▁number ▁of ▁migr ants ▁from ▁rural ▁China ▁has ▁come ▁to ▁south ▁China ▁in ▁search ▁for ▁factory ▁jobs , ▁often ▁through ▁the ▁introduction ▁of ▁their ▁relatives . ▁Most ▁Hong ▁Kong - ▁or ▁Taiwan - owned ▁fact ories ▁sub - cont ract ed ▁to ▁make ▁sho es , ▁clothes , ▁electronic ▁app li ances , ▁or ▁to ys ▁for ▁American , ▁European , ▁or ▁Japanese ▁companies , ▁and ▁provided ▁work ▁opportun ities ▁to ▁those ▁migr ants , ▁mostly ▁young ▁women . ▁The ▁Zh ili ▁Hand ic raft ▁Factory ▁was ▁one ▁such ▁factory ▁that ▁produced ▁to ys ▁for ▁an ▁Italian ▁company . ▁At ▁Zh ili , ▁the ▁management ▁pract iced ▁the ▁illegal ▁“ three - in - one ” ▁arrangement ▁with ▁the ▁production ▁floor , ▁storage ▁space ▁and ▁workers ’ ▁d orm itory ▁all ▁in ▁one ▁place . ▁To ▁prevent ▁pil fer ing ▁of ▁goods ▁from ▁the ▁workers , ▁the ▁man agers ▁also ▁locked ▁the ▁windows ▁in ▁the ▁factory ▁and ▁d orm itory . ▁When ▁a ▁fire ▁broke ▁out ▁on ▁November ▁ 1 9 , ▁ 1 9 9 3 , ▁the ▁workers ▁were ▁locked ▁within ▁the ▁factory ▁comp ound ▁and ▁killed ▁inside . ▁Other ▁similar ▁acc idents ▁happened ▁in ▁the ▁coast al ▁areas ▁where ▁foreign - owned ▁fact ories ▁were ▁common , ▁though ▁the ▁cas ual ties ▁were ▁less ▁severe . ▁Trade ▁un ions ▁independent ▁of ▁government ▁control ▁remained ▁impossible . ▁For ▁the ▁case ▁of ▁Zh ili , ▁the ▁represent atives ▁of ▁the ▁Italian ▁to y ▁company ▁initially ▁agreed ▁to ▁compens ate ▁the ▁vict ims