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in liaoning, anshan is a city with a strong presence.

after the founding of new china in 1949, 12 municipalities were established across the country for construction needs. shenyang, anshan, fushun and benxi in liaoning were among them.

like many resource-based cities in northeast china, steel is a label that anshan cannot avoid. in the past few decades, anshan's economic operation, urban construction, lifestyle, etc., have all revolved around "steel".

once upon a time, this city gave people a strong sense of "function". it was part of the "first son of the republic" and participated in shaping the "imagined community" of the nation-state. but now, it is more like an old friend reunited after a long absence. landmarks such as the steel mill and victory square still remind people of that steel memory, but more lifestyles are slowly growing around them.

01

time and space stagnation under the lens

the old city of anshan at dusk has a different kind of beauty. the anshan iron and steel plant is shrouded in the warm yellow of the sunset, with several slender chimneys towering into the sky, and the white steam coming out is dyed golden. in the distance are two huge and symmetrical gas storage tanks and a red residential building with a faded exterior wall.

these pictures are from the lens of lu yi, a native of anshan. born in the 1990s, lu yi is an employee of anshan iron and steel group, working in production technology. he is also an amateur photographer. in the past few years, he has photographed every corner of anshan city, including the well-known anshan iron and steel plant, the textile factory, the "red tractor factory" (anshan hongqi tractor factory), the steel art museum, the anshan iron and steel family quarters, the may 1st overpass... those photos always give people a strong sense of time travel.

anshan foguang temple. (photo/visual china)

lu yi can be considered as a member of the "third generation of steel industry" in anshan. both his parents are employees of anshan iron and steel. his mother has retired, but his father is still working. in addition, lu yi's grandfather, grandmother, and grandfather also worked at anshan iron and steel.

as a factory worker, lu yi has many memories of anshan iron and steel. when he was young, he went to the factory cafeteria and bathhouse with his parents and drank soda and milk distributed by the factory. his family once lived across the road from the anshan iron and steel factory, and could see the big chimneys of the factory. on the railway, trains carrying coal and steel kept running.

those "factories" were once the common hope of people in the city. "looking at old photos, i feel that the people of anshan are very energetic. now, perhaps with the changes in the city and the aging of the population, the energy and spirit are not as obvious as before," said lu yi.

lu yi gets off work early, arriving home before 5pm every night. after dinner, he takes his camera out to take pictures. on weekends, he often takes a suitcase and strolls around the city, taking pictures of scenes he had not noticed before.

anshan iron and steel blast furnace is the symbol of anshan as the former "eldest son of the republic". (photo/photo provided by the interviewee)

many of his filming experiences left a deep impression on him. once, at the anshan synthetic fiber factory, lu yi met a security guard who was an employee of the old factory. later, the factory was closed and he was assigned to guard the state-owned assets.

the security guard asked lu yi why he came and when he learned that he wanted to take photos of the factory, he started talking. he told lu yi about the glorious history of the factory: the synthetic fiber factory was the first listed company in anshan; when hong kong returned to china in 1997, the fabric of the clothes worn by the army was called "shengmao", which was produced by their factory... as he talked, the security guard burst into tears.

last year, lu yi went to the fiber factory again and found that the old factory site had been completely demolished. "the city is constantly swallowing up these things," lu yi said. many of the factories he photographed in previous years have been demolished.

lu yi's favorite factory is the hongtuo factory. it is china's first crawler tractor manufacturing base, and the factory name was inscribed by marshal zhu de. two years ago, lu yi also shot a video for the factory site. "walking into the production workshop, it seems that you can still see the busy figures of the workers." lu yi said.

the movie "the piano in a factory" was also filmed at the hongtuo factory. in the movie, shuxian (qin hailu) said to chen guilin (wang qianyuan) who wanted to build his own piano: "yes, the difference between a steel factory and a piano factory is just one word, and that's a big difference."

02

comfort in northeast c city

countless traces hint at past life. today, the northeastern narrative, which revolves around the wave of layoffs, factory memories, and lost people, has almost become a contemporary popular culture. in such a narrative, people's memories of the "eldest son of the republic" seem to be tinged with a halo of pity. large state-owned enterprises have become synonymous with "stable life", and people who have been thrown from "stability" to "instability" seem destined to be labeled as "lost".

anshan steel art museum. this was originally the auditorium of the anshan steel party school club. (photo/photo provided by the interviewee)

but lu yi felt that the emotion was complicated, and the lives of the locals were not just about "loss".

some people seized the opportunity to enter a bigger world. he mentioned that an elder of his relative's family went abroad to work as a chef after being laid off due to the restructuring of state-owned enterprises, and later stayed in the local area to open a small factory. another relative of his used the money from being "bought out" to start an oil well business and developed a set of equipment that is still in use today.

for this generation of young people, many are also trying to find the familiar stability. lu yi's major in university was mechanical design, manufacturing and automation, and the school was in the provincial capital shenyang. because he often missed the comfort of his hometown, returning to anshan to work was his first choice at the time. after graduation, he joined a joint venture company of anshan iron and steel group.

even today, anshan iron and steel still supports the livelihoods of most people in this city. lu yi's salary can be considered as upper-middle level in the local area. some better positions can earn more than 7,000 yuan a month. "living at home, i don't have to worry about food and drink, and my family is around. i also have time to do what i like. it's really great." lu yi said.

