In a corner of a sprawling factory in this coastal southern city, sewing machines that stitched blouses and shirts for Lever Style Inc.'s clients now gather dust. As the din on the factory floor has dropped, so, too, has the payroll. Over the past two years, Lever Style's employee count in China has declined by one-third to 5,000 workers. 在中国南部沿海城市深圳的一家庞大工厂里，曾经为利华成衣集团(Lever Style Inc.)的客户生产男式女式衬衫的缝纫机器在角落里落满了灰尘。由于生产活动冷清，工厂的工人数量也在减少。过去两年，利华成衣集团在中国的员工数量减少了三分之一，目前为5,000人。

The company in April began moving apparel production for Japanese retail chain Uniqlo Co. to Vietnam, where wages can be half those in China. Lever Style also is testing a shift to India for U.S. department-store chain Nordstrom Inc. (JWN) and moving production for other customers. 今年4月，这家公司开始在越南的工厂为日本零售连锁企业优衣库(Uniqlo Co.)生产服装，越南的工资水平是中国的一半。利华成衣还在尝试在印度为美国百货商店连锁Nordstrom Inc.进行生产，同时把另外一些客户的生产任务也转移到其他国家。

It's a matter of survival. After a decade of nearly 20% annual wage increases in China, Lever Style says it can no longer make money here. 这关系到公司的生存。利华成衣说，在中国的工资水平以年均20%的速度增长了10年之后，公司在中国已经没法盈利了。

'Operating in Southern China is a break-even proposition at best,' says Stanley Szeto, a former investment banker who took over the family business from his father in 2000. 前投资银行家司徒志仁(Stanley Szeto)2000年从父亲那里接管了这家家族企业。司徒志仁说，在中国南方运营能收支相抵就不错了。

Companies from leather-goods chain Coach Inc. (COH) to clogs maker Crocs Inc. (CROX) also are shifting some manufacturing to other countries as the onetime factory to the world becomes less competitive amid sharply rising wages and a persistent labor shortage. The move allows the companies to keep consumer prices in check, although competition for labor in places such as Vietnam and Cambodia is pushing up wages in those countries as well. 由于工资水平的急剧上升以及劳动力的长期不足，作为曾经的世界工厂，中国的竞争力已经不如从前，因此，包括皮货连锁企业Coach Inc.和鞋类制造商Crocs Inc.在内的公司也在把一些制造业务转移到其他国家。此举可以帮助一些公司控制产品价格，不过，在越南和柬埔寨等地，对劳动力的争夺也在推高这些国家的工资水平。

Some migration of apparel manufacturing from China is expected, and even encouraged by the government, as the country's economy matures. As other Asian nations become efficient at mass manufacturing, China must embrace research and high-technology production to transform its economy as South Korea and Japan once did. But healthy economic growth requires that China expand its service sector and create higher-skilled manufacturing jobs at a rapid clip to compensate. 随着中国经济走向成熟，中国一些服装制造业务向海外转移已在人们的预期之中，甚至受到了政府的鼓励。随着其他一些亚洲国家在大规模制造方面变得富有效率，为了像韩国和日本曾经那样进行经济转型，中国必须拥抱科研和高技术生产。不过，要保证经济健康增长，中国需要扩大服务领域，迅速创造出需要员工具备更高技能的制造业岗位，以弥补制造业转移带来的损失。

'If costs continue to rise, but China is unable to become more innovative or develop homegrown technologies, then the jobs that move offshore won't be replaced by anything,' said Andrew Polk, a Beijing-based economist for the Conference Board, a research group for big American and European companies. 世界大型企业联合会(Conference Board)驻北京的经济学家波尔克(Andrew Polk)说，如果成本持续上升，而中国却没有提高创新能力或开发出本土技术，那么转移到海外的工作岗位就没有替代品。世界大型企业联合会是一家研究美国和欧洲大型企业的机构。

China continues to be the developing world's largest recipient of foreign direct investment, attracting $112 billion last year. But that was down 3.7% from a year earlier. And exports still are rising in the double-digit percentages, though growth is slowing. 中国仍然是获得海外直接投资最多的发展中国家，去年，中国吸引了1,120亿美元的外商直接投资。但是这个数字比一年前下降了3.7%。中国的出口仍然保持着两位数的增长，不过增速正在放缓。

Here in the manufacturing hub of Guangdong province, Lever Style's factories provide a glimpse into the future of China's apparel industry. 在广东省的制造业中心深圳市，利华成衣集团的工厂是中国服装厂未来的一个缩影。

