A grandchild who came back to Anshan to teach (1990s generation)
A 1990s-born grandchild of an Angang machine repairman who left for university in Shenyang and came back — for family, and a public-school teaching post that matched their field. Their word for…
Description
This respondent is a third-generation voice: born in the 1990s, the grandchild of an Angang machine repairman whose danwei they know mostly through stories and objects. The grandfather in retirement talked of the master-and-apprentice years, when a repair craft earned a man respect; every New Year he would bring out his model-worker certificates and commemorative medals, old workmates would come calling, and the talk was all of the old shop floor. The family lived in plant housing in the early years and has always been proud of its old Angang worker, but the 1990s passed the household by — the grandfather had long retired, and only the neighbors' changed posts carried the news home.
The respondent left Anshan for university in Shenyang "to widen my horizons," and then came back: competition away was fierce, the old people at home needed care, and Anshan's public-school teacher recruitment matched their field. Weighing higher pay far away against a stable hometown where they could stand by family, they chose home — and answer the questionnaire's word questions with 扎根 (taking root) for the grandfather and 归属 (belonging) for themselves. What outsiders miss about Anshan, they say, is everything but the old plant districts: the city's transformation, and the depth of its industrial culture. Their advice to researchers echoes the archive's own method: visit more ordinary old workers, and hold the glory together with the hardness of the life.
In their own words selected highlights, verbatim, de-identified
每逢过年祖父拿出劳模奖状、纪念章,老工友上门串门,话题全是车间往事。
鞍山生活安稳亲人齐全,但不会强迫我留下。
生于鞍山,亲人故土都在这里,愿意长期生活。
Full interview parallel text
The complete question-and-answer record, in the order the respondent answered it (62 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?
答1990 年代
A1990s
问您和鞍钢/相关单位的关系?
QWhat is your relationship to Ansteel / a related work unit?
答祖父母曾在
AMy grandparent(s) worked there
问您小时候主要在哪里成长?
QWhere did you mainly grow up as a child?
答鞍山市区
AAnshan city proper
问您现在大概生活在哪里?
QRoughly where do you live now?
答仍在鞍山
AStill in Anshan
问您现在从事哪一类工作/学习?
QWhat kind of work/study do you currently do?
答教育/科研
AEducation / research
问您对九十年代那段变化的记忆,主要来自?
QYour memory of the changes in the 1990s mainly comes from?
答我当时年纪小,主要是听家里长辈讲的
AI was young then; mostly heard about it from elders at home
问小时候,家里长辈常提鞍钢/单位吗?
QAs a child, did the elders at home often mention Ansteel / the work unit?
答偶尔
AOccasionally
问先用您自己的词:长辈提到单位时是什么感觉?
QIn your own words: how did elders feel when mentioning the work unit?
答【勾选】骄傲、稳定、怀念 【手写】祖父退休总聊师徒共事岁月,当年凭维修手艺受人尊重,十分怀念安稳厂区生活。
A[checked] Pride; stability; nostalgia [handwritten] In retirement my grandfather always talked of the master-and-apprentice years, when his repair craft earned him respect. He deeply missed the settled life of the plant.
问鞍钢/单位对家庭生活影响大吗?
QDid Ansteel / the work unit have a big influence on family life?
答一些
ASome
问主要体现在哪些方面?
QMainly in what respects?
答【勾选】住房、邻里、身份感/荣誉感、退休福利 【手写】早年住厂区分房,邻居都是老工友,全家始终以鞍钢老工人为荣,退休福利全部依托单位。
A[checked] Housing; neighbors; sense of identity and honor; retirement benefits [handwritten] In the early years we lived in plant-assigned housing with old workmates for neighbors. The family has always been proud of its old Angang worker, and his retirement benefits all came through the unit.
问小时候您觉得父母的单位更像什么?
QAs a child, what did your parents' work unit feel more like to you?
答身份、保障
AAn identity; security
问有没有一个具体的小事,让您小时候感到「单位」就在你们家生活里?(一次分房、一次厂庆、食堂、澡堂、生病去厂医院…)
QIs there one small concrete incident that made you feel as a child that the 'work unit' was right there in your family life? (a housing allocation, a factory anniversary, the canteen, the bathhouse, going to the factory hospital when sick...)
