Big times are tides, and life in small towns can always be happy and comfortable.
Editor's note: bid farewell to the night of the city and go to the deep clouds of your hometown. Trapped by the epidemic for two years, the post-90s crossed mountains and seas and went home for reunion. In their hometown, they are more like foreigners who stay for a short time. In their perspective, they see the well-being of people, social changes and the feelings of family and country. On the occasion of the Spring Festival of the year of the tiger in renyin, times finance launched a series of reports on "my hometown, my foreign land", which is the ninth article.
"After work, go to the pedestrian street to have fried noodles." At the end of the evening shift, Li Lei is used to making an appointment with his colleagues to finish breakfast and then go home to make up for sleep. He has eaten in this store for more than 20 years since he was a student. Except that the price has increased a little, the decoration of the store is cleaner, and there is little change.
Xinyu, a fifth tier city located in the middle of Jiangxi Province, has neither river transportation nor sea transportation. Due to its iron ore resources, it has developed into a standard industrial city. As the smallest prefecture level city in the province, it has only one district and one county, with a permanent resident population of only 1.2 million.
In the late 1950s, the first generation of workers from all over the country gathered here. In that passionate year, they were far away from their hometown, devoted their youth to the construction of the motherland, and finally took root here. For a long time, Xinyu Iron and Steel Group, a state-owned enterprise established for more than 60 years, has been the most important pillar of the local economy.
As the child of an employee of a state-owned iron and steel company, Li Lei and his colleagues have a common identity - the children of factories and mines. Like most children from factories and mines, they are only children. They have known each other since childhood. They go to school together in kindergartens, primary schools and high schools. They live in the same family residential area, and may even be born in the same hospital. They grew up in Mandarin and are not connected with the local dialect.
Before 2005, the iron and steel industry accounted for 70% of the city's GDP. Until recent years, other industries have gradually developed in this small city, and three other listed companies have emerged. One company named " Ganfeng Lithium Co.Ltd(002460) " has already exceeded 100 billion in market value under the wind of new energy, and is the global leader in the field of lithium industry, It has also become a "net red" enterprise because of the attention of investors.
Nevertheless, there are not many people like Li Lei who choose to go home to work. After studying abroad, most young people go to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, or better second tier cities. "If you go home, it means that there are only good choices for teachers, civil servants and state-owned enterprises." Among Li Lei's classmates, those who stay in their hometown are basically these destinations.
Big times are tides, and life in small towns can always be happy and comfortable. Especially in factories and mines, they live a self-sufficient life. The older generation can hardly live a lifetime without leaving the factory, but the attraction to young people here is much less than before.
rise and fall of factories and mines
Some people say that the feelings of most children in factories and mines towards their hometown generally go through several stages from self-identity, dislike to nostalgia.
Li Lei remembers that when he was a child, other friends in the city were full of envy for factories and mines, and the children of factories and mines also recognized their identity. Most of their previous generation came from all over the world, and there was a clear distance from the locals in geography and heart.
Li Lei's hometown is in other provinces. Since his grandfather's generation, his family has come to the factory, and most of his classmates come from other cities and provinces in the province, and even many of his hometown are in Shanghai. When he was a child, Li Lei's neighbor was a Shanghai couple. They had a strong Jiangsu and Zhejiang accent and their daily clothes were quite exquisite. So that when he grew up, many of his classmates chose to develop in Shanghai.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the iron and steel industry developed in full swing. Within a decade, China's iron and steel output doubled from 40 million tons to 80 million tons. Li Lei's steel company is also changing with each passing day. It has built gymnasiums, cultural palaces, dance halls, cinemas, etc. in the early 1990s, the factory also raised funds to build houses.
As long as I can remember, Li Lei and his classmates moved from the staff house in the 1960s to the new building. Because his home is not far from school, he made an appointment with his companions to go to and from school.
Li Lei still vaguely remembers that when he was a child, the trade union of his parents' unit often held various fellowship activities in the dance hall. During the Spring Festival, the unit would give a lot of benefits. Every summer, there were cold drink tickets and ice cream soda. At school, the school will hold literary and artistic performances in the theater at the end of each year. At ordinary times, it will uniformly organize to watch movies. Life is simple, happy and booming.
