Sichuan Mianning Silk Factory: those years, those things

Author: Wang Xueli

Silk factory workers gathered in Xichang

Silk factory workers gathered in Chengdu

The existence of Mianning Silk Factory , is just a moment in the long history. It started in 1959. The old factory was located in the Huning Valley. It was moved to Mianning County in 1970. In the middle of 2000, the company completely stopped production.

Everything is fate, everything is smoke. Before the bell of 2021 rings, the Mianning Silk Factory will disappear with the roar of bulldozers.

How I wish the years would leave behind the past, the glory of the past, the outstanding contributions, the unforgettable everything: the pain, sadness, helplessness, happiness, joy and achievements... although they are all It's so unremarkable, but it's engraved in people's hearts, reverberating in the sea of ????mind like a sound in the ears. Now, everything is in vain, everything is in the past, and nothing will ever return! The events, feelings, fates, grievances, joys and sorrows of those years still carry scattered shadows in my heart, touching the softness in my soul, and clear memories are always flowing in the river of memory. context….

The big words at the entrance of Mianning Silk Factory are so vigorous and powerful.

The bell of 2021 has just rang, and the damn bulldozing has already begun. It works.

Now: every house recorded in the photos is a picture and a story, every picture is a photo, every story is a poem, and every journey can evoke ripples of memory...

Today, I want to present this beautiful article to let these bits and pieces remember the yesterday that has passed away. Remember the years we were together, those things...

The factory building with red bricks and blue tiles was the most magnificent building in the county at that time.

Although it was just a former workshop with broken eaves and broken walls, it was still very hot and red at that time. Describe it in four words: so awesome!

Especially this tall chimney is the tallest building in the county. The sound of the whistle on the commute every day will disturb every corner of the county.

How majestic the office building was in the past. The flow of people coming in and out of the sales department and finance department, the exchange of silk products, the flow of bank checks and cash, all reflect the atmosphere of the silk factory everywhere. Thrive and prosper.

The family building at that time was so eye-catching and fashionable among the adobe walls of the county town. This cement and steel building was so eye-catching!

In the photo, you can vaguely see the microcosm of the silk weaving workshop (on the left) and the silk reeling workshop (on the right). As soon as the sound of the steam seedlings is sounded, how many youthful memories are left on this road. Footprints, hurried footsteps.

Mianning's unique sunshine and soil make the cocoons here large, thick, white and round, which is an important raw material for the province's foreign trade exports. > Of course, what I cannot forget are the entrepreneurs in Luning. In the ravine of Luning, where transportation is inconvenient and the terrain is dangerous, you worked entirely by hand, although it was hard, even though your hands were in the alkaline water for a long time. The seams between your fingers are all ulcerated due to soaking, and the itching and pain often keep you awake at night. But you still insist on production, allowing the small products in the small valley to be exposed to the world. It was only because of you that the Mianning Silk Factory existed.

Pay tribute to the entrepreneurs in the picture and the old workers who built the factory! May you take good care of yourself and be happy and healthy in your later years!

You are so bright, handsome guys from Luning Silk Factory! !

Xiao Deqing, the factory director, lived in poverty all his life. From Luning to Mianning, from the establishment of the factory to the rise and fall of the silk factory, he led the employees all the way and worked hard in the silk factory for decades. Later, the silk factory closed down. I was seriously ill in the hospital, and even reimbursement of medical expenses became a "difficulty" after I left.

The silk reeling workshop used to be so hot, these semi-mechanized silk reeling. The machine won glory for the country, gained momentum for Liangshan, brought considerable income to Mianning's finances, and also solved the employment problem for the educated youth and social youth at that time.

Mianning Silk Factory was the county's largest enterprise at that time. It was the only state-owned enterprise in the county. At its peak, it had nearly a thousand employees and 108 silk reeling machines with a capacity of 5,000 threads. It was the largest taxpayer in the county.

The new factory was officially opened in 1971. The government allowed the recruitment of workers from educated youths sent to the countryside. Therefore, local educated youths and Chengdu educated youths became the main force of the new silk factory at that time, bringing fresh blood to the new factory.

