Part 7/11:
By April's midpoint, the devastation spread across the manufacturing belt in China. What were once bustling centers for electronics production transformed into desolate landscapes. Cities like Donguan and Foshan devolved into shadowy echoes of their formerly vibrant selves, marked by empty streets and abandoned factories.
Economic repercussions rippled through entire regions, not just at the factory level but extending far beyond — local businesses reliant on factory workers found themselves drowning as the customer base vanished overnight. The situation escalated to a level where the economic collapse prompted calls for government intervention, which ultimately fell short of addressing the root issues.