Anshan Old-Industry Life Memory Interview - Worker's Own Edition - Case 08
Description
A worker born in the 1960s who joined Angang (Anshan Iron & Steel) in the 1980s by their own choice, working in maintenance/equipment as a trade fitter (钳工) and learning the craft under a master (师傅带). They remember the danwei as a 'big family' and describe the family compound as a place of warm, harmonious neighborly life; the single most valuable skill, they say, was technical, plus hands-on 'mechanical experience' that transferred to later work while the narrow fitter's trade did not. On the layoff-era questions (工龄变化 around the late 1990s) they consistently declined to answer ('不方便说'), but noted they went to Shanghai and struggled most with the climate; they call the old work unit a 'fallback guarantee' (兜底的保障), want the young to remember its ethic of eating bitterness and enduring hardship (吃苦耐劳), and shared photos, an Angang work ID, a fitter certificate, work uniform and tools anonymously for public display.
世代 / generation: 1960s · 身份 / role or relationship: Retired Angang (Anshan Iron & Steel) worker; maintenance/equipment, trade fitter (钳工), holds an intermediate fitter certificate · 提及的物件与场所 / objects and places recalled: 老照片 (old photographs)；鞍钢工作证 (Angang work ID)；中级钳工证 (intermediate fitter certificate)；工作服 (work uniform)；工具 (tools)
In their own words selected highlights, verbatim, de-identified
兜底的保障 ("a fallback guarantee")
这是老一辈扎根鞍钢的见证，是一代人踏实做工岁月的念想 ("This is proof that the older generation put down roots at Angang; it is a keepsake of a whole generation's years of honest labor.")
年轻人不爱在一线岗位工作，脏、乱、差 ("Young people don't like frontline jobs - dirty, disorderly, hard.")
Full interview parallel text
The complete question-and-answer record, in the order the respondent answered it (54 exchanges). The Chinese is the respondent’s own wording, transcribed from the photographed pages; illegible passages are marked 【难辨】 / [illegible] rather than guessed. The English is a working translation by the editor, not part of the source.
Left column: respondent’s Chinese, as written · Right column: editor’s working translation
问您大概是哪一代人？
QRoughly which generation are you from?
答1960年代
AThe 1960s.
问您与鞍钢/相关单位的关系？
QWhat is your relationship to Angang / a related work unit?
答家人在鞍钢
AFamily worked at Angang.
问您当年大概做哪一类工作？
QRoughly what kind of work did you do back then?
答维修/设备
AMaintenance / equipment.
问您大概在哪个时期参加工作？
QRoughly what period did you start working?
答1980年代
AThe 1980s.
问您愿意说说当时为什么进这个单位吗？（学校分配/家里安排/自己选择/亲友介绍…）
QWould you say why you entered this work unit? (school assignment / family arrangement / own choice / introduced by relatives or friends...)
答自己选择
AMy own choice.
问您还记得刚参加工作时的一天吗？带我从早到晚走一遍：几点上班、先去哪、主要做什么、和谁一起。
QDo you remember a day when you first started working? Walk me through it from morning to night: when you clocked in, where you went first, what you mainly did, and with whom.
答早晨八点上班，先去班组和同事一起工作。中午12点到13点休息。下午5点下班。
AClocked in at 8 in the morning, first went to the work team to work with coworkers. Rest from 12 to 1 at midday. Off work at 5 in the afternoon.
问当时学技术主要靠什么？
QHow did you mainly learn your skills back then?
答师傅带（并手写：师傅带）
AA master's guidance (checkbox 'apprenticed to a master', and hand-written: 'apprenticed to a master').
问您觉得当年最重要的本事是什么？（技术，或吃苦、细心、配合、经验、判断力）
QWhat do you think was the most important ability back then? (technical skill, or endurance, care, cooperation, experience, judgment)
答技术
ATechnical skill.
问有没有书本上学不到、只能靠师傅或经验学到的东西？举一个普通例子即可，不用讲具体技术参数。
QWas there anything you couldn't learn from books, only from a master or from experience? An ordinary example is fine, no technical parameters needed.
答有。比如手工配件
AYes. For example, hand-fitting parts.
问「单位」对生活影响大吗？体现在哪些方面？
QDid the 'work unit' greatly affect life? In what ways?
答其他（手写：其他）
AOther (hand-written: 'other').
问先用您自己的词：那时候大家对鞍钢/单位的感觉，像什么？（□一份工作 □一个大家庭 □一个社区 □一种身份 □不好说）
QFirst in your own words: back then, what did the feeling toward Angang / the work unit feel like? (a job / a big family / a community / an identity / hard to say)
答大家庭 / 一个大家庭
AA big family.
问带我走进一个地方：澡堂、厂门口、车间、家属院……挑一个您印象最深的，说说那里的样子、声音、气味、人。
QTake me into one place: the bathhouse, the factory gate, the workshop, the family compound... pick the one you remember most and describe its look, sounds, smells, people.
