TAIYUAN, China—The pressures threatening China's status as the world's factory floor have been
laid bare by a riot this week at a factory that makes parts for Apple Inc. and other electronics
companies, a clash that workers said was sparked by onerous security and repressive living
conditions.
The consequences of a riot that erupted on Sunday in the Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.'s plant go
far beyond the security of Apple's supply chain, which relies on armies of industrious and docile
Chinese workers.
The riot raises questions about the sustainability of
China's vaunted manufacturing machine. And it poses a
challenge to the government that is struggling to satisfy
the soaring expectations of a new generation of Chinese
workers who came of age in an era of double-digit
economic growth and are less willing than their parents
to make personal sacrifices for their country.