Factories are shutting down across Guangdong and people are reaching their breaking point

Guangdong and Shenzhen are collapsing. Jobs are disappearing, and businesses are shutting down across the city. Entire streets that were once packed with people are now silent, lined with closed shops and empty buildings. Factories that operated for more than a decade have suddenly gone dark. Office towers stand half-empty, and even small businesses can no longer survive. What was once one of China's most prosperous cities is now showing clear signs of decline. The environment is too bad. We can't find a job. The business environment is also very bad. This is Shenzhen. The commercial districts, once known as prime locations where every inch of land was worth gold, used to be extremely prosperous. Now the vacancy rate is rising. Stores are closing. Look at this entire street. Almost everything is shut down. Businesses are gone. Such a large factory, which had been operating for more than 10 years, is now closed. The factory offices in Shenzhen have also shut down. There used to be many people here, but now even after more than 10 days, there is no one around. No one is managing or watching over the place anymore. More than a decade ago, Guangdong was driven by foreign-invested enterprises, Hong Kong-funded businesses, and private companies. But why have they all moved away? Guangzhou now feels extremely deserted. I have run a convenience store for 16 years, and this year has been the worst for business. If you walk around Shenzhen, you will see many stores relocating, office buildings standing empty, small companies constantly shutting down, and even large companies laying off workers. Look at the current situation in Shenzhen. It is deteriorating rapidly. Well, why has Dongguan, once known as the world's factory, declined so severely? It used to be crowded with people everywhere, but now the industrial sector has almost completely collapsed. Many people have recently asked whether Guangzhou is still viable. Some even call it a ghost city. But the reality is worse than a ghost city. It is not just a lack of money, but a lack of people. In many industrial areas in Dongguan, the streets are desolate, pedestrian streets are nearly empty, and entire rows of shops and even transport stations are closed. Is it really this difficult to run a physical store now? In buildings like the Zhuo Yue Century Center, only about one-third of the shops remain open, while the rest stand empty. Walking through the streets, there are barely any pedestrians. The streets are quiet and deserted, and even shopping malls are closed on weekends. Where have all the people gone? Guangdong has a population of tens of millions, yet the streets feel empty. Compared to the past, there are far more vacant houses, no matter which village you visit. At subway station properties, small businesses such as handmade lemon tea shops, and even chain cafes like Luckin Coffee appear deserted. Many once popular restaurants now struggle to survive. Numerous facilities are being abandoned. Workers in Shenzhen say it has become increasingly difficult to earn money. Prices keep falling, wages are delayed, and some cannot even afford rent. Even restaurant owners report that business this year is extremely poor, so bad that breakfast is still unsold by noon. In Foshan, even large industrial parks, including famous ceramics hubs in Chancheng District, appear eerily quiet. Many well-known ceramic companies have either closed or fallen into financial trouble. Thousands of businesses in the area are struggling. Walking through these parks, you see modern buildings but almost no people. Similarly, in Guangzhou, whether in traditional commercial districts or residential streets, shuttered shops, faded signs, and rental notices are everywhere. Some storefronts have been vacant for over half a year without any inquiries. The situation in Dongguan is equally severe. In places like Humantown, once a thriving commercial hub, clothing stores now have almost no customers. Even passersby are rare. Inside large wholesale clothing markets, most shops are closed, and the only people walking around are the shop owners themselves. Compared to the bustling scenes of a decade ago, oh, the difference is like night and day. Vacancy rates in some areas have reached as high as 80%. Even in Shenzhen's well-known tourist areas, although there are still some people, many residential buildings remain empty. Some real developments by major companies appear abandoned, with elevators no longer functioning. This reflects a broader issue. Widespread infrastructure waste has reached an unprecedented level. It is not that people look down on manufacturing, but that factories are struggling to survive under immense pressure. Inside many industrial parks, even ground-floor factory spaces cannot be rented out, despite very low prices. Meanwhile, countries like Vietnam are attracting large numbers of factories, with orders already scheduled into