes to save money, right? Of course, that’s why Americans invented Walmart and people worldwide flock to Ikea. During my visit to Xun Zhou, I got a pretty good lesson in why those stores are so cheap.

As I walked under the beating sun, as temperatures rose near 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 C), between the tightly packed passageways that separated the homes of this rural village, I noticed a number of large wooden squares maybe 6 feet (about 2m) by 3 ft (1m) and strung with ropes and fabric.

Eventually, curiosity got the best of me, and I asked innocently what they were. It was explained to me that many women in the village were being paid to hand-stitch sequins onto the fabric that would later be used to make blouses, dresses, and clothes that would, if you followed down the consumer food chain, be sold at a clothing stores near you. A shirtless, middle-aged man explained that this was an easy way for women to make a bit more money for their families, and that they were contracted (and give the supplies) by men from the nearby bigger cities. The men would come around a few time a month to collect the finished fabrics and pay the women per piece they had completed.

Though there was no way for me to determined where these particular blouses where headed once done, a quick Google search for “sequined ladies tops” turns up hundreds of similar blouses (see pictures below). Amazon.com sells one for $25 USD, spiegel for $75 USD, and some of the top designer from Louis Vuitton to Armani sell sequined tops for hundreds of dollar, if not more. (Disclaimer: I am NOT trying to imply that the shirts I saw in Xun Zhou were necessarily headed for any one of these shops in particular or that any of these shops practice such production processes–because frankly I have no way of finding out.)

Above: Some random Google grabs for ’sequined blouse.”List price (Left to right): $49 USD, $89 USD, $69 USD

I asked the village women how long it takes them to hand stitch the sequins onto a single shirt, and was told “about 3-4 days, depending on how much time we spend on it.”

I asked the women if they enjoyed their work. “It’s good to have work,” they said.

I asked the women how much they got paid per shirt, by the man from the big city.

“The equivalent of about 3/4 of 1 US dollar,” they said.

It’s often said, “it pays to shop around,” but after meeting these ladies, I wonder who really pays?

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What you can do now:

• Leave a comment in the box below.
• See some other photos from Xun Zhou Village, China
• Are you a Bush or are you a Clinton? Read more about my arrival on the island.