Mardi Gras: Made in China features a bead factory in Fuzhou, China.
David Redmon's 2005 documentary traces the journey of inexpensive Mardi Gras beads from their manufacture in China to their use and disposal in New Orleans. By moving between factory workers and Carnival participants, the film turns a familiar parade throw into a story about global trade, labor, consumption, and waste.
Fuzhou is the capital of Fujian province on China's southeastern coast. The city name is sometimes mixed up with Shenzhen or Guangzhou because all are major manufacturing centers, but the documentary specifically identifies a small factory in Fuzhou. The film's point is not that every Mardi Gras bead comes from one city; rather, it follows one production chain as a vivid example of how Carnival's colorful throws connect New Orleans to overseas manufacturing.