答每逢过年祖父拿出劳模奖状、纪念章,老工友上门串门,话题全是车间往事。
AEvery New Year my grandfather would bring out his model-worker certificates and commemorative medals, old workmates would come calling, and the talk was all of the old shop floor.
问那段时间,您家有没有明显变化?
QDuring that period, did your family undergo obvious change?
答年纪小不清楚
AI was too young to know
问主要是哪些方面?
QMainly in what respects?
答【勾选】其他 【手写】祖父早已退休,家中无直接冲击,只听闻邻里岗位调整。
A[checked] Other [handwritten] My grandfather had long retired, so the family took no direct hit; we only heard of neighbors' posts being adjusted.
问长辈当时的工作状态?
QWhat was the elders' work situation at the time?
答已退休
AAlready retired
问家里会讨论「以后孩子要不要留在鞍山」吗?
QDid your family discuss whether the children should stay in Anshan in the future?
答偶尔
AOccasionally
问如果讨论过,长辈是什么态度?先选,再讲一件具体的事或一句他们说过的话。
QIf discussed, what was the elders' attitude? Choose, then give a specific thing or something they said.
答【勾选】留鞍山、尊重我自己选 【手写】长辈认为鞍山生活安稳亲人齐全,体制内工作很好,但不会强迫我留下。
A[checked] Stay in Anshan; respected my own choice [handwritten] The elders felt Anshan life was settled and the family all here, and a public-sector job a fine thing — but they would never force me to stay.
问您是否曾离开鞍山学习/工作/生活?
QHave you ever left Anshan to study/work/live?
答是,离开又回来了
AYes — left and came back
问若离开,大概在什么时候?
QIf you left, roughly when?
答上大学
AFor university
问离开鞍山的主要原因?
QThe main reason for leaving Anshan?
答【勾选】上学 【手写】外出求学拓宽眼界。
A[checked] Study [handwritten] Went away to study and widen my horizons.
问若您留在/回到鞍山,主要原因?
QIf you stayed in / returned to Anshan, the main reason?
答【勾选】照顾父母、有稳定工作、对家乡有感情 【手写】毕业后外地竞争激烈,家中老人无人照顾,鞍山公办教师招聘匹配我的专业,最终选择回乡。
A[checked] Caring for parents; stable work; feeling for home [handwritten] After graduation the competition away was fierce and there was no one to care for the old people at home. Anshan's public-school teacher recruitment matched my field, so in the end I chose to come home.
问带我回到您决定走 / 决定留 / 决定回来的那个时刻:当时在想什么?是什么让您拍板?
QTake me back to the moment you decided to leave / stay / return: what were you thinking? What made you decide?
答对比外地高薪但离家远的岗位,鞍山稳定、能陪伴家人,权衡后决定长期在家乡发展。
AWeighing higher pay far away against a stable Anshan where I could be with family, I decided to build my life at home for the long term.
问如果您离开了:当时去了哪类地方?
QIf you left: what kind of place did you go to at the time?
答省会(沈阳等)
AA provincial capital (Shenyang etc.)
问落脚在哪类行业?(大概即可)
QWhat kind of industry did you settle into? (approximate is fine)
答中小学教育。
APrimary and secondary education.
问现在比在鞍山,过得怎样?
QCompared with life in Anshan, how are you doing now?
答差不多
AAbout the same
问这次离开是?
QThis leaving was?
答暂时
ATemporary
问您身边同龄人,离开的多还是留下的多?
QAmong your peers, did more leave or more stay?
答离开多
AMore left
问您觉得年轻人离开鞍山,最主要因为什么?
QWhy do you think young people leave Anshan, most of all?
答收入、行业选择少
AIncome; few industries to choose from
问您想过以后回鞍山长期生活吗?
QHave you thought of returning to live in Anshan long-term?
答已经回来了
AI have already come back
问要让更多年轻人愿意留/回鞍山,您觉得最重要的是什么?
QTo make more young people willing to stay in / return to Anshan, what do you think matters most?
答【勾选】适合年轻人的城市生活、新产业、创业环境 【手写】发展文旅、智能制造、完善青年就业扶持。
A[checked] A city life suited to the young; new industries; an environment for starting up [handwritten] Develop culture and tourism and smart manufacturing, and build up job support for the young.
问父母那一代从鞍钢/单位生活中,传给您最多的是什么?