It is also the most beautiful sight among the young men in various public institutions in the county

The silk reeling workshop works in two shifts, and the work is very difficult. In addition to standing for eight hours, the hands have been operating in hot water. Therefore, every new employee who has just entered the factory has experienced the occupational disease of ulcerated fingers: itching and painful.

Sometimes, in order to catch up on production, we work overtime on "Satellite Release", and the working hours are more than ten hours. However, all factory leaders also work the evening shift. When they pushed the cocoon cart to the workshop, the naughty silk reelers hung cocoon bags, cocoon bags, waste silk, etc. on their back waistbands. When they saw the figure of their cart swaying in the workshop, they felt exhausted. Laughter came from every corner of the workshop. But the person involved just smiled honestly... The friendly scenes and strong human touch make fatigue and sleepiness disappear.

We were the first batch of educated youth to enter the factory in 1971. We are all happy to be able to join the only state-owned enterprise in the county.

During the three-month training period for new workers, the factory party committee secretary was a decentralized cadre of the army. Every morning, at dawn, the sound of the urging bugle woke us up: we all bleary-eyed and ran to the playground to assemble. It's also hard for this old man who has been a soldier to lead us to "goose step" every day, and he must follow the rules. When I was an educated youth, I was used to being free and loose. Those days were really hard on us people. But we dare not slack off at all. It was with great difficulty that I took off my farm clothes and put on my work clothes. We cherish this job very much.

On holidays, we often help our rural colleagues work in the fields. Were you young then? My whole body feels like I have endless energy!

The rear reeling workshop is also considered a finished product workshop. When the previously reeled raw silk is returned into pieces, the finished product is weaved and finished.

The wire rewinding workshop is not a high-tech job, but it is a high-temperature job. Winter is better, but in summer, the lowest temperature in the rewinding carriage is above 36 degrees, and the rewinding workers' joints and threading ends are all inside the carriage. Everyone on duty is dripping with sweat and their face is stained with sweat.

Look at the workers in the reeling workshop. Although they are covered with coarse cloth, they cannot conceal their youthful beauty.

The raw silk produced by our factory is well-known at home and abroad. It has become a hot commodity in the market because of its good feel, high quality and bright color.

Designated export products for foreign trade.

For the establishment of the silk weaving workshop, workshop director Meng Shiping has devoted a lot of effort.

He was transferred to the machine repair workshop of the factory to take care of his wife's relationship, but he was completely blank about the silk industry. But it depends on your own efforts and research. I just drew on this piece of white paper the silk products that are in short supply on the market, especially the various silk quilt covers, which are the best choice for people in the county town as gifts.

No matter what happens or where, Mianning Silk Factory is full of "positive energy".

In the Liangshan Prefecture Silk Reeling Competition, our factory always wins the first place.

Participating in a competition at Huidong Silk Factory

In order to improve the quality of employees, the factory often goes to the county to invite relevant personnel to provide professional training. Employees participated enthusiastically just for a certificate.

Commemorative activities for the 30th anniversary of the founding of the factory

A commendation meeting attended by county leaders.

Every time the county organizes various activities, the silk factory always shines.

The chorus team includes young and old alike.

The silk factory’s private party in the county auditorium brought so much joy and happiness to the closed county town!

A father and daughter visiting the new city

This repertoire added a touch of color to the silk factory workers’ gathering.

The handsome girl and handsome guy in the silk weaving workshop often cooperate with various activities in the county, going to the grassroots and touring the countryside.

We celebrate the Double Ninth Festival for retired employees every year. Although we just have a meal and play some small games, everyone is happy and happy!

Let’s take a group photo and keep it as a souvenir!

Among the field activities organized by the labor union for employees, the most unforgettable thing was the "tuotuo meat" cooked by Akzi, which was crispy and tender. Take a piece of it from the steaming large iron pot and dip it in some salt and sea pepper noodles. On the shore of Yi Sea, on the lawn, under the blue sky and white clouds, chewing big food. Devouring it in big mouthfuls, the texture and taste are simply "unforgettable"... Later, every time I returned to Mianning, I would order this dish in the restaurant. Although it was gorgeously decorated and visually pleasing to the eyes, this piece of meat was not as good as the other piece of meat. Why is it so tasteless, tasteless, and without a strong appetite?

