who make the things we use every day:

一些生產我們每天使用的東西的人

our shoes, our handbags, our computers and cell phones.

我們的鞋子, 皮包, 電腦還有手機

Now, this is a conversation that often calls up a lot of guilt.

接下來這段對話經常是喚起一連串的罪疚感

Imagine the teenage farm girl who makes less than

試想像一個從農村來的年輕女孩

a dollar an hour stitching your running shoes,

以每小時少於1塊美金的工資,縫製你的跑步鞋

or the young Chinese man who jumps off a rooftop

或者那個中國青年在加班組裝你的iPad後

after working overtime assembling your iPad.

就從屋頂跳下去了

We, the beneficiaries of globalization, seem to exploit

我們是全球化的得益者,然而我們進行的每一筆交易

these victims with every purchase we make,

似乎都在剝削這些犧牲者

and the injustice

這種不公義的感覺

feels embedded in the products themselves.

也被移殖於產品之中

After all, what's wrong with a world in which a worker

到底是這個世界出了甚麼問題呢?

on an iPhone assembly line can't even afford to buy one?

為什麼在iPhone 生產線上的工人買不起他們生產的產品呢?

It's taken for granted that Chinese factories are oppressive,

中國工廠壓迫工人被視為理所當然

and that it's our desire for cheap goods

因為大家都追求便宜的產品

that makes them so.

這也讓壓迫順理成章

So, this simple narrative equating Western demand

所以, 西方世界的需求

and Chinese suffering is appealing,

換來中國人的苦難, 似乎是一個簡單而準確的描述

especially at a time when many of us already feel guilty

尤其是我們很多人已經

about our impact on the world,

為自己對世界的影響感到愧疚

but it's also inaccurate and disrespectful.

然而, 這也是不正確, 不尊重他人的

We must be peculiarly self-obsessed to imagine that we

我們當下應該是自以為是地認為

have the power to drive tens of millions of people

我們有力量操控在地球另一端的數千萬人口

on the other side of the world to migrate and suffer

將苦難以惡劣的方式轉移到

in such terrible ways.

他們身上

In fact, China makes goods for markets all over the world,

事實上,中國為全球市場生產產品

including its own, thanks to a combination of factors:

包括中國本身, 歸功於幾個綜合因素

its low costs, its large and educated workforce,

低成本, 大量且受過教育的勞動力

and a flexible manufacturing system

還有彈性的生產系統

that responds quickly to market demands.

讓他們可以快速回應市場的需求

By focusing so much on ourselves and our gadgets,

藉著聚焦在我們自己身上和我們的小玩意

we have rendered the individuals on the other end

我們將地球另一端的個體

into invisibility, as tiny and interchangeable

化作透明, 就像把他們當成

as the parts of a mobile phone.

微不足道, 隨時可更換的手機零件一樣

Chinese workers are not forced into factories

中國的工人並非因為我們對iPods難以滿足的需求

because of our insatiable desire for iPods.

而被強迫到工廠工作

They choose to leave their homes in order to earn money,

他們選擇離開家鄉是為了

to learn new skills, and to see the world.

學習新的技能並且開眼界

In the ongoing debate about globalization, what's

在大家如火如荼地辯論全球化時

been missing is the voices of the workers themselves.

工人的聲音卻一直被忽略

Here are a few.

這裡我有幾個例子

Bao Yongxiu: "My mother tells me to come home

包詠秀(音譯): "我媽媽要我回家鄉結婚

and get married, but if I marry now, before I have fully

但是如果我在還沒充實自己前就結婚

developed myself, I can only marry an ordinary worker,

那我只能嫁個一般的工人

so I'm not in a rush."

所以我現在還不急"

Chen Ying: "When I went home for the new year,

陳英(音譯): "當我回家鄉過年時

everyone said I had changed. They asked me,

大家都說我變了, 他們問我

what did you do that you have changed so much?

"你做了甚麼, 為什麼改變這麼大呢?"

I told them that I studied and worked hard. If you tell them

我告訴他們, "我很認真讀書, 也很認真工作, 即使你想告訴他們

more, they won't understand anyway."

多一點, 他們也是不會理解的"

Wu Chunming: "Even if I make a lot of money,

吳春明(音譯): "即使我賺很多錢

it won't satisfy me.

也無法滿足我了

Just to make money is not enough meaning in life."

生命的意義不只是在賺錢"

Xiao Jin: "Now, after I get off work, I study English,

肖晶 (音譯): "現在, 我下班後就學習英文,

because in the future, our customers won't

因為將來,我們客戶不單只有中國人

be only Chinese, so we must learn more languages."

所以我們必須學習更多的語言"

All of these speakers, by the way, are young women,

以上你所聽到的說話, 都出自年輕的女孩

18 or 19 years old.