The company, which is based in Hong Kong, used to manufacture its clients' clothing at three factories in China. But rising labor costs have forced the apparel maker for Armani Collezioni, John Varvatos and Hugo Boss (BOSS.XE) to focus on what it is best at, helping clients develop clothing while the company outsources a growing part of production. 利华成衣集团的总部位于香港，过去曾在中国内地的三家工厂为客户生产服装。不过，劳动力成本的不断上升使这家服装制造商不得不专注于自己最擅长的业务，即帮助客户开发服装，同时把更多生产业务外包出去。利华成衣是Armani Collezioni、约翰・瓦维托斯(John Varvatos)和雨果博斯(Hugo Boss)等品牌产品的制造商。

In five years, Lever Style expects about 80% of its production to be outsourced to factories it manages throughout Asia, and half to be outside China. 利华成衣集团预计，五年后，其80%的生产任务将外包给公司在亚洲各地管理的工厂，其中一半的工厂不在中国。

As it shifts production to Vietnam, Lever Style says it is able to offer clients a discount of up to 10% per garment. That is attractive to U.S. retailers, whose profit margins average 1% to 2%, according to the U.S.-based National Retail Federation. 利华成衣集团说，由于公司将生产转移到越南，我们可以提供给客户平均每件服装至多10%的折扣。这对美国的零售商非常有吸引力。根据全美零售商联合会(National Retail Federation)的数据，美国服装零售商的平均利润率为1%到2%。

This shift is already well under way. Lever Style expects that a few years from now, 40% of the clothes it makes for Uniqlo, one of Lever Style's biggest customers, will come from Vietnam and 60% from China. 转变已经在进行之中。利华成衣集团预计，公司未来几年为优衣库生产的服装中，40%将来自越南，60%来自中国。优衣库是利华成衣集团最大的客户之一。

As China production slows for Uniqlo and other clients, Lever Style plans to return one factory here to the landlord and consolidate its shrinking workforce at the other two. 由于在中国为优衣库等客户生产服装的步伐放慢，利华成衣计划把深圳一家工厂的厂房退租，将数量不断减少的工人并入另外两家工厂。

Uniqlo, the biggest apparel chain in Asia, says it makes 70% of its apparel in China but would like to cut its production in the country to two-thirds, mainly to reduce costs. A spokesman for parent company Fast Retailing Co. (9983.TO) said the retailer has an 'ongoing dialogue' with contract manufacturers of its 70 factories world-wide about where to produce its clothing. 优衣库是亚洲最大的服装连锁品牌。优衣库说，目前该品牌70%的服装在中国生产，但它想要把这一比例削减到三分之二，这主要是为了降低成本。优衣库的母公司迅销公司(Fast Retailing Co.)的一名发言人说，这家零售商正在与全世界70家工厂的合同生产商讨论在哪里生产服装。

Nordstrom, which works with 450 factories in nearly 40 countries, says cost is important but so are product quality and factory working conditions. The company hasn't seen a 'material change' in how much of its apparel is being made in China in recent years, a spokesman says. Nordstrom与近40个国家的450家工厂有合作。Nordstrom说，成本固然重要，但产品质量和工厂用工条件同样重要。该公司一名发言人说，最近几年，公司在中国的生产规模没有发生实质性变化。

But Coach plans to satisfy at least part of its new production needs elsewhere. That effectively will reduce its overall production through third-party manufacturers in China to about 50% by 2015 from more than 80% in 2011 so the handbag maker isn't too reliant on one country, a spokeswoman said. 不过，Coach则打算至少将其一部分新增产品在世界其他地方生产。该公司一名发言人说，到2015年，公司通过第三方制造商在中国生产的产品占公司总产品的比重将从2011年的80%以上减少到50%左右。这样一来，这家手提袋制造商就不会对一个国家产生过多的依赖。

And 65% of Crocs' colorful shoes are expected to be made in China this year through third-party manufacturers, down from 80% last year. 预计今年Crocs生产的五颜六色的鞋子中，有65%将来自中国的第三方制造商，低于去年80%的比例。

Many retailers are less concerned about where a product is made than about price, delivery and quality, says Lever Style's Mr. Szeto. 司徒志仁说，与产品的产地相比，利华成衣的许多零售商更关注的是产品的价格、交货情况和质量。

Still, he says, while China's transformation of its economy is 'the right move for the country, I see this as a huge challenge for us as a company.' 司徒志仁说，虽然中国的经济转型对于国家来说是正确的举措，我却把它看做是对公司的巨大挑战。