next year or even the year after. In contrast, many factory spaces in Guangdong remain vacant, sometimes entire industrial zones standing empty. Even when factories receive orders, profit margins are extremely low, and payment cycles can stretch to 13 or even 15 months, making survival extremely difficult. In Zhongshan, once thriving large home appliance factories now stand empty. Dormitories that used to be packed with workers are now deserted. Guangdong, once known as the engine of China's economic growth and the world's factory, is now facing both weak domestic demand and declining exports. Many factories have shut down, commercial streets are empty, and businesses are struggling to survive. Some locals estimate that up to 80% of enterprises in certain areas have stopped operating. Industrial zones are overgrown with weeds. In major cities like Shenzhen and Guangzhou, some areas even show signs of urban decay, with unemployed people wandering or resting in public spaces. After nearly 40 years of rapid growth driven by low-cost manufacturing and exports, Guangdong's economic engine is now faltering. If the engine stalls, it signals deeper structural problems in the broader economy. Even in central Guangzhou, places like Beijing Road and Tianhe City, once crowded with shoppers, are now unusually quiet. In Shenzhen's food delivery industry, large numbers of delivery riders wait for orders that rarely come. Orders are fewer, prices are lower, and competition is intense. Many workers have already decided to leave, seeing no future in staying. In Dongguan's Chang'an Town, once one of the most economically vibrant towns, shopping malls with over 20 floors are now closed, and former retail giants like Gomei have disappeared. Just a few years ago, these places were fully operational. Today, they stand empty. In the past, workers from across China traveled long distances to work here, seeing Dongguan as a place of opportunity. Now, the crowds are gone, factories have shut down, and even transportation hubs that were once busy are nearly abandoned. Many shops that opened just two years ago have already closed, leaving behind empty streets and silent buildings. China's economy is entering a deep downturn, growth is slowing sharply, and the confidence that once drove rapid expansion is fading. Across major cities, the energy that defined China's rise is disappearing. Streets that used to be crowded late into the night now feel unusually quiet, businesses are struggling to stay open, and new investments are drying up. The sense of momentum that once defined the country is being replaced by uncertainty. Many are beginning to ask whether this is just a cycle, or the start of something much worse. In cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, the signs are becoming impossible to ignore. Shopping malls are no longer filled with customers, and once-busy commercial districts are losing foot traffic. Restaurants sit half-empty even during peak hours, office buildings have growing vacancy rates, and entire blocks feel underused, as the contrast with just a few years ago is striking. What used to feel like unstoppable growth now feels like a slowdown spreading across every sector. Unemployment is rising, especially among young people. University graduates struggle to find stable jobs, while many workers face layoffs or reduced hours. Even those who are still employed are earning less or facing delayed wages. The job market has become highly competitive, with fewer opportunities and more uncertainty. For many families, stable income is no longer guaranteed. This growing pressure is changing how people think about their future. As incomes shrink and uncertainty grows, people are cutting back on spending. Consumers are becoming more cautious, focusing only on essentials and avoiding unnecessary purchases. This shift is hitting businesses even harder, creating a cycle where weak consumption leads to more closures and layoffs. Small business owners are among the hardest hit, as they struggle to survive with declining sales. The once-strong consumer economy is losing its strength. Behind all of this is a growing sense of anxiety. Many people feel that opportunities are shrinking, while the cost of living remains high. Housing, education, and daily expenses continue to weigh heavily on households. The gap between expectations and reality is widening. People who once believed in steady progress are now questioning whether that future still exists. The optimism that once defined society is fading into caution and concern. This raises a deeper question. Is a period of hardship approaching? While it may not resemble the past exactly, the signs of economic stress are clear. Slowing growth and rising unemployment and weakening consumption are all warning signals. If these trends continue, the pressure on ordinary people will only increase. What lies ahead may not be a sudden collapse, but a prolonged period of difficulty that reshapes how people live and work.