18, 或者19歲

So I spent two years getting to know assembly line workers

我花了兩年時間, 去認識一些組裝線上的工人

like these in the south China factory city called Dongguan.

像這些在中國南方的工廠城市, 叫東莞

Certain subjects came up over and over:

特定的話題一再被帶起

how much money they made,

好像她們賺多少錢

what kind of husband they hoped to marry,

希望嫁給甚麼樣的老公

whether they should jump to another factory

是否應該跳槽到另一個工廠

or stay where they were.

或是繼續待在原來的地方

Other subjects came up almost never, including

另一些幾乎從來沒有被提出的話題,包括

living conditions that to me looked close to prison life:

在我看起來很像監獄生活的居住環境

10 or 15 workers in one room,

10到15個工人擠在同一個房間

50 people sharing a single bathroom,

50個人共用一間浴室

days and nights ruled by the factory clock.

從早到晚被工廠裏的時鐘操控著

Everyone they knew lived in similar circumstances,

他們認識的每個人都居住在類似的環境

and it was still better than the dormitories and homes

而這個環境比偏僻家鄉裡的

of rural China.

宿舍和房子已經算優勝了

The workers rarely spoke about the products they made,

這些工人很少談及他們所生產的產品

and they often had great difficulty explaining

而且大部分都不知道如何解釋

what exactly they did.

實際上她們的工作是甚麼

When I asked Lu Qingmin,

當我問陸清敏 (音譯),

the young woman I got to know best,

那個我最熟悉的年輕女孩,

what exactly she did on the factory floor,

她到底在工作現場做甚麼時

she said something to me in Chinese that sounded like

她用中文回答我, 聽起來像是

"qiu xi."

"球西"

Only much later did I realize that she had been saying

一直是到後來我才晃然大悟,原來她一直說的是

"QC," or quality control.

"QC" 或者品質控制(quality control)

She couldn't even tell me what she did on the factory floor.

她甚至無法告訴我她在工廠實在是做甚麼的

All she could do was parrot a garbled abbreviation

她只是在機械式般模仿說些似是而非的英文縮寫

in a language she didn't even understand.

而英語是她完全不了解的

Karl Marx saw this as the tragedy of capitalism,

馬克思認為這是資本主義的悲劇

the alienation of the worker from the product of his labor.

這種工人與他們所生產的產品之間的疏離

Unlike, say, a traditional maker of shoes or cabinets,

不像, 譬如說, 傳統鞋匠或作櫥櫃的工人

the worker in an industrial factory has no control,

這些工人在工廠沒有控制權

no pleasure, and no true satisfaction or understanding

工作裡沒有娛樂, 在她的工作裏

in her own work.

沒有真正的成功感或者對產品本身的認知

But like so many theories that Marx arrived at

像很多馬克思

sitting in the reading room of the British Museum,

坐在大英博物館的閱讀室想出來的理論一樣

he got this one wrong.

他對這種情況的了解是錯的

Just because a person spends her time

一個人花時間

making a piece of something does not mean

生產出一件產品, 並不代表

that she becomes that, a piece of something.

她就變成了這件產品或者這件產品的一部分

What she does with the money she earns,

她用她所賺的錢所作的事

what she learns in that place, and how it changes her,

從工作場所上學習到的知識, 這些知識如何改變她

these are the things that matter.

這些事才是重要的

What a factory makes is never the point, and

工廠製作怎麼樣的產品, 實際上並不是重點

the workers could not care less who buys their products.

這些工人也不在意到底誰買了他們生產的產品

Journalistic coverage of Chinese factories,

另外一方面, 新聞報導提及中國工廠時

on the other hand, plays up this relationship

過於強調工人

between the workers and the products they make.

和他們生產的產品之間的關係

Many articles calculate: How long would it take

很多報導會計算:

for this worker to work in order to earn enough money

一個工人需要工作多久才能

to buy what he's making?

賺到一件他們所生產的產品

For example, an entry-level-line assembly line worker

舉例來說,一個在中國iPhone工廠工作

in China in an iPhone plant would have to shell out

的基層組裝工人要花兩個半月的薪水

two and a half months' wages for an iPhone.

才可以負擔一部 iPhone

But how meaningful is this calculation, really?

但是說實在的, 這樣的計算有何意義呢?

For example, I recently wrote an article

例如, 我最近寫了一篇文章

in The New Yorker magazine,

發表在紐約客雜誌 (New Yorker Magazine) 上

but I can't afford to buy an ad in it.

但是我就負擔不了在雜誌裡刊登廣告

But, who cares? I don't want an ad in The New Yorker,

但是, 誰在乎呢? 我並不想要在紐約客雜誌裡刊登廣告

and most of these workers don't really want iPhones.

