Shanghai village transformed by Apple contractor

An obscure eastern village got on the information superhighway when one of the major contractors of Apple, the leading smartphone maker, chose to set up a plant in the underdeveloped Shanghai corner.

Changshuo Science and Technology, one of the largest domestic mobile phone contractors, came to Huojian village in Pudong district in Shanghai in 2004, raising the village's population from less than 1,000 to tens of thousands.

The new residents, mostly young workers, assemble and examine the different parts of smartphones, laptops and computers on the busy assembly lines before the final products reach consumers all over the world.

With a monthly salary of 4,000 to 5,000 yuan ($604.93 to $756.16), the workers manage to use the most updated smartphones but wear far less chic perfume. After intense work, they spend their spare time in internet cafes, dining, shopping, dating or just chatting.

Before Apple launched its new products two weeks ago, the production lines in the plant were even busier with new workers coming almost every day. The plant has both day and night shifts.