Hand in hand on the lawn, they danced the "Tatti Dance."

The beautiful shadows on the edge of the Yi Sea.

The sports activities in the factory are also lively. Women's work units are, of course, women's world. Whether it's basketball, tug of war, fun activity competitions. The children and gentlemen from each family moved a stool to sit outside the venue and kept shouting: "Mom, come on!" Come on, mom! The scene: warm and peaceful.

The male workers in the machine repair shop are all elites in the factory and the "husbands" of the family. Although they are both "good husbands" at home, men's naturally active personalities inevitably do weird things sometimes.

The boiler in the factory is broken. Liu Jiankang, the director of the machine repair shop, led a group of people to repair the problem overnight. When the task was almost completed, a male employee said to Director Liu: I am too hungry. I will go out and pack some wild food to satisfy my hunger.

Several younger employees climbed over the factory wall and took back a large amount of corn from the farmers' fields. Everyone used the boiler, which was already functioning, and after eating the roasted corn, they made arrangements with the boiler worker on duty. Handover. I went home to catch up on my sleep with my chubby belly.

Director Liu’s home is near the factory. When he was woken up by his mother yelling loudly in his dream, he learned that his cornfield had been raided last night. When he followed his mother to the messy land, he was also very frightened: Can't you just break up with these brats? A large piece of "injured" corn splashed on the ground, which made everyone feel heartbroken when they saw it... He grabbed his mother's hand and said: Stop scolding, I asked them to come. My mother was so angry that she scolded: You are a pick-up kid, I guess it was someone from the silk factory who did it...

The male employees of the silk reeling factory are all "baby bumps". When they were young, they were just as young and handsome!

When it comes to taking photos, the children dive into the crowd. The old photos themselves are blurry, and it is difficult to tell who is the child of whose family and whose face is whose. But look at that cheerful smiling face and that warm picture, won’t it bring back ripples of our memories?

This is also an unforgettable old photo. Decades later, it's still so clear and perfect.

In front of the red bricks and blue tiles, what remains is not only our beautiful figures, but also our love for life and work.

Unforgettable old colleagues and old leaders

Secretary Lei is a veteran cadre who has transferred from the army battalion level. He has worked conscientiously in the silk factory for decades, but his retirement salary is not as good as that of many veterans. staff.

Mu Niang is the old leader and our caring elder.

Wu Sha is our old leader, the workshop manager of Class A. She may seem stern on the surface, but she actually has a kind and gentle heart.

Shortly after joining the silk factory, there was an earthquake in Mianning County, and I was working the evening shift of class A that day. I don’t know where a sudden rumor came from, saying that there was going to be an earthquake that night. We were so ignorant that we couldn't sleep after get off work, and the dormitory was a mess.

We have just been transferred from the countryside. We cherish this job, but we love our lives even more. I don’t know who suggested it, rather than waiting to die here. It’s better to go home and run for your life!

I packed some things in a hurry and cooked all the bacon and sausages sent from home that I had been reluctant to eat. Leaving a mess behind, more than twenty educated youths from other places fled collectively to the bus station to spend the night, waiting for the early morning bus to Lugu to board the train the next day. On the train, they kept asking each other: Was it shaken? Was it shaken? ….

More than twenty days have passed, and there has been no earthquake in the county, so we returned to the factory dejectedly.

Our departure almost paralyzed Class A. As a follow-up manager, it was inevitable for the factory leaders to criticize her. We were both educated youths from other places, and none of Class B left. But we couldn’t live up to expectations. She not only caused trouble, but also... that indescribable sadness.

On the first day, the factory did not allow us to go to work and asked Wu Sha to hold a meeting for us to get to know each other and review our work.