QFrom their Ansteel / work-unit life, what did your parents' generation pass on to you most?
答【勾选】吃苦耐劳、守纪律、重视稳定、对工人身份的尊重 【手写】做人踏实本分,尊重一线劳动者,认为稳定工作能给生活兜底。
A[checked] Endurance of hardship; discipline; valuing stability; respect for the worker's identity [handwritten] Be honest and dutiful, respect front-line labor, and trust that stable work will put a floor under your life.
问父母教过您具体的工作技术吗?
QDid your parents teach you specific work skills?
答主要讲故事不教技术
AMostly told stories rather than teaching technique
问若讲过,通常是哪类(不必讲参数或内部流程)?
QIf they did tell you, usually what kind (no need for parameters or internal process)?
答【勾选】看人/带人、工厂纪律 【手写】祖父常讲师徒互助、厂区规章制度,做人必须守规矩、互相帮扶。
A[checked] Reading and leading people; factory discipline [handwritten] My grandfather often spoke of masters and apprentices helping each other, and of the plant's rules and regulations: keep to the rules, and hold each other up.
问父母的工作经历,对您的职业选择有影响吗?
QDid your parents' work experience influence your career choice?
答一些
ASome
问更接近哪一种?
QWhich is closer (to your inclination)?
答【勾选】想找稳定工作 【手写】受长辈影响优先教师、公职类稳定岗位,没有选择重工行业。
A[checked] Wanted stable work [handwritten] Under the elders' influence I went first for stable posts like teaching and public service, not heavy industry.
问您有没有因为父母的经历,刻意避开或刻意选择某个职业/行业?讲讲。
QDid your parents' experience make you deliberately avoid or choose a career/industry? Tell me.
答【勾选】有一点 【手写】不排斥工业,但不会选择高强度一线岗位。
A[checked] A little [handwritten] I am not against industry, but I would not choose a high-intensity front-line post.
问父母那一代最希望您得到什么?
QWhat did your parents' generation most hope you would gain?
答【勾选】稳定、不那么辛苦、不离家太远 【手写】稳定体面、离家近。
A[checked] Stability; less hardship; not too far from home [handwritten] Stable and respectable, close to home.
问您升学/找工作/离开或回鞍山时,父母的老同事或单位关系帮过忙吗?
QWhen you went to school / looked for work / left or returned to Anshan, did your parents' old colleagues or work-unit connections help?
答一点
AA little
问若帮过,主要哪方面?
QIf they helped, mainly in what way?
答【勾选】其他 【手写】提供本地教师招聘信息。
A[checked] Other [handwritten] Passed along local teacher-recruitment information.
问家里现在还和父母以前的同事、邻居、师傅、徒弟联系吗?
QDoes your family still keep in touch with your parents' former colleagues, neighbors, masters, and apprentices?
答偶尔
AOccasionally
问您觉得这种老单位关系,对子女这一代还有影响吗?
QDo you think this kind of old work-unit tie still influences the children's generation?
答基本没有
ABasically none
问以前的单位社区,和现在的普通城市社区有什么不同?(邻里、互助、熟人社会、孩子成长环境…)
QHow was the old work-unit community different from an ordinary city neighborhood today? (neighbors, mutual aid, acquaintance society, children's environment...)
答老家属院邻里互助,现代小区人情淡薄。
AIn the old family courtyards neighbors helped each other; in modern residential compounds feeling runs thin.
问听到「鞍钢」「钢城」,您第一反应是什么?
QHearing 'Ansteel' / 'Steel City', what is your first reaction?
答骄傲、亲切
APride; closeness
问您去过鞍钢博物馆、孟泰纪念馆或类似场所吗?
QHave you been to the Ansteel Museum, the Meng Tai Memorial Hall, or similar places?
答去过
ABeen there
问这些地方对年轻人有用吗?
QAre these places useful for young people?
答主要是纪念意义
AMainly commemorative
问您觉得哪些记忆最容易消失?
QWhich memories do you think are most likely to disappear?
答师徒关系、老邻里关系、工人身份感
AMaster-apprentice ties; old neighborly ties; the worker's sense of identity
问若做一个「鞍山老工业记忆」资料库,您觉得最该保存什么?
QIf an 'Anshan old-industry memory' archive were built, what do you think should most be preserved?
