--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A nation like China has become one of the…" description: "\"A nation like China has become one of the biggest production fields for exporting cheap labor, which also re-questions our history and past, re-questio..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ac/ai-weiwei-824_cheap-labor_a-nation-like-china-has-become-one-of-th_1593741.png" --- # A nation like China has become one of the biggest… ![“A nation like China has become one of the biggest production fields for exporting cheap labor, which also re-questions our history and past, re-questions human desire, and the human illusions of the past.” quote by Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ac/ai-weiwei-824_cheap-labor_a-nation-like-china-has-become-one-of-th_1593741.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ac/ai-weiwei-824_cheap-labor_a-nation-like-china-has-become-one-of-th_1593741.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ac/ai-weiwei-824_cheap-labor_a-nation-like-china-has-become-one-of-th_1593741.png) > “A nation like China has become one of the biggest production fields for exporting cheap labor, which also re-questions our history and past, re-questions human desire, and the human illusions of the past.” [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. China’s role as a cheap‑labor exporter forces a re‑examination of history, desire, and past myths. **In simple terms:** China’s labor export challenges our past narratives. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about global economics. Themes globalization labor history illusion Mood critical thought‑provoking Type political analytical When to use this quote - manufacturing - trade policy - human rights activism - education curriculum Key Concepts economics political theory Questions to Reflect On - How does cheap labor reshape cultural identity? - What responsibilities do consumers have? A Different Perspective Complex causes cannot be reduced to simple narratives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cheap labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheap-labor/) [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Exporting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exporting/) [Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fields/) [History Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-past/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Illusions Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusions-past-6045736/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Like China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-china/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Productions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productions/) ## Related quotes > [We see the tendency in the world to criticise democracy and sometimes even to say that authoritarian countries like China are more efficient. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/we-see-the-tendency-in-the-world-to-criticise-democracy-and-sometimes/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I don't like China. Even today, I still feel I have no emotional relations with this place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-like-china-even-today-i-still-feel-i-have-no-emotional/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Exporting oil would not drive up prices at the pump. American drivers buy refined products, which the U.S. already exports. Many studies - from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-hamm/exporting-oil-would-not-drive-up-prices-at-the-pump-american-drivers/) [Harold Hamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-hamm/) > [We got into a recession because the global economy went into the recession and we're a big exporting nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/we-got-into-a-recession-because-the-global-economy-went-into-the/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [Everything was blamed on Castro. Mudslides in California. The fact that you can't buy a decent tomato anymore. Was there an exceptionally high pollen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-trillin/everything-was-blamed-on-castro-mudslides-in-california-the-fact-that/) [Calvin Trillin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-trillin/) > [It ends a 40-year ban on exporting U.S. oil. It's changed - it's included in its cyber-security legislation - that says to private companies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-davis/it-ends-a-40-year-ban-on-exporting-u-s-oil-it-s-changed-it-s-included/) [Susan Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-davis/) > [As South Korea shows, active participation in international trade does not require free trade. Indeed, had South Korea pursued free trade and not promoted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/as-south-korea-shows-active-participation-in-international-trade-does/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [So much of the world is being brought up on these stories that Hollywood is coming up with and exporting all over. They have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-marling/so-much-of-the-world-is-being-brought-up-on-these-stories-that/) [Brit Marling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-marling/) > [Exporting firms are more productive and pay higher wages than their domestically focused counterparts, especially in places like Sub-Saharan Africa. If firms manage to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arancha-gonzalez/exporting-firms-are-more-productive-and-pay-higher-wages-than-their/) [Arancha Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arancha-gonzalez/) > [Nigeria will start exporting cars soon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goodluck-jonathan/nigeria-will-start-exporting-cars-soon/) [Goodluck Jonathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goodluck-jonathan/) > [Ever since the Great Depression, we know that one of the key ways in which the US economy has stimulated growth is by manufacturing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/ever-since-the-great-depression-we-know-that-one-of-the-key-ways-in/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [We had enough quite enough snobbery in this world without exporting it to the hereafter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/we-had-enough-quite-enough-snobbery-in-this-world-without-exporting/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [I get a bit of a kick out of exporting private enterprise and incentives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-l-turner/i-get-a-bit-of-a-kick-out-of-exporting-private-enterprise-and/) [Fred L. Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-l-turner/) > [There is a strong link between the following three things: exporting, manufacturing and the degree of saving by the population. It's complicated, but if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-davis/there-is-a-strong-link-between-the-following-three-things-exporting/) [Evan Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-davis/) > [We lead in exporting jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-quayle/we-lead-in-exporting-jobs/) [Dan Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-quayle/) ## More by Ai Weiwei > [I'm totally independent. I don't bear any responsibility to any system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-m-totally-independent-i-don-t-bear-any-responsibility-to-any-system/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/if-my-art-has-nothing-to-do-with-people-s-pain-and-sorrow-what-is-art/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don't have to obey their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/police-in-china-can-do-whatever-they-want-after-81-days-in-arbitrary/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [China has a rich history that has spanned millennia. It consists of the histories of many nations and regions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/china-has-a-rich-history-that-has-spanned-millennia-it-consists-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [This world should be much more open and should be much more free, so the young people would have the chance to exercise the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/this-world-should-be-much-more-open-and-should-be-much-more-free-so/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [By participating in the society we live in, we understand our conditions and the way we relate to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/by-participating-in-the-society-we-live-in-we-understand-our/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I see the Beijing National Stadium as an architectural project. I accepted Herzog and De Meuron's invitation to collaborate on the design, and our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-see-the-beijing-national-stadium-as-an-architectural-project-i/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [ I curated this show \[Shanghai Biennale \], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-curated-this-show-shanghai-biennale-i-was-by-no-means-trying-to/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I think we cannot have a double standard. We cannot see our art as different from the reality. We cannot use two different sets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-think-we-cannot-have-a-double-standard-we-cannot-see-our-art-as/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [It doesn't matter where I am - China will stay in me. I don't know how far I can still walk on this road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/it-doesn-t-matter-where-i-am-china-will-stay-in-me-i-don-t-know-how/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the real world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/chinese-citizens-have-never-had-the-right-to-really-express-their/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/your-own-acts-tell-the-world-who-you-are-and-what-kind-of-society-you/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Our lives are bound by physical limits, familial ties, political conditions, and geographical restrictions. Individual freedom takes us beyond them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/our-lives-are-bound-by-physical-limits-familial-ties-political/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Now I've come to such a mixed culture: America, Europe, South America, Africa. And the politics are changing everywhere all the time and becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/now-i-ve-come-to-such-a-mixed-culture-america-europe-south-america/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I don't think it's worth discussing new directions in the context of Chinese art - there were no old directions, either. Chinese art has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-think-it-s-worth-discussing-new-directions-in-the-context-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) [Explore all 359 Ai Weiwei quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## More Cheap labor quotes > [“Capitalism always draws from the cheap labor pool; the profit is greater when the expense is limited”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schwalbe/capitalism-always-draws-from-the-cheap-labor-pool-the-profit-is/) [Michael Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schwalbe/) > [What we have seen for a very long time is large corporations shutting down plants in this country, plants that are often profitable, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/what-we-have-seen-for-a-very-long-time-is-large-corporations-shutting/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Food should be cheap, and labor should be cheap, and everything should be the same no matter where you go; whether it's a McDonald's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-waters/food-should-be-cheap-and-labor-should-be-cheap-and-everything-should/) [Alice Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-waters/) > [We have greedy companies unlawfully hiring illegals, both adults and children, for cheap labor instead of hiring Americans. Not only are they exploiting these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-paulina-luna/we-have-greedy-companies-unlawfully-hiring-illegals-both-adults-and/) [Anna Paulina Luna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-paulina-luna/) > [Business often does a good job supporting communities: the arts, universities, and scientific enterprises... But that philosophy has rarely reached poor countries. Even businesses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-sachs/business-often-does-a-good-job-supporting-communities-the-arts/) [Jeffrey Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-sachs/) > [“I’m like Casanova meets Henry Ford. My reproduction methods are more like production methods one might see in a factory, complete with conveyer belts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-m-like-casanova-meets-henry-ford-my-reproduction-methods-are-more/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [It's difficult to get a job and people stay in school longer because they're employed as teaching assistants or instructors by their schools, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-menand/it-s-difficult-to-get-a-job-and-people-stay-in-school-longer-because/) [Louis Menand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-menand/) > [We're giving jobs to people who would otherwise be out of work if we weren't exploiting cheap labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/we-re-giving-jobs-to-people-who-would-otherwise-be-out-of-work-if-we/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [“The story of resource extraction has only two cases, okay? In the first case, the extractors arrive and make the local ruler an offer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-clarke/the-story-of-resource-extraction-has-only-two-cases-okay-in-the-first/) [Neil Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-clarke/) > [“When the United States wants cheap labor, Mexicans respond. When the employment market north of the border is glutted, the barbed wire gets taut,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felipe-fern-ndez-armesto/when-the-united-states-wants-cheap-labor-mexicans-respond-when-the/) [Felipe Fernández-Armesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felipe-fern-ndez-armesto/) > [“Our present condition is the result of following the leadership of idealists and philanthropic doctrinaires, aided and abetted by the perfectly understandable demand of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-lothrop-stoddard/our-present-condition-is-the-result-of-following-the-leadership-of/) [T. Lothrop Stoddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-lothrop-stoddard/) > [My parents were immigrants. And the place for all immigrants was the factories. They were the source of cheap labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kirby/my-parents-were-immigrants-and-the-place-for-all-immigrants-was-the/) [Jack Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kirby/) > [“Negro slavery, thus, had nothing to do with climate. Its origin can be expressed in three words: in the Caribbean, Sugar; on the mainland,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-williams/negro-slavery-thus-had-nothing-to-do-with-climate-its-origin-can-be/) [Eric Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-williams/) > [“This is no simple reform. It really is a revolution. Sex and race because they are easy and visible differences have been the primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/this-is-no-simple-reform-it-really-is-a-revolution-sex-and-race/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“Remember professional ethics. When political leaders set a negative example, professional commitments to just practice become more important. It is hard to subvert a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/remember-professional-ethics-when-political-leaders-set-a-negative/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) [Browse all 61 Cheap labor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheap-labor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A nation like China has become one of the biggest production fields for exporting cheap labor, which also re-questions our history and past, re-questions human desire, and the human illusions of the past.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ai Weiwei" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/a-nation-like-china-has-become-one-of-the-biggest-production-fields/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cheap labor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/a-nation-like-china-has-become-one-of-the-biggest-production-fields/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ac/ai-weiwei-824_cheap-labor_a-nation-like-china-has-become-one-of-th_1593741.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ac/ai-weiwei-824_cheap-labor_a-nation-like-china-has-become-one-of-th_1593741.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ac/ai-weiwei-824_cheap-labor_a-nation-like-china-has-become-one-of-th_1593741.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A nation like China has become one of the biggest production fields for exporting cheap labor, which also…” — Ai Weiwei", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ai Weiwei", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A nation like China has become...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/a-nation-like-china-has-become-one-of-the-biggest-production-fields/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/a-nation-like-china-has-become-one-of-the-biggest-production-fields/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```