In Liu Yue's memory of the post-80s generation, when he was a student, looking out of the classroom window, he could see thick smoke from the chimney in the distance. It was a factory that operated continuously 365 days a year.
Only after growing up, there are not many companions willing to stay in their hometown. "After all, iron and steel is a heavy industry. It is very hard, there is a certain pollution, and there are some technical barriers. Young people are not willing to do much."
In the 21st century, a series of new changes have taken place in the iron and steel industry. Iron and steel overcapacity has brought great impact to this industry. Large iron and steel enterprises are transforming to modernization one after another. Traditional iron and steel enterprises with high energy consumption are gradually lagging behind, and Li Lei's parents' units have also had poor benefits for several times. It was not until recent years that the company gradually got out of the dilemma under the policy and its own efforts.
However, with the growth and development of small partners, the residential area is gradually deserted, and the life here has lost its former excitement. "The south of the city is slowly getting old. Families with good conditions usually move to the north of the city and drive to the south of the city to work."
It was not until several years after graduation that Wang Xin, the post-90s generation, led by her cousin, really walked into the factory where her parents used to work for the first time. This factory area with a total area of about 6.3 million square meters is completely different from the dirty and messy steel factory she remembered when she was a child.
More than ten kilometers of cement roads have been replaced with asphalt roads. Each functional workshop is arranged in a staggered manner. She is shocked by the huge production machines in front of her. "The first time I observed it so close, it was still a little shocking. The first reaction at that time was that steel was made in this way."
But for Wang Xin, she has gradually adapted to the pace of life in other places, and going home will never be the first choice. Now, she occasionally recalls the life in the factory, goes home to have a look when she is free, and goes to the familiar breakfast shop with her classmates in her hometown. Although everyone chooses a different life, the social relationship of acquaintances formed by the children of factories and mines is almost undivided.
people left
After finishing college in other provinces, Li Lei also spent two years in Shenzhen and bought a house with the support of his family, but the fast-paced life in first tier cities made him feel stressed. Finally, he chose to go home to work, marry his former classmates and live a rich and comfortable life.
The same is true of Xingzi, who is also a post-90s generation. When she just graduated, she went to Beijing and came back to get married and have children after floating for more than a year. Now she is a teacher in school. When she is free, she will work as a part-time anchor on the radio. Although she occasionally misses the busy international trade and chezai noodles in convenience stores, in retrospect, going home is at least a decision she won't regret.
Because he didn't go to university, Shi Jun, who graduated from the technical school in 83, worked in Xingang for nearly 20 years.
On New Year's Eve this year, Shi Jun hurried to the evening shift after a hurried New Year's Eve dinner with his family.
Different from ordinary enterprises, most of the children of factories and mines have no holidays, especially the front-line workers. They work in three shifts. Even on New Year's Eve, they have to work normally when they are in your shift. However, different from the overtime that is used to in big cities, the factory basically goes to and from work on time.
Living here since childhood, Shi Jun is familiar with the development of Xingang. In his memory, in 1997 and 2007, the company's efficiency was not good, and it was almost impossible to pay wages. "It's really much better in recent years, and the factory has been expanded. Some workers can get more than 10000 wages."
Also in 2007, Xingang started the transformation of shanty towns. A number of old bungalows and buildings were demolished and high-rise commercial houses were built. In the same year, Xingang achieved overall listing through fixed increase. With the expansion of economies of scale, the company has increased the recruitment of fresh graduates, and another group of young people from all over the country have come to this small city to participate in the development of the iron and steel industry.
In 2021, the revenue of Xingang exceeded 100 billion yuan, and the net profit is expected to be about 4-4.5 billion yuan, with a year-on-year increase of 48.33% - 66.67%. During the Spring Festival this year, in addition to the year-end bonus, the unit also paid 3000 yuan to the on-the-job and retired employees, including 400 yuan to the retired employees. "Last year, steel prices rose all the way, and the state also adjusted steel export tariffs. The benefits of the company were good, and the treatment of employees was improved as a whole."
