Preface As the Northeast“Red Double”Fades out of Sight
MY UNDERSTANDING OF the old industrial base of the Northeast began with that of the lives of the ordinary people.
At the end of the 1980's, my wife and daughter moved from our hometown of Kunming to Beijing, where I work in the army. As it was a long journey they carried with them only a blanket roll.Stuck in a military compound dorm on Chang'an Avenue, they began to acclimatize to the capital, realizing that they could no longer take refuge in our hometown as they did back before.At that time we hadn't even any pots and pans, and instead scraped by with the bowls gifted to us in Changsha from an auntie working at the Hunan Daily newspaper.Then came the pressure cooker, bought for us by an old military comrade working for the quartermaster sector.As I took it up in my hands, I could feel it was heavy.Looking upon it, I saw that is was a Red Double Happiness pressure cooker, manufactured in Shenyang.
One evening, I stood aside and watched my wife cooking in the corridor. Just as it was time to lift the pot she suddenly asked me to hand her the MSG.I stepped into the room and picked up a bag.As I held it I noticed immediately on the label the picture of a red plum flower, signifying that the MSG was also produced in Shenyang.Later I found that my wife would most often buy the Red Plum brand MSG, and would sometimes buy a 500g bag of the stuff, enough to last a whole year.
“You can't eat MSG as much as you eat rice，”said I，“Why did you buy so much all at once?”
My wife covered her mouth when she laughed. She answered，“Surely you can't eat MSG as much, but I can't cook without it.I bought a lot because I'm worried about the price；it may rise overnight.I bough enough for a whole year.”
I laughed and shook my head.
My wife said to me，“There is nothing to laugh about. We are common people living our common life；we think about our cookware, dining ware and condiments all the time.”
Therefore, day after day and year after year, the Red Double Happiness pressure cooker and the Red Plum MSG had always been a part of our life.
Time passed like a dream. The same life had been replaced by a new lifestyle in the capital city of China.Without realizing it, the new millennium had arrived.My position equivalent to a Division Commander had resulted to two apartments offered to me by the army.Though they added up to a mere 100m2，we paid great attention to decorations and we had to buy new kitchenware.We gave the 13-year-old Red Double Happiness pressure cooker away to the decorating worker as it had become too old.He liked the small present.However, after we moved, we could not find the trace of another Red Double Happiness pressure cooker in the market.It had quietly been replaced by the brand Supor.
Nevertheless, I had grown quite fond of my Red Double Happiness as I had used the old pressure cooker for 13 years. I also found brands like Red Double Happiness, produced in the old industrial base, very trustworthy.Therefore, I asked my friends in Shenyang to look for the same cooker in Northeast China.However, nothing was found.We had to abandon the idea of cooking with a pressure cooker since I would not purchase another brand.
It did not take long before the Red Plum MSG disappeared from my kitchen. When I cooked one day, I realized that my wife and daughter had brought home a different brand.
I did not understand how I lost the“double red”. How could both of the two brands fade out of sight of the Chinese people?I could not find the answer to the question.
On September 28th，2011，I was invited to visit the old industrial base in Shenyang.
That afternoon, after the interview in the propaganda office in Tiexi District Party Committee, the director of the office, Zhao Jiukui, accompanied me to the next interview in New Workers'Suburb. We stepped on the SUV and drove towards the new Model Workers'Building.
Zhao Jiukui used to be a worker himself. After graduating from a secondary technical school in 1980s, he was assigned to a factory and worked as a fitter.He had always been engaged in play of words.The director of the factory admired him a lot and had him transferred to the publicity office to work as a cadre in drafting marketing materials and revenue reports.During mid-1990s when the factory was in trouble, he found a position in the community office before he was promoted to work for Tiexi District Party Committee.He had luckily avoided an ill fate when“the eldest son”of China's industrialization fell down.
It was a sunny afternoon in Shenyang. Pieces of golden sunlight had painted the earth with its autumn color.Despite the autumn wind, there was no trace of the cold weather in the sky.On my way to New Workers'Suburb in Tiexi, I sighed as I talked about my search for the Red Double Happiness and the Red Plum.Zhao Jiukui told me that the old factory of the Red Double Happiness was in the district of Shenhe, not far from where we were.However, the factory had been empty for a long time as the land was occupied for other use.
“Why is that?Has the factory moved to somewhere else?”
“The factory was closed down long time ago！”
“How about the workers?Can I talk to them?”
“Maybe I can find a couple of my classmates who used to work there.”
“Sure！I'd love to talk to them some time！”
“That could be done. But they need wine！They don't want to bring back those bad memories unless they are drunk.”
“Of course！”I nodded and said，“I will do whatever they need. But what had caused the closing down of the factory?The Red Double Happiness had been a great brand！”
“To start with, they could not adjust to the market needs. Companies in the South are so sensitive to the needs of customers and households；they produce whatever people want.The Red Double Happiness, on the other hand, had not changed for decades！They couldn't attract their target customers, young housewives.”
“But they had the best patent！They produced safe and reliable products. They had their own core technology！”
“The chief engineer of the factory was headhunted by another company. All the patents and technologies went with him.”
Zhao Jiukui told me the story behind the fall of the Red Double Happiness：the factory was in great difficulty and the workers were not paid. A pressure cooker company from South China offered an annual salary of 200，000 Yuan alongside a car and an apartment to the chief engineer and invited him to move to South China.
The chief engineer struggled for a long time. However, he had to support his old parents and young children.His fellow workers had been laid off, turning the streets in Tiexi“the street of poverty；”the difficult life had pushed many husbands to send their wives on the bike to attract“special clients”in Guangrong Road.It was a dark, sorrowful time.The chief engineer was one of many university graduates that moved to“the paradise”of New Workers'Suburb.He got married in“the paradise”and had an apartment of 40m2.Many were envious of his happy life.However, his glory and dream were blown away by the cold wind on the barren land of Northeast China.
Seeing his dreams fading away and his future lost, the chief engineer bowed down to people in the factory and said，“I apologize for my betrayal to all of you in the factory. The state-owned factory cannot save me；I must try to save myself.”Then he left.
An annual salary of 200，000 Yuan was too difficult to reject.
After the chief engineer joined the company in South China, he had spared no effort in improving the material and technology of the Red Double Happiness. He had contributed to the production of the most advanced pressure cooker in the world.
As the new company's pressure cooker gained its popularity all over China, the Red Double Happiness had seen its fall.
“What could we do?One traitor had smashed the future of all of us！”said one of the old workers.
“You can't say that！”said Zhao Jiukui.“It is normal that one would only seek for a better future. The chief engineer left the factory because he had no choice！”
“True，”I agreed as I finally understood why I could no longer find a new Red Double Happiness pressure cooker.“What about the Red Plum?”
“The Red Plum is still here！”
“Really?Why can't I find any in Beijing?”
“Its sales had decreased. Only us in Northeast China want their MSG.”
“How come?I thought they were doing well！”
“It's complicated，”sighed Zhao Jiukui，“It's an old factory established in 1950s. They had to raise too many retired workers.It had such a big burden.”
“How did they survive after all?”
“One of their workers quit the job and started his own business. He became really rich and he bought the brand and the factory.”
As the car arrived at the intersection in front of New Workers'Suburb, the story behind the fading of the Northeast“double red”had drawn to an end.
The driver stopped the car as he could not find his way.
I jumped out of the car as well and looked at one of the streets. I saw an era fading out of sight；it was an era where miracles were made on the vast land of Northeast China.
As the car started again towards the old paradise in New Workers'Suburb, I started my journey in a different time and space.