Introduction
By 2024, the total number of spindles in China's cotton textile industry was approximately 110 million, accounting for over 50% of the global spinning capacity, and the number of looms reached 900,000. As an emerging textile center, Xinjiang's production capacity share has exceeded 22% (27 million spindles), and it plans to further expand through policy advantages and resource endowments. So what is the job like for textile workers here?
Before coming to work in the Xinjiang Textile Factory, I didn't know about this place. After actually working here for three years, I found that many things were different from what was said outside.
When I first entered the workshop, I thought spinning was just repetitive labor. In fact, there are many techniques to learn. I connect over ten yarn ends every minute. The machine rotates very fast. At the beginning, I didn't even dare to stop when blisters appeared on my hands. The experienced workers in the factory taught me step by step. Now I can also be a team leader to guide new employees. In our workshop, there is an older sister who has been working for twenty years and has become a People's representative. She has also helped us secure overtime subsidies.
I used to think that all the machines in the textile factory were old, but when I came here, I found that the new equipment was particularly advanced. Nowadays, the spinning machines are controlled by computers. Two people can manage twenty machines. The factory also sent us to learn equipment maintenance. I got the operation certificate last year and my salary increased by more than five hundred yuan. I heard that the clothing factory next door is doing live-streaming sales. Young girls all go there after work to learn how to be live-streamers.
My husband and I both work in a factory and we can earn over eight thousand yuan every month. The couple's room allocated by the factory has a kitchen and a bathroom. There is a shuttle bus to pick up and drop off children at school. Xiao Gu from our group used to herd sheep in his hometown. Now he gets paid on time every month. His family has built a new house and he even took photos and posted them on the honor board of the workshop.
What makes me most proud is that traditional craftsmanship has not been lost. Our factory has a special workshop for making Adelis silk. Although machines can weave the fabric, dyeing patterns still relies on the manual color adjustment by experienced masters. Many people in the village can take on tie-dyeing jobs at home. My aunt earns an extra two thousand yuan every month from this, which is much better than farming.
Seeing online that we were forced to work, I really wanted to bring them here to have a look. We sign a formal contract protected by law. The dormitory has hot water and WiFi. On Sundays, we can also take our children to the city to play. My colleague Lao Ma bought a second-hand car with the money he had saved last year and drives it to and from work every day. Those who talk nonsense must have never witnessed the lively scene of us queuing up to swipe our bank cards when we get our salaries.