Today, the Shi Jun family lives with their retired father. They have been working steadily for ten years and live a well-off life. Every summer vacation, Shi Jun will take a good annual leave and take his family to travel to various cities. However, due to the epidemic, they have no chance to go out again in the past two years.
In the second half of this year, his daughter will go to high school. In order to improve her grades, Shi Jun often asks where the teacher makes up lessons, and then takes her daughter to class. Fortunately, her daughter's grades are among the best in the grade. The current goal is to test the key high schools in the market and finally a good university. Perhaps in the bottom of Shi Jun's heart, he still expects his daughter to get out of here through a good university.
"wanghong" company
In 2020, Xinyu's GDP exceeded 100 billion for the first time. Although it does not rank high in the province, its per capita GDP has always been among the best. At the same time, in order to reduce the dependence on the steel industry, some new industries are gradually growing in this small town, including the lithium battery industry which is in the new energy outlet in recent years.
Liu Hua has worked in the largest local lithium battery enterprise ( Ganfeng Lithium Co.Ltd(002460) ) for eight years. He works from 12 pm to 4 pm before the Spring Festival. Fortunately, I was originally a local. I can have a reunion dinner with my family at noon and then go to the unit.
"We are basically locals here, and outsiders are fresh college students. The company has developed in recent years, and many college students will be recruited every year."
Ganfeng Lithium Co.Ltd(002460) was founded in 2000. At that time, the main source of GDP in the city was steel mills, but the government also began to support emerging industries. Shi Jun still remembers that in the early years, the photovoltaic industry in the city developed rapidly. At that time, the global photovoltaic market was booming, and the small town newly introduced the photovoltaic industry. At that time, only the local leading photovoltaic enterprises monopolized 20% of the global photovoltaic market share. However, later, the industry experienced a cold winter, and many enterprises did not stick to it.
In the past decade, the lithium battery industry has risen. At present, there are 66 lithium battery and new energy enterprises in this small town, forming a relatively complete lithium battery industry chain including lithium salt, lithium battery anode and cathode materials and battery applications. Among them, the annual capacity of lithium salt reaches 159500 tons, accounting for 25% of the world and 39% of the country.
In 2021, Liu Hua's Ganfeng Lithium Co.Ltd(002460) lithium salt production capacity reached 120000 tons. American Yabao lithium industry, with a production capacity of more than 80000 tons, jumped to the first in the world and became the world's largest supplier of lithium salt and metal lithium. In the past year, Ganfeng Lithium Co.Ltd(002460) expected net profit reached 4.8-5.5 billion yuan, an increase of 368.45% - 436.76% over the same period of the previous year.
"These years, the company's treatment is OK. Basically, the year-end bonus will be given every year. This year, there will be more, and the front-line workers also have about 5000 yuan." In his impression, the boss is a real entrepreneur. However, Liu Hua also admitted that because the company is still expanding and the employee base is large, the overall welfare is not as good as the company that also makes lithium batteries nearby. "Their scale is behind us, but it is said that the treatment is much better. Even the workshop monitor has shares."
During the Spring Festival, Liu Hua and his colleagues still work as usual and live a three shift life. however. According to him, the company will resume two shifts in two years. "At that time, the working hours will be longer and the time to go home will be reduced."
Despite its reputation and more than 140000 shareholders, few local people know Ganfeng Lithium Co.Ltd(002460) if it is not for stock speculation. "I bought this stock in 2018. At that time, the cost was only 40 yuan, but I quickly sold it after making a small profit, and the floating profit was hundreds of yuan." A local shareholder said that in just two years, the stock has doubled several times. At the peak, the price per share once reached more than 200 yuan, and the market value exceeded 200 billion.
"I know that the company's stock has risen a lot in recent years, but our front-line employees have great pressure from their families and basically won't speculate in stocks." As far as Liu Hua knows, not many ordinary employees like him buy company shares. In the new year, he hopes the company can continue to develop, improve their treatment and spend more time with his family.
