Chien-ming Chung

Officially, the Chinese government bans the importation of electronic waste. The country has even signed the Basel Convention, an international treaty aimed at preventing the developed world from dumping hazardous materials in poorer nations. The trouble is that computers, televisions, DVD players, cell phones, smart phones, and tablet devices are seen as a resource in an economy starved for raw materials. The discarded electronics come by the container-load and are transported in hulking trucks to be dumped in places like Guiyu—a cluster of four coastal villages on the South China Sea.