Why China’s buzzing about Netflix’s documentary ‘American Factory’

This image released by Netflix shows Wong He (left) working with Kenny Taylor (centre) and Jarred Gibson (right) in the furnace tempering area of the Fuyao Glass America Factory in Dayton, Ohio, in the documentary film, 'American Factory'. In multiple posts and comments, Chinese Internet users who’d seen the film on streaming sites and through using virtual private networks dissected the differences between the American workers and their Chinese colleagues. — Netflix/AP

American Factory, a new Netflix Inc documentary about a Chinese-owned factory in Ohio isn’t being screened in China. But hundreds of thousands of people have seen it anyway, sparking a debate that delves into the relationship between the world’s two largest economies.

The 115-minute film was widely discussed on Chinese social networks and spawned dozens of reviews by influential bloggers and state media, prompting discussions on globalisation, cultural differences, automation and workers’ rights. Netflix isn’t available in China, and a company spokesperson said there’s no legitimate way to watch it there.