ODD / ODD NEWS
‘Saxophone village’ in North China short of highly paid blue-collar workers
Published: Jun 16, 2021 07:08 PM
Photo: Screenshot of video posted by Pear Video

Photo: Screenshot of video posted by Pear Video



Sidang village in North China's Tianjin Municipality, dubbed the "saxophone capital of China," is suffering a shortage of blue-collar workers due to its big production and a low salary. 

Accounting for 70 percent of saxophone production in China and half of the global saxophone production, the village produces 20,000 saxophones every month with three quarters of residents in the village working in the saxophone industry. 

The average monthly salary of residents is over 30,000 yuan($4,700), said a government official from the village, but that of saxophone makers is reportedly 20,000 yuan. He noted that the village is short of skilled workers needed to tackle the increasing demand for saxophones. 

With the boom of the e-commerce industry, most of the saxophone shops in the village have moved their business to online shopping and even livestreaming platforms to promote their sales. 

Liu Tao, a saxophone shop owner, said more than half of the village's residents, including him, were originally from other cities. He noted that the booming saxophone production industry has offered opportunities to outsiders like him to make a living or even become wealthy there.