in industrial cities, everything was standardized, and people’s work and life were similar. cities were also built around functionality. the main landmarks of anshan are victory square and eryijiu park. in lu yi’s words, “these two places run through the lives of anshan people. they go there when they are young, when they go to school, and when they are old.”

but the city will not stop growing. lu yi feels: "this city is more like an old friend whom i meet again after a long absence."

anshan jiefang road overpass. (photo/provided by the interviewee)

when lu yi first returned to anshan to work, he was worried that there were fewer and fewer young people in the city, but later he found that young people also had their own social circles. because he was interested in photography, he and his friends built a studio and would get together on weekends to go out to shoot street pictures or have meals and chat.

many places in anshan have also become "internet celebrity check-in spots". for example, taicho is now one of the areas with the best living environment in anshan. taicho has many single-family villas, which were originally used by senior executives of showa steel works and later provided for old cadres and retired employees of anshan iron and steel. according to lu yi, many of these villas are now coffee shops and western restaurants run by individuals.

in northeast china, anshan ranks first in terms of the number of coffee shops: "you may not imagine that there may be several hidden small shops on one street. you may not pay much attention to them when you pass by, but in fact they are all doing very well."

the coking and refractory institute building is now also a "net-famous building" in anshan. it was once the office building of the anshan coking and refractory material design institute. it was built with soviet aid in the 1950s and is the only institute in china engaged in coking and refractory material engineering design. on social platforms, people's check-in photos are almost all taken standing in the square in front of the building, with the building as the background to capture the flying pigeons.

“why do i love this city? probably because i love its past history and the stories that will happen in the future,” lu yi concluded.

Q&A

"new weekly": which three words would you use to describe the city of anshan?

lu yi : the first one is definitely "steel". when people mention anshan, they will think of the steel plant. the second one is "mountain". in fact, in addition to this traditional heavy industrial feeling, anshan also has a lot of natural scenery. there is a saying that anshan is "half steel and half mountain". the third one i think is "soft". in fact, in addition to the tough feeling given by steel, anshan people also have a very delicate side. on the one hand, they have the humor and optimism of northeastern people, and on the other hand, they also have some sadness and sensitivity.

"new weekly": which places in anshan would you recommend to people from other places to visit?

lu yi : for scenic spots, the 5a-level qianshan scenic spot or the 4a-level jade buddha temple, which has the world's largest jade buddha, are both quite impressive. for strolling, you can go to the anshan iron and steel group museum and the anshan city museum, where you can collect stamps. nowadays, everyone likes to get stamps. or you can go to taichung, 219 park, and steel art museum, all of which are good for citywalk.

anshan anshan iron and steel museum. (photo/provided by the interviewee)

if you want to see the steel plant, i would recommend a resettlement building next to the overpass. take the elevator to the top of the building, and you can see the whole picture of anshan iron and steel's ironmaking plant, the complete blast furnace, and take pictures.

"new weekly": in addition to the northeastern barbecue that people are familiar with, what other foods are anshan's local specialties?

lu yi : angang milk and angang rule. when i was a child, my parents' factory would give them milk, and i still order this milk. another one is "xinli shanghai smoked and baked meat shop". when the whole country supported the construction of angang, many technicians and experts came from the south, and this smoked and baked meat shop was born in the local area. it is one of the most famous shops in the local area, and the maple leaf meat, barbecued pork, and meat dates sold are all delicious.

there is also hot noodles, which are different from ordinary noodles. the noodles are translucent and have a slightly gelatinous texture. they are usually sold in barbecue restaurants. after eating barbecue, have a bowl of hot noodles and pair it with the local "protein milk".

"ice fruit" is also a specialty. people in anshan call ice cream "ice fruit". the more famous one is produced by anshan iron and steel machinery general factory, called "machine general ice fruit". other old-fashioned cold drink shops include beiji and xuelian. beiji has a cold drink called "semi-liquid", which is to put ice fruit in a cup and make it half-melted. when you suck it with a straw, it is very cool and comfortable.

"new weekly": from your perspective, what is the living condition of the young generation living in anshan today?

lu yi : as for my peers, i feel that i am relatively carefree. because my generation is basically all only children. the best resources in the family are given to you, and as long as you have a decent salary, life is actually very leisurely. many people can live a very stable life as long as they find a formal job.

anshan taichung. the taichung building complex here is listed as a provincial historical and cultural district in liaoning. (photo/photo provided by the interviewee)

moreover, in northeast china, no matter how old you are, your family will always think you are a child. you may be 30 years old, but your family will still think you are a child, and you will be a child all your life. a friend of mine has been preparing for the civil service exam at home for the past few years, and his family will not force him to go out to work or anything like that. some friends also open small shops and study rooms by themselves. everyone has a common state, which is to go with the flow and do what they like.

my family members don’t push me to get married or have kids. they told me not to rush into marriage and to consider marriage only after i meet someone i like and who is suitable for me. my dad even told me, “if you find a good partner, you can try, but it doesn’t matter if you get married or not. we don’t have any requirements for this. it doesn’t matter. as long as you are happy, that’s fine.”