同樣的, 大部分的工人並不想要 iPhone

Their calculations are different.

他們的盤算不一樣

How long should I stay in this factory?

我在這家工廠應該待多久呢?

How much money can I save?

可以存多少錢呢?

How much will it take to buy an apartment or a car,

要儲多少錢才能買層樓或車子呢

to get married, or to put my child through school?

才能結婚, 或是讓我的小孩受教育呢?

The workers I got to know had a curiously abstract

我認識的這些工人裡

relationship with the product of their labor.

與他們製造的產品中存在一種弔詭的關係

About a year after I met Lu Qingmin, or Min,

大概在我認識陸清敏 (譯) -- 阿敏的一年後

she invited me home to her family village

她邀請我到她一起回鄉

for the Chinese New Year.

去過中國農曆春節

On the train home, she gave me a present:

在火車途中, 她給我一件禮物:

a Coach brand change purse with brown leather trim.

一個咖啡色皮邊的 Coach 零錢包,

I thanked her, assuming it was fake,

我謝謝她, 心想這應該是仿的

like almost everything else for sale in Dongguan.

就像大部分東莞所賣的東西一樣

After we got home, Min gave her mother another present:

我們到她家後,她給了她媽媽另一件禮物

a pink Dooney & Bourke handbag,

一個粉紅色 Dooney & Bourke 包包

and a few nights later, her sister was showing off

幾天後, 她的姐姐也挽著

a maroon LeSportsac shoulder bag.

她的褐紫色的 LeSportsac 肩包

Slowly it was dawning on me that these handbags

慢慢的, 我才理出頭緒, 原來這些包包

were made by their factory,

都是他們工廠生產的

and every single one of them was authentic.

而且每一件都是正品

Min's sister said to her parents,

阿敏的姊姊告訴她的父母

"In America, this bag sells for 320 dollars."

"這個包包在美國要賣320美金"

Her parents, who are both farmers, looked on, speechless.

她爸媽兩人都是農夫,看著這個皮包不發一語

"And that's not all -- Coach is coming out with a new line,

"還不只這樣 -- Coach 即將推出一個新的系列

2191," she said. "One bag will sell for 6,000."

叫 2191, 每個要賣到6,000"

She paused and said, "I don't know if that's 6,000 yuan or

她頓了一下繼續說: "我不知道是6,000

6,000 American dollars, but anyway, it's 6,000." (Laughter)

美金還是人民幣, 無所謂啦, 就是6,000 嘛" (笑聲)

Min's sister's boyfriend, who had traveled home with her

阿敏姐姐的男朋友, 也跟她一起回到家鄉

for the new year, said,

過新年, 他說

"It doesn't look like it's worth that much."

"實在看不出值那麼多錢"

Min's sister turned to him and said, "Some people actually

阿敏的姐姐轉向他說:

understand these things. You don't understand shit."

"有些人對這些事很了解, 你啊? 你懂個屁"

(Laughter) (Applause)

(笑聲) (掌聲)

In Min's world, the Coach bags had a curious currency.

在阿敏的世界裡, Coach 皮包有種奇妙詭異的價格基準

They weren't exactly worthless, but they were nothing

這些包包不是完全沒有價值, 但是卻與它的實際價格

close to the actual value, because almost no one they knew

差了十萬八千里, 因為幾乎他們認識的人裡面, 沒有人

wanted to buy one, or knew how much it was worth.

想要花錢買一個, 或是知道它的真正售價

Once, when Min's older sister's friend got married,

有次, 阿敏最大的姐姐有朋友結婚

she brought a handbag along as a wedding present.

她給了那朋友一個包包當作結婚禮物

Another time, after Min had already left

另外一次, 在阿敏離開

the handbag factory, her younger sister came to visit,

皮包工廠後, 她的妹妹來探望她

bringing two Coach Signature handbags as gifts.

並且帶了兩個 Coach 經典包當伴手禮

I looked in the zippered pocket of one,

我翻了其中一個包包的拉鍊夾

and I found a printed card in English, which read,

我看到一張有印有英文的卡片, 上面寫著

"An American classic.

"美國經典, 創立於1941 年

In 1941, the burnished patina

在 1941 年, 一個裝滿美式棒球手套

of an all-American baseball glove

的光亮銅盤

inspired the founder of Coach to create

啟發 Coach 的創辦人

a new collection of handbags from the same

開發了一系列的手袋，

luxuriously soft gloved-hand leather.

它們用上以製作棒球手套同樣奢華柔軟的皮革

Six skilled leatherworkers crafted 12 Signature handbags

6個熟練的皮革工人縫製了12個經典皮包

with perfect proportions and a timeless flair.

有著精準的比例, 快速的手藝

They were fresh, functional, and women everywhere

這些皮件新穎, 多功能, 很多女仕

adored them. A new American classic was born."

