Known widely for its porcelain, this grimy city in southern China is the source of much of the world’s tiles and bathroom fixtures. Yet several factories have shut down in recent weeks, and nearly all are running at a reduced clip: Here in Guangdong province, the heart of China’s industrial boom, many manufacturers cannot find enough gasoline and heavy oil to keep their operations going.
In addition to high energy prices and idled oil production in the Gulf of Mexico due to hurricanes, China is grappling with oil shortages of its own making — a function of its peculiar status as an economy caught between its Communist past and the modern forces of capitalism.