Sitting on the dam, looking at us all with our heads down and timidly, her heart ached. Shen Ming was silent for a long time and said: Don't be so impulsive again. Because there can be no second forgiveness!

Master Mao taught me the technique step by step. May you be healthy and happy!

They were all "artistic youths" of that era. He is versatile in playing piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, playing music and singing. Open personality, free and easy temperament. Now, it's at least "wrist level".

Every year, March and April are the windy seasons, and the wind is so strong that it’s not too much to describe it as howling like a ghost or a wolf. That night, the wind blew so violently again.

The literary and artistic young people in the collective dormitory were concentrating on practicing their personal hobbies. Even though the open door of the dormitory was bumping against the door frame back and forth in the wind, I remained unmoved.

Boiler workers who had to get up early to go to work lived across the door from the dormitory. The collision between the door and the door frame prevented them from sleeping. I want to endure it! They will definitely close it later. But the quieter the night became, the louder the banging on the door became. The boiler workers endured it until their hearts almost jumped out of their chests, but they still turned a blind eye to the people in the dormitory next to them. There was no other way, so the boilermen found a rope and tied the door tightly to the bolt.

The next morning, the first one to get up was Qi Pa, who climbed out of the window. The second, third, and fourth also climbed out of the window. What's even weirder is that the person who climbed out first didn't even think about "unbolting" the door and opening the door first.

In those years, we lived in the same dormitory. In addition to four beds in the crowded dormitory, there was only room to turn around in the remaining space. Therefore, the cooking utensils used to improve meals during holidays are placed on the floor, and only cutting boards and knives are placed between the two beds.

One time I posted a "dream joke". In my sleep, I rolled out of bed and seemed to be walking in front of the parking space. My hands were waving wildly and I muttered to myself: Why is this "cocoon nest" so messy? Why can't I follow this thread...?

You who wake up from my torment ask: What are you doing? At this time, I woke up as if from a dream, quickly went to bed, and fell asleep again, but you, especially you, had almost no sleep all night. The next day, you suggested hiding all the sharp tools in the dormitory. To prevent me from sleepwalking again, I pick up a kitchen knife and touch everyone's heads and chop them like watermelons...

We live in the same dormitory, and you made a lot of jokes when the county announced you as "Little Chang Bao"! Sometimes you are in a bad mood at work, and there are too many silk reeling machines, and when you cannot keep up with the fast speed of the operation, the unknown fire in your heart will spontaneously ignite: in your angry mind, you will burn twenty threads of silk in one hand. Pulling it all off, I said to myself fiercely: I will make you mess! I call you chaos! Then he rushed out of the workshop angrily, sat down at the door of the workshop and breathed heavily...

After calming down, you obediently return to the parking space to pierce the eye again and connect... Couldn't you have parked the car and calmed down instead of having to "destroy" it all over again?

Xiao Lin is my hometown. What we will never forget the most is when we first entered the factory and had to squat in the public toilet.

The public toilet at that time was just a long hole dug in the ground. There is no partition in between, let alone a septic tank. On hot days, the tail-dragging maggots crawl all over the ground and run rampant on the walls. As soon as you enter the toilet, you can hear the sound of squelching. Exposed cesspools: The urine is soaked into the soil, and all that is left in the eyes is dried feces and rotten toilet paper. I feel like vomiting as soon as I enter the toilet! If you squat for a long time, maggots with trailing tails will crawl onto the uppers of your shoes, and the buzzing blowflies will make you keep flapping them with your hands. When I walked out of the toilet, I could smell the stench from a few meters away. Among the female workers in the silk factory, some slipped into the pit with their feet due to panic when going to the toilet, and some suddenly stood up due to diarrhea and fainted in the long pit covered in urine and feces, and the feces was wrapped in rotten toilet paper. …. Think of that embarrassment, that shyness, that smell...! Fortunately, the silk reeling factory is not short of water...

She is the first college student among the old employees of the silk factory. It is true that talented women come from poor families!

My parents are both veteran factory builders, and my father has some culture and artistic talent. He liked to listen to Hong Kong, Macao and foreign songs at that time and was labeled as a counter-revolutionary and bad element. Not only has the salary been reduced, the whole family has also suffered.

