E646. Strange Tales of a Third-Tier Factory Town: My Former Home is Now a Post-Apocalyptic Scene

Keywords

• Sanxian Factory (三线厂): Defense and industrial bases built in remote inland China starting in the 1960s for war preparedness.
• Sanxian Zidi (三线子弟): Children of workers born and raised in Sanxian Factory areas, with a unique upbringing and identity.
• Military-to-Civilian Conversion (军转民): The process of military enterprises shifting to civilian product manufacturing during peacetime or after the Reform and Opening-up.
• SOE Reform (国企改革): Market-oriented and shareholding system reforms for state-owned enterprises in China starting in the 1990s.
• Fortress City (要塞都市): The narrator’s childhood perception of their Sanxian Factory hometown, infused with military and sci-fi imagery.

Summary

This episode features sci-fi writer July, who shares his upbringing in the Dongfang Turbine Factory (Dongqi) in Hanwang, Sichuan, a quintessential Sanxian Factory. He vividly describes the factory as a closed, self-sufficient community with comprehensive facilities (including rare central heating in Sichuan) and a strong sense of collective identity. The podcast traces the factory’s journey from its arduous establishment to its peak, followed by anxiety and transformation during the 1990s SOE reform wave (military-to-civilian conversion) and the resulting divergence in residents’ choices. July reflects on the Sanxian Zidi identity, the confusion and opportunities amidst societal changes, and the devastating impact of the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, which led to the factory’s relocation. These experiences inspired his sci-fi novel Strange Tales of a Small Town, preserving this unique historical memory through literature.

Insights

• Historical Microcosm: The Sanxian Factory story is a vivid reflection of China’s Cold War-era planned economy, intertwining national strategic will with individual destinies, revealing the profound impact of large-scale national projects on regional societies and personal lives.
• Societal Transformation: From isolated prosperity to reform pains and eventual physical disappearance, the rise and fall of Sanxian Factories mirror China’s dramatic shift from a planned to a market economy, highlighting the challenges of industrialization and urbanization.
• Identity Evolution: The unique identity of “Sanxian Zidi” and its evolution amidst societal changes reflect a specific community’s culture navigating external shocks—resilience, loss, and reinvention, offering insights into regional culture and generational differences.
• Memory and Narrative: Personalized narratives, like July’s novel, are vital for preserving and passing down specific historical memories. Beyond grand historical accounts, these micro-memories provide richer, more human perspectives.
• Development Lessons: The transformation experiences (or struggles) of Sanxian Factories offer a reflective case study for today’s resource-based cities and old industrial bases pursuing industrial upgrading and sustainable development, particularly in balancing national strategy, corporate efficiency, and employee welfare.

Opinions

01 “A Utopian Isolation and Superiority”

Geographically and administratively independent, Sanxian Factories formed a fully equipped, self-sufficient micro-society (“factory compound” model). With superior material conditions (e.g., central heating, high-quality sports facilities) and a distinct community culture, residents felt a sense of superiority and unique identity compared to the outside world.

02 “Pervasive Quasi-Military Imprint”

Rooted in their strategic mission, Sanxian Factories were steeped in military undertones. This was evident not only in nearby military installations (e.g., missile bases) but also in daily life—air raid sirens signaled work shifts, military training involved live ammunition, and even anti-aircraft guns appeared—creating a unique “fortress” atmosphere.

03 “Anxiety and Desire to Leave Amid Reform Waves”

The 1990s SOE reforms brought significant upheaval. Slogans like “breaking the iron rice bowl,” rumors of shareholding reforms, and struggles of other SOEs (e.g., Changhong, Erzhong) fueled uncertainty and anxiety. Many, like the narrator’s father, left the system to seek new paths, while the younger generation increasingly aspired to “break out,” no longer seeing “inheriting” factory jobs as desirable.

04 “Estrangement and Memory Preservation After Hometown Changes”

As market economy impacts eroded the factories’ advantages, the Wenchuan Earthquake triggered relocation and site abandonment, erasing the physical “hometown.” This deepened the “Sanxian Zidi” sense of alienation but sparked a strong impulse to document and preserve this unique history through creative works.

In-Depth

From “Fortress City” to Relic of an Era: A Sanxian Zidi’s Memory and Writing

In China’s vast inland mountains once lay unique towns, not naturally formed but products of national will—Sanxian Factories. In the 1960s, amid tense global circumstances, China launched the Third Front Construction, relocating key defense, technology, and industrial enterprises to strategic hinterlands. Sci-fi writer July grew up in the sprawling Dongfang Turbine Factory (Dongqi) in Hanwang, Sichuan. His story unveils a corner of this buried history.

1. An “Independent Kingdom” in the Mountains: Glory and Isolation

To July, Dongqi was not just a factory but a fully functional, self-sufficient “mini-society.” “The residential area was as big as the factory, housing tens of thousands,” he recalls. “It had a cinema, park, hospital, mall, even farms and a dairy company—everything.” Schools sat at the heart of the residential zone, and children’s lives rarely extended beyond the factory’s boundaries. This “cradle-to-grave” model, where the factory managed all aspects of life, was a hallmark of planned-economy SOE compounds.

