The economic miracle of China's midday naps

The wuxiu habit is regarded as traditional, but its popularity has grown with rising incomes and longer working hours.

- William Langley

Walking out of the noon heat into one of southern China’s many industrial parks this summer, I thought I'd discovered a factory shutdown.

Just weeks after US President Donald Trump had announced measures to close the tax loopholes that fuelled the rapid growth of fast fashion brands Temu and Shein, a factory in Panyu, where many suppliers are based, seemed empty: lights off, nobody working.

But then: A rustle, a sigh, maybe even a snore? I glanced at my watch: It was just after 1 o’clock in the afternoon. The factory hadn't closed, it was asleep. Looking down at ground level, | saw row upon row of workers, happily snoozing through the worst of the midday blaze.

In one of the world’s most industrious and dynamic regions, the midday nap, or wuxiu, may seem a curious anomaly. Like Spain’s siestas, it has its roots in the not-too-distant, pre-air-conditioning past. Summer days in southern China can reach well over 35 deg C, with humidity of more than 70 per cent.