答家属院：邻里之间非常和睦
AThe family compound: the neighbors were very harmonious with one another.
问那段时间，单位或岗位有没有明显变化？
QDuring that period, was there any clear change in the unit or your post?
答不方便说
APrefer not to say.
问您当时大概属于哪一类？
QRoughly which category did you fall into at the time?
答不方便说
APrefer not to say.
问单位一般怎么通知这些变化？
QHow did the unit usually announce these changes?
答不方便说
APrefer not to say.
问当时对您影响最大的是？
QWhat affected you most at the time?
答不方便说
APrefer not to say.
问比一比：和您认识的另一种岗位的人（比如您是技术、他是一线，或反过来）相比，那几年你们俩受到的影响一样吗？不用说人名，说大概。
QCompare: versus someone you knew in a different kind of post (say you were technical, they were frontline, or vice versa), were you both affected the same in those years? No names, just roughly.
答不一样
ANot the same.
问岗位变化后，您或身边同事一般去了哪里？
QAfter the job changes, where did you or your coworkers generally go?
答不方便说
APrefer not to say.
问以前学到的本事，后来还有用吗？
QWere the skills you learned before still useful later?
答很有用
AVery useful.
问哪些本事容易带到别的工作里？（认真、守时、机械经验、管理、看设备、带徒弟、与人打交道…）
QWhich abilities were easy to carry into other jobs? (diligence, punctuality, mechanical experience, management, minding equipment, mentoring apprentices, dealing with people...)
答机械经验
AMechanical experience.
问哪些本事离开原单位就用不上了？说大概即可，不必讲流程或内部资料。
QWhich abilities became useless once you left the original unit? Roughly is fine, no procedures or internal material needed.
答我是技术工种、钳工，离开单位就用不上了
AI was in a technical trade, a fitter; once you leave the unit it's of no use.
问如果有人离开鞍山去外地，您觉得最难适应的是什么？您身边有这样的人吗（只说方向，如「去南方工厂」，不用姓名）？
QIf someone left Anshan for elsewhere, what do you think was hardest to adjust to? Was there such a person around you (just direction, e.g. 'went to a southern factory', no names)?
答我去上海，很难适应那边的温度
AI went to Shanghai; it was hard to adjust to the temperature there.
问遇到岗位变化时，谁对您帮助最大？
QWhen facing job changes, who helped you most?
答老同事
AOld coworkers.
问大家会互相介绍工作、打听消息、互相照顾吗？说一般情况，不必说人名。
QDid people introduce each other to jobs, share news, look after one another? Speak generally, no names.
答会
AYes, they would.
问有没有老同事聚会、同学聚会、饭局、微信群帮大家联系？（可只答「有/没有」）
QWere there old-coworker gatherings, classmate reunions, dinners, WeChat groups keeping everyone connected? (may answer only 'yes/no')
答有
AYes.
问您觉得是正式渠道帮助大，还是熟人/老同事帮助大？
QDo you think official channels helped more, or acquaintances / old coworkers?
答熟人
AAcquaintances.
问您现在还和老同事联系吗？
QDo you still keep in touch with old coworkers now?
答偶尔
AOccasionally.
问您去过鞍钢博物馆、孟泰纪念馆或类似的地方吗？
QHave you been to the Angang Museum, the Meng Tai Memorial Hall, or similar places?
答不记得
ADon't remember.
问您觉得这些地方能让年轻人了解以前的工厂生活吗？
QDo you think these places let young people understand former factory life?
答不好说
AHard to say.
问您觉得现在年轻人还了解「钢城」这段历史吗？
QDo you think young people today still understand this 'steel city' history?
答了解一点
AUnderstand a little.
问您家里是否还保存和工作有关的东西？（可多选）
QDoes your home still keep work-related items? (multiple choice)
答不方便说
APrefer not to say.
问如果您愿意分享其中一两件，可以填写本问卷最后的《照片/物件登记卡》。您可以附上照片或扫描件，也可以只做文字描述。
QIf you'd share one or two, you may fill in the Photo/Object Registration Card at the end. You may attach photos or scans, or give only a text description.
答鞍钢工作证、中级钳工证
AAngang work ID, intermediate fitter certificate.
问您的孩子或晚辈有没有进入钢铁、机械、工程、制造相关工作？
QHave your children or younger relatives entered steel, machinery, engineering, or manufacturing-related work?
答没有
ANo.
问您当年希望孩子继续进类似单位吗？
QBack then did you hope your children would go into a similar work unit?
答不方便说
APrefer not to say.
问您会给孩子讲以前单位里的故事吗？
QDo you tell your children stories from the old work unit?
答偶尔
AOccasionally.
问您给下一代最想说的一句话是什么？（工作、做人、技术、吃苦、选城市、选职业…都行）
QWhat one sentence would you most want to tell the next generation? (work, being a person, skill, endurance, choosing a city, choosing a career... anything)
答做人
AHow to be a decent person.
