The Chinese Roots of Italy’s Far-Right Rage
The country’s new politics are often attributed to anger over migrants. But the story begins decades ago, when China first targeted small textile towns.
Client
The New York Times
Year
2019
The industrial area of Prato, in the heart of Tuscany
A woman at work in a textile factory in Prato
When its American customers started gravitating to China, the Marini mill adapted by shipping its textiles there
Anti-China graffiti in Prato. After losing business to Chinese factories, the area has seen an influx of immigrants from the country
Roberta Travaglini, a Prato textile worker who lost her job, backed the Communist Party in her youth. Last year, she voted for the far-right League
Mauro Lucentini, a League member on Montegranaro’s council
Pressure to cut prices and quality led Edoardo Nesi to sell the textile factory that his grandfather had started
“The left doesn’t even see the problems of Italian families right now,” says Federica Castricini, who works at a shoemaker in Italy’s Marche region
Low-cost Chinese competition crippled the shoe business that Cesare Catini started in 1961
Chinatown in Prato, Tuscany
Chinese groceries and restaurants have emerged to serve Prato’s immigrant population
Teenagers, including first generation Italian Chinese, walk back from school
“Chinese people didn’t take jobs. We have created jobs,” says Marco Weng, whose parents arrived in Italy from China three decades ago
A Chinese man rides his bicycle in a public park by an abandoned wool mill
A Chinese retailer’s showroom in Prato
Chinese men load a truck at a showroom of a Chinese Pronto Moda (Fast Fashion) retailer in the textile industrial area of Prato
A failed retailer that sold shoelaces and other footwear accessories in Montegranaro, Italy