【聊了什么 The What】

本期节目迎来了特邀嘉宾——在第一线深入报道多家中资工厂出海故事的记者 Viola Zhou。这次，她刚刚从密歇根小镇Big Rapids回来，探访争议漩涡中的国轩高科（Gotion）电池厂。这个偏僻保守的小镇如何被一座中国电池厂搅动？为什么反对声浪不绝于耳，厂长却受到州政府热情接待？工厂管理者、工人、政客和普通居民，又在这场全球制造的再分配中扮演着什么角色？除了Gotion之外，Viola还分享了她去采访台积电亚利桑那工厂，以及富士康印度工厂的所见所闻。

我们从特朗普最新的关税政策谈起，一路聊到中美制造业从双向奔赴走向理想幻灭的故事。美国的“再工业化”离不开中国制造业的反向输出，更是一场效率与价值观的拔河。我们也聊到了这背后美国对“中国效率”的矛盾心理：一边想要复制，一边又排斥它背后的代价。在“Made in America”与“Built by China”的夹缝之间，工厂成了一种文化意象——它既承载希望，也埋藏幻觉。

This episode features special guest Viola Zhou, a journalist who’s spent years reporting from the frontlines of Chinese factories going global. Fresh off a trip to Big Rapids, Michigan, she shares what she saw at the center of the Gotion battery plant controversy. How did a small conservative town become a geopolitical flashpoint? Why is factory exec Chuck Thelen eating a battery on camera? Who are the “No Gos” protesting the plant—and why are state officials embracing it? From managers to residents, we unpack the roles each plays in this global industrial drama. Viola also reflects on her visits to TSMC’s Arizona plants and Foxconn’s factories in India.
Our conversation begins with Trump’s latest tariffs and traces the fading myth of a U.S.–China manufacturing renaissance. America’s “reindustrialization” increasingly relies on Chinese factories setting up shop on U.S. soil—caught in a deeper tug-of-war between efficiency and values. Somewhere between “Made in America” and “Built by China,” the factory has become a cultural battleground, loaded with both promise and illusion.

【时间轴 The When】

• 00:02:16 ">00:02:16 – 吐槽特朗普的关税政策

  
  



• 00:08:44 ">00:08:44 – 美国制造业怎么了？

  
  



• 00:13:04 ">00:13:04 – 初识国轩高科

  
  



• 00:19:11 ">00:19:11 – 美国高管Chuck Thelen“吃电池”名场面背后的故事

  
  



• 00:26:32 ">00:26:32 – Big Rapids的人文和自然环境

  
  



• 00:32:08 ">00:32:08 – 国轩高科在伊利诺伊的另外一个工厂

  
  



• 00:32:51 ">00:32:51 – 文化交融的趣事：《美国工厂》纪录片，年会和厕所风水

  
  



• 00:39:36 ">00:39:36 – 台积电亚利桑那工厂中的工作风格冲突

  
  



• 00:46:51 ">00:46:51 – 印度富士康工厂中的磨合，与20年前深圳的遥相呼应

  
  



• 00:51:35 ">00:51:35 – 综合这些见闻，美国制造到底靠谱吗？

  
  



• 00:57:51 ">00:57:51 – 工厂作为一种文化想象：卓别林，精神小伙，到东华金龙

  
  



• 01:03:06 ">01:03:06 – 美国科技界对中国的嫉妒和效率迷恋

  
  



• 01:04:37 ">01:04:37 – 全球化幻梦的破灭和对制造业的其他展望

  
  



• 00:02:16 ">00:02:16 – Ranting About Trump’s Tariff Policies

  
  



• 00:08:44 ">00:08:44 – What Happened to American Manufacturing?

  
  



• 00:13:04 ">00:13:04 – First Encounter with Gotion

  
  



• 00:19:11 ">00:19:11 – The Story Behind Chuck Thelen’s “Battery-Eating” Moment

  
  



• 00:26:32 ">00:26:32 – Life and Landscape in Big Rapids

  
  



• 00:32:08 ">00:32:08 – Gotion’s Other Factory in Illinois

  
  



• 00:32:51 ">00:32:51 – Cultural Clashes and Funny Moments: American Factory, Annual Parties, and Bathrooms Feng Shui

  
  



• 00:39:36 ">00:39:36 – Work Culture Clashes at TSMC’s Arizona Plant

  
  



• 00:46:51 ">00:46:51 – Foxconn in India: Culture Shock Echoing Shenzhen Two Decades Ago

  
  



• 00:51:35 ">00:51:35 – After All This, Is “Made in America” Still a Real Thing?

  
  



• 00:57:51 ">00:57:51 – The Factory as Cultural Metaphor: From Chaplin to TikTok

  
  



• 01:03:06 ">01:03:06 – China Envy in Silicon Valley: The Myth of Efficiency

  
  



• 01:04:37 ">01:04:37 – The Collapse of the Globalization Dream and Rethinking Manufacturing Futures

  
  

【我们是谁 Who We Are】

新新人类是一档由几个与互联网一起长大的新生代科技记者主持的播客，致力于站在中美交汇点上，解读全球科技潮流与人文的交织。

• 马修：一个网瘾晚期的全职养猫人


• 杜安蕤：一个想当裁缝的科技/文化撰稿人


• 一闻：一个对地铁比手机更上瘾的记者


• Viola: 一个徘徊在工厂门口的工厂记者

【拓展链接 The Links】

• 一家中国电池厂如何引发密歇根州小镇的政治崩溃 – Viola Zhou


• 富士康在印度生产 iPhone 的艰难历程 – Viola Zhou and Nilesh Christopher


• 台积电在美国沙漠的惨败 – Viola Zhou

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