近日，浙江温州发生了一起令人痛心的悲剧。11月3日，在温州市鹿城区中国鞋都产业园区三期，一名鞋厂员工从六楼坠下，不幸身亡。死者是温州雅朵鞋业有限公司的一名工人。
据死者家属透露，死者生前患病在身，却仍被迫带病长时间工作。在长期的高强度劳动和巨大的精神压力下，最终选择了以极端的方式结束生命。
事发后，死者家属于11月5日至7日连续三天在雅朵鞋业门口讨说法，要求厂方给予合理解释与赔偿。但家属表示，厂方至今拒绝沟通和承担责任。
事件曝光后，引发温州及周边工人社群的广泛关注与愤慨。大量工人通过网络发声，揭露中国制造业尤其是温州鞋厂普遍存在的恶劣劳动环境：
1. 超长工时、休息缺失：多名工人表示，几乎所有温州鞋厂每月都只休息一天，每天工作超过12小时。
2. 病假难请：工人表示“请假看病还要医院开证明，不然按旷工处理。”“不舒服想请假，管理不同意，说要么辞职，要么自己花钱请人顶班。”
温州雅朵鞋业的悲剧并非孤例。在中国，从沿海制造基地到内陆代工工厂，超时、超负荷劳动普遍存在，因过度劳累而导致伤亡的事件层出不穷。11月6日，在广东深圳深奇浩智造公司，一名工人在车间不幸死亡后，面对前来维权的家属，工厂负责人竟以V字手势挑衅，这一行为充分暴露出一线工人在管理方眼中的卑微地位。
长期以来，在中国官方的叙事里，中国以“世界工厂、制造大国”而自豪。不过，背后的代价却是无数普通工人在系统性的超时与超负荷劳动中被压榨，健康、尊严甚至生命被不断牺牲。
这种以牺牲人权为基础的“效率”和“利润”模式，使得所谓的“制造大国”，本质上其实是一个大型的现代化奴隶工厂。
[Shoe Factory Worker Forced to Work While Sick, Jumps to Death Under Overwhelming Pressure (Nov 5–7, 2025)]
A heartbreaking tragedy recently took place in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. On November 3, at Phase III of the China Shoe Capital Industrial Park in Lucheng District, a shoe factory worker fell from the sixth floor and died. The victim was an employee of Wenzhou Yaduo Shoes Co., Ltd.
According to the victim’s family, the worker had been ill but was still forced to work long hours despite their condition. Under prolonged, high-intensity labor and enormous mental pressure, the worker ultimately ended their life in an extreme act of despair.
After the incident, the victim’s family gathered in front of Yaduo Shoes for three consecutive days, from November 5 to 7, demanding an explanation and compensation from the company. However, they said the factory has so far refused to communicate or take responsibility.
The incident sparked widespread outrage among workers in Wenzhou and surrounding areas. Many took to social media to expose the harsh working conditions that are widespread across China’s manufacturing sector—particularly in Wenzhou’s shoe factories:
- Excessive working hours and lack of rest: Multiple workers reported that nearly all Wenzhou shoe factories allow only one day off per month, with workdays exceeding 12 hours.
- Difficult or denied sick leave: Workers said, “If you want to see a doctor, you must present a hospital certificate or it’s counted as absenteeism.” “If you feel unwell and ask for leave, management refuses, saying either resign or pay someone to cover your shift yourself.”
The tragedy at Wenzhou Yaduo Shoes is not an isolated case. Across China—from coastal manufacturing hubs to inland subcontracting factories—overwork and excessive labor are widespread, and deaths from exhaustion occur frequently. On November 6, at Shenzhen Shenqi Hao Manufacturing in Guangdong, a worker died in the workshop. When the bereaved family came to seek justice, the factory manager responded with a provocative “V” hand gesture—exposing the contempt with which frontline workers are often regarded by management.
For decades, China’s official narrative has celebrated the country’s identity as the “world’s factory” and a “manufacturing powerhouse.” Yet behind this pride lies the systemic exploitation of ordinary workers, whose health, dignity, and even lives are repeatedly sacrificed through relentless overwork.
This model of “efficiency” and “profit” built on the violation of human rights reveals that the so-called “manufacturing powerhouse” is, in essence, nothing more than a vast modern-day slave factory.