Part 5/11:
The scale of the situation became clearer as time progressed. By mid-April, the crisis deepened. Factories in places like Donguan, once multi-faceted centers of activity, were rendered ghost towns. With orders from US companies evaporating, skilled laborers began fleeing back to rural provinces, seeking any semblance of stability. The fabric of communities that once thrived on the tech boom began to unravel as unemployment soared and economic distress painted a grim picture.