Dear WokMon supporters,
This is a good news/not very good news post. We are almost ready to ship the WokMon as you can see from these photos below. I should have pictures of packaging soon. I will also be emailing each of you individually to verify and update your shipping information.
Unfortunately, as you may have heard on the news or seen on the web, many factories across China were shut down because of the dangerous levels of pollution. Matters have been further complicated because, locally, the government permitted migrant factory workers to go home and return only after the Chinese New Year. At the very bottom of this update, is one of the notices received by the factory manufacturing the WokMon (As these are images, I am not able to use Google Translate on them).
As you can see from the earlier photos, as far as manufacturing of the WokMon is concerned, we are in the homestretch with only a few final steps remaining. Now, unfortunately, these last processes may be held up until after the month-long Lunar New Year break which starts on January 28, 2017. This situation is completely out of my control and all I can do is apologize profusely for this last minute, unexpected delay.
Many flights in and out of China have been grounded because of the poor visibility caused by the pollution during the winter months. Neighboring regions including Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan have been affected.
You can read more about the factory shut downs at links like these and others
http://thediplomat.com/2016/12/factories-shut-down-cars-stopped-as-china-struggles-with-smog/
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-pollution-idUSKBN14C0LA
https://www.yidianzixun.com/article/0FFmNxqd?s (Use Google Translate)
This environmental phenomenon is unprecedented in China. Things have gotten so bad at the moment that some affected factory owners have attempted to commit suicide. Below is some automatically translated news items that were sent to me by the factory I have been working with.
Nearly a month, the Central Inspectorate Group’s environmental rectification work carried out in full swing, set off around the “shutdown remediation tide.” Guangdong, Hubei, Shaanxi, Hebei, Sichuan, Gansu … … a large number of illegal operations and environmental pollution caused by papermaking, printing and dyeing, ceramics, cement, mining, lighting and other enterprises have been severely punished.
This morning, another human tragedy staged in Foshan, Guangdong. A boss was environmental protection investigation, a moment too hard, went to Foshan Pingnan five bucket bridge, attempting to jump river suicide, the end of his life.
Here is Pingnan, five bucket bridge, a boss was environmental protection, take things too hard, attempting to jump river suicide, the end of his life, this storm will be a lot of entrepreneurs have just embarked on the road to the brink of death.
Since the end of November, environmental storms swept across most parts of Guangdong: Zhaoqing, Huizhou, Guangzhou, Chaoshan, Qingyuan, Foshan and other places to become the “hardest hit”, a large number of enterprises discontinued or rectification, the majority XingJu. Stainless steel, aluminum, smelting and processing, metal products, ceramics, furniture, plastics, printing and dyeing, coating, spraying and other serious industries is the focus of remediation areas.
Flocks of law enforcement team flocked into the dilapidated factory, forced the boss to frighten the boss Fengdiao machines, is entirely vice, “not sealed, three minutes; do not seal, tornado” momentum.
Recently, there are two pieces swept WeChat circle of friends, these two pieces of a profound reflection of the “green storm” to the majority of the physical industry brought a heavy blow, but also expressed deep concern for the future life.
I was hoping to provide you with news of shipping before the Chinese New Year but this does not look likely to happen at the moment. However, while the news may seem to be gloomy, these things do blow over. Because it is Winter in China, more coal is used for heating and this has added to the environmental problems that caused this factory shutdown. I will update you as soon as I have more news.
– Glen Lee
