Almost all of the contacts I made in China were from companies located in the city Shenzhen, Guangdong province in southern China.
Shenzhen was declared China's first Special Economic Zone(SEZ) in 1980. It was believed that it's location near Hong Kong would attract money from businesses there and foreign investors.
It has since risen from a fishing town to a bigger city than Paris, Montreal or Los Angeles.
It's population has grown from 70 thousand to 7 million in a quarter of a century and the fourth largest city economy in China.
Shenzhen is one of the few cities in China were the women far outnumber men.
They are sought after for factory jobs because of their patience and temperment.
These factories are making China the world's leading manufacturer in several catorgories, including televisions. These factories are huge, some with tens of thousands of employees.
My Chinese contacts work out of offices that are separate from these factories.
The sales offices are staffed with workers that work long hours and sometimes 6 days a week.
The offices are located in Shenzhen, while the factories are located on the outskirts of town.
Shenzhen has 5 star hotels and luxury boutiques, while the workers earn on average $72 a month, according to 2002 government figures.
It is one of the youngest cities in the world with an average age of less that 30.
Almost all of the population come from other cities to earn a living, leaving their families behind.
Most will only get to return home during the Spring Festival holiday, once a year.
During that time there is a mass migration out of town and the trains(if you can get a ticket) are packed to the hilt.

(statistics, info: China Inc. by Ted C. Fishman)