A search on Google Maps for the central Chinese town of Zhangzhuangzhen, not far from Zhengzhou in Henan province, shows an expanse of countryside dotted with yellowish patches. Zoom in on them, and construction sites come into view. Something is about to happen.

In truth, it has happened already. Foxconn, the Taiwanese manufacturer that makes most of the world’s iPhones and iPads, has built its new factory so fast that online maps cannot keep up. But calling it a factory fails to do it justice: it is more like a town.

Land that was covered in date orchards two years ago now features 4m square metres of factory floor, surrounded by five town-like compounds where workers live. Foxconn employs close to 200,000 workers in Zhengzhou and aims to add 100,000. When night falls, the roads become clogged with buses ferrying workers to the plant and others to the dormitories after their shifts.