‘iPhone city’ in China

In 2010, Zhang Hailin – a farmer in Zhengzhou saw helicopters flying over his corn and wheat fields to drop balls to mark points.

Gray factories and power lines appeared a few months later.

Thanks to that, an industrial park was gradually formed and became known as `iPhone city` in the old agricultural land.

A year later, Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou announced that there were 100,000 workers working in this industrial park.

The Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou currently has 250,000 workers.

During the construction of the factories, local farmers received compensation for productive land.

Foxconn announced that it has purchased 80% of the buildings the company is using in Zhengzhou and leased the remaining 20%.

After seeing planes flying over the fields in 2010, Mr. Zhang was able to buy two apartments thanks to the compensation money.

Each Foxconn worker in Zhengzhou earns about 1,900 yuan ($278) a month.

Many shopping centers, restaurants, and karaoke bars have sprung up around the Foxconn factory.

During the iPhone 7 craze last fall, Foxconn had to hire more workers from coal plants around the region.

Analysts estimate Foxconn produces about 150 million iPhones, 20 million iPads and many other electronic devices each year.

Thanks to being Apple’s `factory` and the success of the iPhone in recent decades, China has become the center of the global electronics supply chain.

A Foxconn recruitment center in Zhengzhou city.

According to economics professor Shi Pu in Henan, the Chinese government views iPhone factories as a worthwhile investment.

According to Chinese Government statistics, recently, the amount of electronic goods exported from the poor province of Henan, with Zhengzhou city as the center, has skyrocketed.

Just like American towns a century ago, `iPhone cities` are largely revolving around a single product and growing based on its success.

However, recently, many people are worried that Foxconn or Apple will need an `iPhone city` in Zhengzhou when sales of this smartphone decline for the first time after 10 years of its birth.

For now, the iPhone is still a luxury choice for many Foxconn workers even though they themselves contributed to creating this smartphone.