Unable to get a worker dormitory in the factory, the four children and their parents lived in a collective dormitory room of more than ten square meters. Even with a bed and a cupboard in the room, there was no room for the children to read or write. Even the kitchen could only be built in the hallway. Life is even more simple. Pickled cabbage is the main dish on her family's dinner table.

Children of poor people have already become masters. Fortunately, the kids kept up the good work. Especially as the eldest sister, she leads her younger siblings to do housework when she comes back from school. Only in the evenings and holidays did she have the opportunity to squeeze in time to read and study hard! It's on the admission letter from that university. In those spring, summer, autumn and winter nights, under the street lamp in the factory's electrical workshop, there were many shadows of her studying hard...

In those difficult years, the female workers in the silk reeling factory hurriedly patrolled in front of the two-meter operating table when they went to work, with their hands soaked in alkaline water. When I got home, I was even busier: I kept sewing, mending, and washing, and I had to plan three meals a day. This sewing machine, which I worked so hard for, has been moved countless times and everything has been replaced, but it still remains.

In those years, the clothes of the whole family, old and young, were all the same: three years of new clothes, three years of old clothes, and three more years of mending.

Let’s talk about our children! There is no comparison between the life and growing environment of those days and the children of today.

Although they are "free range", they all grow strong and strong. The special environment has created their special abilities. When they grow up, the children who come out of the silk factory may not be towering trees or pillars of the country, but they are well positioned in their respective life trajectories. In other words: they are all grass, but grass can also provide shade!

Although the children’s living conditions are poor, they grow up carefree and happy.

Let’s have a race with the cows!

Arch jump! Do children today dare to play?

Since the silk factory has a kindergarten, it has reduced a lot of worries for the employees.

In the first few years, there was no kindergarten in the factory. The children all go to work with their parents. Especially single-earner families. Their children grew up entirely in the workshop. There is a small bed behind each parking space for single workers. Unfortunately, there are no photos from that time. It is really a beautiful scenery in the silk reeling workshop. The leaders at that time were very kind and righteous, and colleagues were also very friendly. As long as there are children crying, those who can have a little free time: mechanics, cooks, cocoon delivery workers, administrators... Anyone can be a babysitter for children.

During holidays and Sundays, children never have the pressure of cram schools or the worries of studying. They just play and have fun! Of course, there were fights and even injuries. But parents never protect their children, and there is no "overnight feud" between children.

These children who grew up in the factory area are now achieving success in their respective jobs.

My favorite thing at that time was going out with my family on Sundays.

It’s another Sunday.

The children all ran ahead. These mothers were still breathing heavily in the middle of the mountain

When they arrived at their destination, each family took out the jelly, cold noodles, pancakes, rice balls and various cold dishes and stewed vegetables prepared the night before and placed them on the grass. . The adults sat on the floor, and the children swarmed up. Playful and playful grabbing for food... That scene: wild and interesting, warm and harmonious!

The children of old workers and the second-generation workers of the silk factory are even more affectionate. Under the initiative and leadership of Master Jiang's son Jiang Zhibin, the children had money and ability to contribute. From time to time, they would gather their elderly uncles and aunts together, allowing them to get together happily and reminisce about the past years and things. Those unforgettable past...

Distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. This sentence could not be more appropriate for those of us who were our neighbors.

Colleagues get along very harmoniously. We are all from the same place. It is only natural that we help and take care of each other.

She likes my daughter, a single worker who lives in Chengdu. She always helps me take care of my children when she has time after get off work. As long as she had something to do at home in Chengdu, she would throw the key to me regardless of time or place and say: I'm going back. Please help clean up the dormitory. oh! There is also a basin of clothes soaked and unwashed... It's so casual, so indifferent.

You two lived next door to me, before my husband was transferred here. Every time I go to the movie team to watch "Baba Movie", you two will help me bring the bench. After the movie ended, help me change hands to hold the baby. I didn't go that night and went to bed early with my nursing daughter. I was woken up by the knocking on the door from you two. He opened the door sleepily and asked what happened: You two said there was a thief at home. Ask me if I heard anything or saw anything?