问您觉得年轻一代和您这一代，对「单位/稳定工作/技术工人」的看法有什么不同？
QHow do you think the younger generation and your generation differ in their views of 'the work unit / a stable job / the skilled worker'?
答不一样
ANot the same.
问先不看选项：如果用一个词形容以前的鞍钢/老单位，您会用哪个词？为什么？
QWithout looking at the options: if you used one word for the old Angang / old work unit, which word? Why?
答兜底的保障
AA fallback guarantee (a safety net that catches you).
问您觉得这段经历中，最该被年轻人记住的是什么？
QWhat in this experience do you think young people should most remember?
答吃苦耐劳
AEating bitterness and enduring hardship.
问您觉得像我这样的年轻人，最容易误解你们那一代人的地方是什么？
QWhere do you think a young person like me is most likely to misunderstand your generation?
答年轻人不爱在一线岗位工作，脏、乱、差
AYoung people don't like working frontline posts - dirty, disorderly, poor conditions.
问今天有没有哪部分您希望我不要记录、不要引用，或引用前必须再问您？
QIs there any part today you'd want me not to record, not to quote, or to ask you again before quoting?
答没有
ANo.
问整理好后，您想先看一遍再决定是否公开吗？
QOnce it's compiled, do you want to review it before deciding whether to make it public?
答不用
ANo need.
问以后若需要补充访谈，您是否愿意通过介绍人再联系？
QIf a follow-up interview is needed later, would you be willing to be re-contacted through the introducer?
答不确定
ANot sure.
问您是否愿意日后接受一次更深入的访谈，把您的故事更完整地记录下来？
QWould you be willing to give a deeper interview later, to record your story more fully?
答再说
AWe'll see.
问【照片/物件登记卡】1. 这是什么？
Q[Photo/Object Registration Card] 1. What is this?
答老照片、工作证、工作服、工具
AOld photograph, work ID, work uniform, tools.
问【登记卡】2. 大概是哪一年？
Q[Card] 2. Roughly what year?
答上世纪八十年代
AThe 1980s.
问【登记卡】3. 上面是谁？（可写关系，如「我父亲」；不想写名字可以不写）
Q[Card] 3. Who is in it? (may write a relationship, e.g. 'my father'; a name is optional)
答老一辈是鞍钢职工
AThe older generation - Angang workers.
问【登记卡】4. 在哪里？（厂区/车间/家里/某地，大概即可）
Q[Card] 4. Where? (factory grounds / workshop / home / somewhere, roughly)
答鞍钢厂区内
AInside the Angang factory grounds.
问【登记卡】5. 是什么场合，或在做什么？（如厂庆、上班、退休、获奖…）
Q[Card] 5. What occasion, or doing what? (e.g. plant anniversary, working, retirement, receiving an award...)
答退休
ARetirement.
问【登记卡】6. 这件东西是怎么来的、一直由谁保管？
Q[Card] 6. How did this item come about, and who has kept it?
答上班发的，由长辈保管
AIssued at work; kept by an elder in the family.
问【登记卡】7. 上面有没有字、印章、编号、奖项名称？有的话请大概写下。
Q[Card] 7. Any writing, seals, numbers, or award names on it? If so, roughly note them.
答没有
ANone.
问【登记卡】8. 它为什么对您或家里有意义？
Q[Card] 8. Why is it meaningful to you or your family?
答这是老一辈扎根鞍钢的见证，是一代人踏实做工岁月的念想
AIt is proof that the older generation put down roots at Angang; it is a keepsake of a whole generation's years of honest labor.
问【登记卡】9. 这张照片/这件东西，您愿意我们怎么使用？
Q[Card] 9. How are you willing for us to use this photo/item?
答可以公开展示
AMay be publicly displayed.
问【登记卡】10. 署名方式？
Q[Card] 10. How to attribute?
答匿名
AAnonymous.
Significance to the comparison
The Anshan side of the comparison, in a first-person voice: how the danwei (work-unit) organized a whole life, what the 1990s restructuring did to it, and whether the next generation stayed or left. It is the lived-memory counterpart to the paper's question about what lets an industrial community absorb a transition.
Provenance
- Field collection
- Paper questionnaire (职工本人版) completed voluntarily in Anshan, 2026; photographed page by page; transcribed and de-identified for the archive. Original held privately.
Evidence media
- Completed paper questionnaire, 20 photographed pages; 54 question-and-answer exchanges transcribed verbatim (original held privately).
Sources two independent sources, each resolving
- Anshan field collection questionnaire response, 2026 (original held privately).
- Steel & Oil archive field instrument (职工本人版), 2026.
Tim Qiao, ed., “Anshan Old-Industry Life Memory Interview - Worker's Own Edition - Case 08,” Steel & Oil: Anshan–Houston Industrial Memory Archive, OHS-AS-107, version 0.2 (field-collected, Anshan, 2026). Citation formats and the stable-identifier scheme →