We toured a factory in China

TL;DR

A Chinese factory owner gave a 5-year clothing supplier a full tour, revealing working conditions, tariff workarounds, and China's adaptability to change.

Key Points

• 1.The factory produces custom cut-and-sew clothing for Mogul Moves with high-skilled adult workers. The owner, Andy, has supplied the brand for 5 years; workers are experienced adults tracked on a digital output leaderboard, with meals and on-site housing provided.
• 2.China's supply chain infrastructure keeps factories cost-competitive despite cheaper labor elsewhere. Andy explained that fabric, custom parts, and specialized washes can be delivered within 2 days locally — an advantage Vietnam, Cambodia, and Bangladesh cannot yet replicate, keeping high-end production in China.
• 3.Trump's tariffs cut Andy's business 20–30% but created zero American jobs. Companies simply rerouted production through third countries like Indonesia, even shipping shirts without one sleeve to sew on-site and relabel as Indonesian-made to dodge tariffs.
• 4.Larger factories are actively automating toward fully unmanned 24/7 operations using AI and robots. Andy's smaller custom factory still relies on hand-cutting and hand-sewing, but he said he personally wants to take an AI course because adapting is survival — not optional.
• 5.Andy, 64, was the most pro-Xi Jinping interviewee, calling him a genius, though he incorrectly claimed term limits still exist. He also reflected that China's transformation from poverty to megacity prosperity in his lifetime makes Chinese people uniquely unafraid of disruptive change like AI.