I’m going to take a look at your house, my God! Although there were not many things in the house, it was in a mess.

I shook my head in embarrassment... It’s hard to believe that during the day, the rotten floor would creak when stepped on, let alone at night. You can imagine how deeply I slept. Not to mention that the thief had to climb over the back wall of our two bedrooms!

We are neighbors, and we all live with our families in an old house of less than 14 square meters. In the small room, the rotten floor was riddled with holes gnawed by rats. It creaks when you walk on it. In the wooden house, I didn't dare to light a fire to cook, so I had to build a kitchen in the little space against the back wall. After finishing the evening shift, you and I would work together to grab the wooden boards and red bricks needed to build the employee dormitories in the factory. Once I was almost discovered by the security department. We were hiding in the dark, not daring to come out. My daughter, who slept on my back that night, was also happy. There was no sound at all.

What a risk...

Do you still remember the earthquake in Mianning in those years? Our two families are neighbors, and we sleep under the big bed in the trial room every night. Your Mr. Jin is sleeping up there. Think about it: if there really is an earthquake. Jin Qiming, who was sleeping on it, must be the first victim!

At that time, although our wages were low, the work was hard, and the environment was poor, it was really hard for us to raise a family. But the silk factory gives me the feeling of a harmonious big family. That kind of invisible warmth, unintentional love, palpable friendship, and family affection are something I have never found again since I was transferred from the silk factory.

Treating the Silk Factory as our natal family is a feeling, a love, and a reluctant memory for those of us who have been transferred away from the Silk Factory.

As long as there is a chance, we will meet to go back to Mianning and our parents' home. Because: there are our footprints, our figures, our ups and downs, the penetration of firewood, rice, oil and salt, and the symphony of pots and pans. Nowadays, although we are far away from each other, our daughter, like a migratory bird returning south, will always be nostalgic for that habitat in her heart.

Nowadays, every face is already full of wrinkles carved by the ruthless knives of those years. But the brilliance of getting together is always so sweet.

No, I went back with the invitation.

When we meet again, I always want to leave something behind...!

Every time I go back, you always provide us with warm hospitality! Thanks, old friend! Thank you, old leader, we are not relatives but we are better than relatives.

The wine glass is picked up, the old wine is drunk, and the blessing song is sung!

It is not easy to get together, but it is even harder to meet each other. We all cherish this short moment.

Sitting on the floor, leaving behind a true relationship

Although the factory is gone, the workers' love cannot be broken.

Take a photo in Wangjiang Park.

Silk factory dolls taking photos with their parents

Old friends and colleagues always like to get together and tell old stories.

When we get together, we all forget our age, play, play, sing, and have fun!

Those beautiful girls who were on the scene in the silk reeling workshop are still so glamorous today.

There is no such thing as a banquet that lasts forever. No matter whether the sun rises tomorrow or not, my heart will still be the same! Come! Raise a glass to drink: clink glasses to the old years: with deep blessings and a incomplete memory. My fellow workers, my colleagues: Cherish the warm and cold time we once had. Feel the joy of our gathering today!

Today, the former silk factory has been submerged in the traces of history. It takes away much of our past, but it can never take away our memories of it.

The wind I have experienced, the rain I have experienced, the beauty and bitterness I have experienced. The youth and many years I have experienced...

Alas! Let this memory drag a long shadow, filled with bitter and sweet dreams, and express my beautiful stories, my true feelings, and every trace of regret...

Looking back at the passing past, now we can only let it go with the wind. Because we know: what it sends out is a dream. Dreams can keep time, but time cannot keep the dream. Then let’s condense everything in the past into the fragrance of our hearts, seal it away from the dust, and keep it in our hearts!

I wish my former workers and colleagues: health and happiness! Live freely and age gracefully!

Thanks to my old friend Liu Kailiang for providing me with those precious old photos. May your family be happy, healthy and happy!