Waste Tide

Waste Tide is a science fiction novel by Chinese author Chen Qiufan that examines the human cost of technological progress and global inequality. Set in a near-future world, the narrative follows workers in a massive e-waste recycling facility on an island, where they process discarded electronics from wealthy nations. The novel explores themes of labor exploitation, environmental degradation, artificial intelligence, and the hidden infrastructure that sustains consumer technology.

Through interconnected perspectives, Chen Qiufan reveals how the global supply chain of technology depends on the precarious labor of marginalized workers in the Global South. The work combines hard science fiction worldbuilding with social commentary, examining how technological advancement often externalizes its costs onto vulnerable populations. The novel was originally published in Chinese and has been translated into English, gaining recognition in international science fiction circles for its prescient engagement with e-waste, labor rights, and the environmental consequences of the digital economy.