What struck July most was the stark contrast with the “outside” world. In Sichuan, where heating was scarce, Dongqi, thanks to Northeastern technicians, installed central heating. “Before bed, we’d drape clothes over the radiator, and they’d be toasty by morning,” a comfort unimaginable to outsiders but routine for factory kids. In the early 1990s, while county sports fields were dirt, Dongqi boasted lit courts and plastic tracks. “I only dared wear my Nike shoes on the factory’s court,” a classmate’s remark revealed an unconscious “arrogance” and a strong sense of “we’re our own people.”

This distinctiveness stemmed from the factories’ strategic mission. Though the Cold War’s shadow had faded by July’s childhood, military traces lingered. Air raid sirens blared six times daily to mark work shifts; nearby missile bases were photo-op attractions; high school military training used live rounds, and vocational school displays featured anti-aircraft guns. These surreal routines led young July to imagine his hometown as the “Third Neo-Tokyo” from Neon Genesis Evangelion—a hidden “fortress city” safeguarding humanity.

2. Reform Storm: The “Iron Rice Bowl” Shakes and Hearts Waver

This “fortress” was not impregnable. In the 1990s, the SOE reform wave swept China. Slogans like “smash the iron rice bowl, pick up the golden one” blared daily on the radio. Rumors and debates about shareholding reforms and stock allocations swirled among neighbors. “The factory next door got shares at five yuan, but they might only fetch three on the market,” such chatter mixed hope with unease.

The struggles of nearby Sanxian Factories heightened anxieties. Changhong, once a radar producer, pivoted to TVs (military-to-civilian conversion), while Erzhong, tasked with heavy equipment, faced production halts. Though Dongqi remained relatively stable due to its power generation focus, a “storm-is-coming” atmosphere enveloped the compound. July’s father, a skilled worker “held back by the times,” had endured the Cultural Revolution and factory life. Sensing “even central SOEs are faltering,” he took early retirement to work elsewhere, hoping to secure the family against uncertain times.

This unease trickled to the younger generation. Despite the factory’s relative comfort, the “Dongqi era” seemed to be fading. With China’s WTO entry, the market economy’s vibrancy surged outside, dimming the once-coveted “iron rice bowl.”

3. Turn of the Century: Youthful Ambition and the Urge to Flee

The year 2000 rang in a new era. For July and his peers, the future brimmed with possibilities—none of which seemed tied to Hanwang’s Sanxian town. “After crossing the 2000 threshold, everyone’s mindset shifted,” July says. “The 21st century wasn’t Dongqi’s time.”

The once-daunting college entrance exam became a springboard to escape. A top student, July forwent Tsinghua to pursue his passion for biology, aiming to “change the world.” Meanwhile, the “jumping into the sea” entrepreneurial boom inspired youth. “We wanted to make it big like Young and Dangerous’ Ho Nam or Chicken,” a stark contrast to their parents’ stable factory lives. Even average students hoped to “avoid staying in the factory.” A palpable sense of “everyone’s flying outward” took hold.

Reality, however, was less rosy. July, after grueling marine biology research, switched to the internet gaming industry. Some classmates, after years of external struggles, found the reformed Dongqi (now partnered with Mitsubishi as Dongfang Turbine Co., Ltd.) offered good pay and familiarity, prompting a “return” to roles in publicity or investment. This highlighted the diversity and complexity of individual choices.

4. Earthquake’s Toll: Physical End and Lasting Memory

Despite reform pains and staff turnover, Dongqi kept running. But the May 12, 2008, Wenchuan Earthquake devastated this town on the Longmenshan Fault. Factories crumbled, residential areas turned to rubble, and many skilled workers perished. This disaster was the final straw, hastening Dongqi’s relocation.

A decade later, July revisited the site. “Grass grew everywhere, trees split concrete roads, and walls sprouted foliage,” a scene akin to “a post-apocalyptic world centuries after humanity’s vanish”. It left him with a profound sense of disconnection. “The years I lived there… feel unimaginably distant.”

The physical loss cemented the “Sanxian” life as history. A deep sense of loss and a drive to document spurred July to write. Blending childhood memories, teenage fantasies, and sci-fi, he penned Strange Tales of a Small Town. In it, an unremarkable Sanxian town harbors cutting-edge tech and secrets, with youths saving the world before fading into obscurity. It’s both a romanticized homage to a lost hometown and a profound reflection on that era’s history and generation’s fate.

Conclusion: Echoes of History

From wartime bastion to reform frontier to post-disaster ruin, Dongfang Turbine Factory and Hanwang town encapsulate China’s tumultuous half-century. July and countless “Sanxian Zidi” stories are not just personal growth tales but part of a grand symphony of national strategy, societal shifts, and individual destinies. Though most Sanxian Factories have vanished or transformed, their history, culture, and the collective memory of a generation endure through forms like literature, continually prompting deeper reflections on history, development, and life. This seemingly distant past still resonates uniquely today.