都心儀, 一個新的美國經典就此誕生了"

I wonder what Karl Marx would have made of Min

我很好奇馬克思會對阿敏和她的姊妹們

and her sisters.

會有甚麼的評價

Their relationship with the product of their labor

她們跟她們所生產的產品之間的關係

was more complicated, surprising and funny

當中既複雜, 驚喜而且很有娛樂性

than he could have imagined.

這肯定遠大於馬克斯可以想像

And yet, his view of the world persists, and our tendency

還有, 他對世界存續的看法和我們

to see the workers as faceless masses,

視這些工人為匿名大眾的傾向

to imagine that we can know what they're really thinking.

藉而令我們以為自己可以理解她們的真正想法

The first time I met Min, she had just turned 18

我第一次遇到阿敏時,她剛剛18歲

and quit her first job on the assembly line

當時她剛離開她第一份工作

of an electronics factory.

那個在電子組裝工廠生產線上的崗位

Over the next two years, I watched as she switched jobs

接下來的兩年中, 我看著她換了

five times, eventually landing a lucrative post

五個工作, 最後被一家作硬體的工廠

in the purchasing department of a hardware factory.

雇用於採購部門的肥缺

Later, she married a fellow migrant worker,

後來, 她嫁給了一個外省工人

moved with him to his village,

然後搬到他的村落

gave birth to two daughters,

生了兩個女兒

and saved enough money to buy a secondhand Buick

存了些錢, 買了一台二手別克轎車 (Buick) 給她自己

for herself and an apartment for her parents.

並買了一間公寓給她爸媽

She recently returned to Dongguan on her own

她最近獨自回到東莞

to take a job in a factory that makes construction cranes,

並在作起重機的工廠找到了一份工作

temporarily leaving her husband and children

暫時留她的先生和小孩

back in the village.

在村落裡

In a recent email to me, she explained,

不久前她寫了個郵件給我, 她說

"A person should have some ambition while she is young

"人應該在年輕時有雄心壯志,

so that in old age she can look back on her life

以致到年老的時候再回頭看

and feel that it was not lived to no purpose."

才會感到沒有白活一場"

Across China, there are 150 million workers like her,

遍及中國, 有1.5 億的勞動人口跟她一樣

one third of them women, who have left their villages

當中三分之一是女性, 她們離開家鄉

to work in the factories, the hotels, the restaurants

到工廠, 飯店和餐廳裡

and the construction sites of the big cities.

或是大城市的工地打工

Together, they make up the largest migration in history,

總合起來, 她們構成歷史上最大的移民潮

and it is globalization, this chain that begins

而且這是全球化的一種體現, 連鎖反應開始於

in a Chinese farming village

一個中國的農村

and ends with iPhones in our pockets and Nikes on our feet

最後到了我們口袋裡的 iPhone, 我們腳上的Nike

and Coach handbags on our arms

和我們手上拿著的 Coach 包

that has changed the way these millions of people

這樣的過程改變了以億計的人

work and marry and live and think.

她們的工作、婚姻、生活和想法

Very few of them would want to go back

其中只有少數人

to the way things used to be.

想要回到以前的生活方式

When I first went to Dongguan, I worried that

當我剛到東莞時, 我很擔心

it would be depressing to spend so much time with workers.

長時間與這些工人一起會令人沮喪

I also worried that nothing would ever happen to them,

另外我也擔心, 不會有甚麼新鮮事發生在她們身上

or that they would have nothing to say to me.

或是她們也沒有甚麼好跟我分享的

Instead, I found young women who were smart and funny

相反的, 我發現這些年輕女孩們倒是非常聰明而且有趣

and brave and generous.

非常勇敢, 大方

By opening up their lives to me,

藉著向我敘述她們的生活

they taught me so much about factories

她們教會我很多有關工廠

and about China and about how to live in the world.

及中國的事, 並且讓我了解到如何在這個世界生存

This is the Coach purse that Min gave me

這是阿敏給我的 Coach 包

on the train home to visit her family.

就是坐火車去她家鄉拜訪時, 她給我的那個

I keep it with me to remind me of the ties that tie me

我隨時帶著這個包來提醒我

to the young women I wrote about,

我與我文章裡的這個女孩的連結

ties that are not economic but personal in nature,

不是經濟上的, 而是在人的本質上的連結

measured not in money but in memories.

只能用記憶而非金錢上來測量

This purse is also a reminder that the things that you imagine,

這個包包也提醒我

sitting in your office or in the library,

很多你坐在辦公室 或圖書館 憑空想像的事情

are not how you find them when you actually go out

不見得會跟你真正走出去

into the world.

所體驗到的世界是一樣

Thank you. (Applause)

謝謝 (掌聲)