答老照片和物件
AOld photos and objects
问您家是否保存过和鞍钢/单位有关的物件?(可多选)
QHas your family kept any objects related to Ansteel / the work unit? (multiple choice)
答没有
ANothing kept
问您会给孩子或晚辈讲鞍钢/鞍山的故事吗?
QDo you tell your children or younger relatives stories of Ansteel / Anshan?
答偶尔
AOccasionally
问讲这些时,您更想传达什么?
QWhen telling these, what do you most want to convey?
答技术与劳动的价值、不要忘记家乡
AThe value of skill and labor; don't forget home
问您希望下一代以后留在鞍山吗?
QDo you hope the next generation will stay in Anshan?
答看他们自己
AUp to them
问您希望下一代进入制造/工程/钢铁/能源相关行业吗?
QDo you hope the next generation enters manufacturing/engineering/steel/energy-related industries?
答看他们兴趣
ADepends on their interests
问「稳定工作」在您这一代和父母那一代之间,含义变了吗?
QHas the meaning of a 'stable job' changed between your generation and your parents' generation?
答一些
ASomewhat
问「离开家乡」在您这代人眼里是?
QIn the eyes of your generation, what is 'leaving one's hometown'?
答【勾选】复杂,不能简单说 【手写】普通人生选择,无好坏。
A[checked] Complicated — cannot be put simply [handwritten] An ordinary life choice — neither good nor bad.
问用一个词形容父母那代和鞍钢的关系,您会用哪个?为什么?
QIn one word, how would you describe the relationship between your parents' generation and Ansteel? Why?
答扎根。祖父一辈子机修,生活社交全部依附钢厂。
AZhagen — taking root. My grandfather spent his life in machine repair; his living and his whole social world grew on the steelworks.
问用一个词形容您自己和鞍山的关系,您会用哪个?为什么?
QIn one word, how would you describe your own relationship with Anshan? Why?
答归属。生于鞍山,亲人故土都在这里,愿意长期生活。
AGuishu — belonging. Born in Anshan, with family and native ground all here, I am glad to live here for the long term.
问您觉得外地人或年轻人最容易误解鞍山什么?
QWhat do you think outsiders or young people most easily misunderstand about Anshan?
答只看见老旧厂区,看不到城市转型与工业文化底蕴。
AThey see only the old plant districts, not the city's transformation or the depth of its industrial culture.
问您觉得我们这代人做研究时,应该怎样更尊重地理解您父母那一代?
QHow do you think our generation, when doing research, should understand your parents' generation more respectfully?
答多走访普通老工人,兼顾荣光与生活不易。
AVisit more ordinary old workers, and hold the glory together with the hardness of the life.
问有没有哪个问题您希望我不要记录、不要引用,或引用前必须再问您?
QIs there any question you'd like me not to record, not to quote, or to ask you again before quoting?
答没有
ANothing
问整理好后,您想先看一遍再决定是否公开吗?
QAfter it's compiled, would you like to review it first before deciding whether to make it public?
答想看
AI would like to see it first
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?
答不确定
ANot sure
问您是否愿意日后接受一次更深入的访谈?如果您的父母长辈方便,是否也愿意引荐他们一起参与?
QWould you be willing to take part in a more in-depth interview later? And if your parents/elders are available, would you introduce them to take part too?
答再说
AWe will see
Significance to the comparison
The youngest voice in the collection and the return branch of the staying-or-leaving fork: a third-generation family for whom the danwei survives as medals, stories, and pride rather than lived routine — and a homecoming made for family and stability rather than industry, completing the generational arc that runs from OHS-AS-121's canteen to OHS-AS-125's departure south.
Provenance
- Field collection
- Digital questionnaire completed voluntarily in Anshan, July 2026; transcribed and de-identified for the archive. Original held privately.
Evidence media
- Completed digital questionnaire, 27 pages; 62 question-and-answer exchanges transcribed verbatim (original held privately).
Sources two independent sources, each resolving
- Anshan field collection questionnaire response, July 2026 (original held privately).
- Steel & Oil archive field instrument (职工本人版 / 子女·晚辈版), 2026.
Zitian Qiao, ed., “A grandchild who came back to Anshan to teach (1990s generation),” Steel & Oil: Anshan–Houston Industrial Memory Archive, OHS-AS-126, version 0.2 (field-collected, Anshan, 2026). Citation formats and the stable-identifier scheme →