Anshan Old-Industry Life Memory Interview — Case 19 (Angang office accountant, 1960s generation)
Description
A 1960s-generation respondent who worked in-house at Angang (Anshan Iron & Steel) in an office/management role, specifically as an accountant (会计科). They entered the works in 1986 by 顶替母亲 — inheriting/replacing their mother's job slot, a common late-socialist practice — rather than by school assignment or free choice, and their day began at 8am in the office alongside colleagues from the accounting section. They frame the danwei as 'a big family' (一个大家庭) that shaped housing, the bathhouse, and the hospital, and recall the plant gate with its busy traffic. Through the late-1990s/2000s restructuring they report only 'some changes,' stayed in their original post, were notified by meetings, and say income was the biggest impact though 'not that large' compared with other job types — a notably cushioned experience relative to laid-off frontline workers. Their skills stayed 'very useful,' contact with old colleagues is now 'rare,' no children entered steel/engineering work, and their outlook on Angang is optimistic ('progressing, expanding') with a summary word of 'prosperous' (繁华). The message to the next generation is to work conscientiously, live steadily, and endure hardship. Note: the attached Photo/Object registration card has '老照片 (old photo)' ticked on its first field, but every other card field is blank, no photo was actually supplied, and Q31 answers '没有' (nothing kept) — so no artifact is present.
世代 / generation: 1960s · 身份 / role or relationship: Angang (Anshan Iron & Steel) office/management staff — accountant (会计); began work 1986; stayed in original post through the 1990s restructuring
In their own words selected highlights, verbatim, de-identified
顶替母亲 — I took over my mother's job.
认真工作，踏实做人，吃苦耐劳。 — Work conscientiously, live honestly and steadily, endure hardship.
鞍钢在进步，在扩大。 — Angang is progressing, it is expanding.
Full interview parallel text
The complete question-and-answer record, in the order the respondent answered it (43 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
A1960s
问您与鞍钢/相关单位的关系？
QWhat is your relationship to Angang / a related work unit?
答本人在鞍钢
AI myself 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?
答管理/办公
AManagement / office
问您大概在哪个时期参加工作？
QRoughly in what period did you start working?
答1980年代
A1980s
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 joined this unit at the time? (school assignment / family arrangement / own choice / referral by relatives or friends…)
答顶替母亲
AI took over / replaced my mother's job.
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 work? Walk me through it start to finish: what time you started, where you went first, what you mainly did, and who you were with.
答1986年。8点上班。先去办公室。主要从事会计工作。和会计科的人一起。
A1986. Started at 8am. First went to the office. Mainly did accounting work. Together with people from the accounting section.
问当时学技术主要靠什么？
QBack then, how did you mainly learn your skills?
答技校/大学
ATechnical school / university
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 skill/ability back then? (technique, or endurance, care, cooperation, experience, judgment)
答是有技术
AIt was having a skill/technique.
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 something you couldn't learn from books, only from a master or from experience? Just an ordinary example, no technical specifics needed.
答有。师傅言传身教。
AYes. The master taught by word and example (言传身教).
问「单位」对生活影响大吗？体现在哪些方面？
QDid the 'work unit' affect life a lot? In what areas?
答住房、澡堂、医院
AHousing, bathhouse, hospital
问先用您自己的词：那时候大家对鞍钢/单位的感觉，像什么？
QIn your own words first: back then, what did people feel Angang / the unit was like?
答一个大家庭
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 plant gate, the workshop, the family compound… pick the one you remember most and describe its look, sounds, smells, people.
答厂门口，车辆繁华。
AThe plant gate — busy with vehicles/traffic.
问那段时间，单位或岗位有没有明显变化？
QDuring that period, were there obvious changes in your unit or job?
答一些变化
ASome changes
问您当时大概属于哪一类？
QWhich category did you roughly fall into at the time?
答留原岗
AStayed in original post
问单位一般怎么通知这些变化？
QHow did the unit usually announce these changes?
答开会
AMeetings
问当时对您影响最大的是？
QWhat affected you most at the time?
答收入
AIncome
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 know in a different kind of job (e.g. you in technical, they on the line, or vice versa), was the impact on you two the same in those years? No names, just roughly.
答影响不算太大。
AThe impact wasn't really that large.
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?
答留原单位
AStayed at the original unit
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 skills transfer easily to other work? (diligence, punctuality, mechanical experience, management, tending equipment, training apprentices, dealing with people…)
答认真、机械经验。
AConscientiousness, mechanical 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 skills became useless once you left the original unit? Roughly is fine, no processes or internal details.
答专业技术。
ASpecialized/professional technique.
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 leaves Anshan for elsewhere, what do you think is hardest to adapt to? Do you know such people (just direction, e.g. 'went to a southern factory', no names)?
答不清楚。
ANot sure / don't know.
问遇到岗位变化时，谁对您帮助最大？
QWhen you faced job changes, who helped you most?
答师傅/徒弟
AMaster / apprentice
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 out for each other? Just the general situation, no names.
答不会。
ANo.
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」）
QAre there old-coworker reunions, classmate reunions, dinners, WeChat groups keeping people connected? (a simple yes/no is fine)
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？
QDid formal channels help more, or acquaintances / old coworkers?
答正式
AFormal channels
问您现在还和老同事联系吗？
QDo you still keep in touch with old coworkers now?
答很少
ARarely
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, or similar places?
答没去过
AHave not been
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 help young people understand old factory life?
答能
AYes, they can
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?
答比较了解
AFairly well understood
问您家里是否还保存和工作有关的东西？（可多选）
QDoes your family still keep anything related to your work? (multiple choice)
答没有
ANone
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 gone into steel, machinery, engineering, or manufacturing 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 unit?
答希望
AYes, I hoped so
问您会给孩子讲以前单位里的故事吗？
QDo you tell your children stories about the old 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 thing would you most want to say to the next generation? (work, character, skill, hardship, choosing a city, choosing a career… anything)
答认真工作，踏实做人，吃苦耐劳。
AWork conscientiously, live honestly and steadily, endure hardship.
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 yours differ in their view of 'the work unit / stable jobs / skilled workers'?
答认真工作，踏实肯干。
AWork conscientiously, be down-to-earth and willing to graft.
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 options first: if you described the old Angang / old unit in one word, which word, and why?
答繁华
AProsperous / bustling
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?
答鞍钢在进步，在扩大。
AAngang is progressing, it is expanding.
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？
QWhat do you think young people like me most easily misunderstand about your generation?
答【难辨，疑为“钻牛角尖”】
A[illegible; possibly 'splitting hairs / being stubbornly nitpicky' (钻牛角尖)]
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 like 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 written up, do you want to review it first 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 contacted again through the introducer?
答可以
AYes, that's fine
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?
答愿意
AYes, willing
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, 19 photographed pages; 43 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 — Case 19 (Angang office accountant, 1960s generation),” Steel & Oil: Anshan–Houston Industrial Memory Archive, OHS-AS-118, version 0.2 (field-collected, Anshan, 2026). Citation formats and the stable-identifier scheme →