Recently, two local news about China's Dongguan city have gained wide attention 
from the Chinese media. One is that a message left by a migrant worker for 
Dongguan Library called forth heated discussions around city culture and 
spirits on the Internet. The other is the broadcast of the documentary about 
Dongguan food culture named  "A Bite of Dongguan" has aroused people's pursuit 
for a better life.

Wu Guichun, a 54-year-old man from Hubei, China, has been working in Dongguan 
for 17 years. He works hard to support his family and help his child to finish 
graduate study. Recently, he was unemployed due to the epidemic. Before 
returning home, he came to Dongguan Library and left his message. 

"I have been to Dongguan for 17 years and been reading books in the library for 
12 years. Books make men wise and pose no harm to people. When I think of my 
life in Dongguan these years, the best place is the library. Although I am 
reluctant to leave, I will never forget you, Dongguan Library, for the rest of 
my life," Wu Guichun wrote on the message board.

Wu Guichun, as a migrant rural worker, showed affection to books and to 
Dongguan, which received wide attention from Chinese netizens and timely 
response from the local government. With the help of relevant departments, he 
found new job opportunities. 

Statistics show that by the end of 2019, Dongguan's permanent migrant 
population is nearly 6 million, accounting for more than 70% of the city's 
total population. Xiao Yafei, mayor of the city, said at the 2020 two sessions 
of Dongguan that giving priority to employment stability and protecting 
people's livelihood are two of the main expected goals for Dongguan throughout 
the year.

Wu Guichun said that Dongguan has a good urban environment and is very 
accommodating to migrant workers. Everyone here can equally enjoy free and 
high-quality public cultural services, which helps enrich his spiritual life 
and expand his knowledge. 

Some social observers believe, one of the important measures that China take to 
cope with the economic downturn is to improve people's livelihood on aspects 
like education, medical care, ecological environment and public services, in 
ways to optimize the business environment and quality of life, thus making 
market entities and residents have a sense of happiness and gain. It is a great 
way to stimulate market vitality and help China's economic recovery. 

According to the "2019 Business Environment Report of China's Cities", Dongguan 
ranks fifth among China's economy-active cities. In building an enabling 
international business environment, Dongguan focuses on creating an open and 
inclusive city culture to attract global production factors.

Meanwhile, a documentary film "A Bite of Dongguan" is being broadcast. It 
presents more than 130 kinds of Dongguan's local ingredients and dishes. 
Through a series of lively characters and stories, it demonstrates the unique 
humanistic environment that integrates traditional and modern culture, native 
and other culture. The documentary was officially launched on June 21st. As of 
July 1st, it has received more than 27 million reviews and many positive 
comments.

The production team of the documentary said that Dongguan, the coastal city in 
southern China, has attracted large-scale immigration from northern China for 
more than 1,600 years during its development. The migrants combined their diet 
traditions with local features to form a variety of cuisines. 

Same as the documentary named "The Era of Manufacturing" shown, people are 
always the core of Dongguan city and the main contributing factors to its 
inclusiveness and quality. The first episode "The Marvelous Workmen" highlights 
the human power in the industry of Dongguan by telling the stories of local 
factory workers.

Some netizens said the developed manufacturing industry has labeled Dongguan as 
a "world factory". Visitors from the world have brought many delicacies, like 
Shaanxi noodle and Guangxi rice noodle, Xinjiang grill and Guangdong grilled 
oysters, Korean barbecue and Japanese cuisine, all of which make Dongguan's 
diet culture more inclusive. As the spread of the epidemic is under control in 
China, the catering industry, known as a "barometer" of consumption condition, 
has gradually returned to normal. The broadcast of this documentary at this 
time is also of great significance to driving consumption and promoting 
economic recovery.

Food can also warm people's hearts. The documentary allows more people to 
understand the milk of human kindness of the famous manufacturing city. Meals 
manifest people's love to life and the city's inclusiveness. As Wu Guichun 
said, "We feel it at home in Dongguan." The inclusive city will attract more 
and more investors, businessmen and workers to invest, work and live in.

Source: Dongguan Library