贵州工人

《The Decorative Brick Factory: Interviews with Guizhou Workers》

Editorial note: Q = interviewer; A = Guizhou workers (mostly women, with some men). In editing, I've tried to keep the original wording and cut repetition and meaningless filler. Obvious transcription errors have been restored from context, e.g. “yao/medicine” = kiln, “chujin” = unloading/loading the kiln, “seniority bonus” = piece-rate pay, etc.

Q: What month?

A: April.

Q: And you?

A: Same, from Zunyi.

Q: Were you born in the Year of the Horse? What's your zodiac sign?

A: I'm a Snake.

Q: Oh, I'm a Snake too, two years older. You were born in '78?

A: Mm.

Q: What month?

A: The first month.

Q: Where's your family from?

A: Guizhou.

Q: Where in Guizhou?

A: Xingyi.

Q: Which two characters? Xing as in xingyi?

A: Xing as in happy—Xingyi.

Q: Before you came to Anhui, were you also doing this?

A: Yes, also doing this, five or six years. Before Anhui, I worked at a 95 brick factory.

Q: Where all have you worked?

A: Sometimes there, sometimes here. I came here in 2000, to make a living. Came here in 2000.

Q: Came to Anhui in 2000. Did someone introduce you? Who?

A: Xiao Wen, our fellow townsman. He was working here, so we came with him.

Q: I heard you came as three families?

A: Three families. They came earlier, we came later.

Q: So now it's you and your husband, plus kids?

A: We have kids. I brought the older one. There's another one here with us.

Q: Is the kid the little girl from today?

A: No, that's my younger brother's child. We have kids, they're grown.

Q: How old are your kids?

A: The youngest is sixteen. I have five kids—four daughters, one son. The son is the youngest, the fifth, almost sixteen.

Q: Does he go to school here?

A: No, not here. He doesn't want to study. Nothing we can do.

Q: If he were willing to study, would you want him to?

A: We'd want him to, yes. He doesn't want to—nothing you can do.

Q: So they're working back home now?

A: The two oldest are grown. There are still two in school. Two of the older ones are in school—actually two are still studying. One is a junior, one a sophomore, still in university.

Q: What are they studying?

A: His major—we still can't quite figure it out.

Q: They're all in university, that's pretty impressive. Where do they go?

A: Xingyi, Guizhou. One is in Guiyang.

Q: I know Guiyang. I haven't been to Xingyi. We came three years ago—we probably saw you then. Women can do this too—do you find it hard? Can you handle it?

A: It's the same work. Everywhere it's the same, more or less. Step by step. The first one is about the same. You can do it from the start. Not like the first few years—slowly, slowly, then you get used to it. At the beginning you can't handle it.

Q: After a day of this, what part of your body is the most tired?

A: Whole body tired. At night my hands go numb, I can't sleep. I can't even turn over—hands and waist. This job is hard. Hands and arms go numb. Wake up and can't sleep. Arms numb, waist sore. Want to get up to... can't get up. Too tired. The physical toll is too much. Men are okay; women get very tired.

Q: You're not that old—why not learn a skill?

A: Too late. I'm almost 50. Hard to find work anywhere.

Q: I didn't expect that. I thought you were in your 30s. You look so young, really. 48?

A: Yes, almost 50.

Q: I feel you don't look older than me, because my health is much better than yours.

A: '77 or '78, just one year older, one year older than me.

Q: They all say you're in your 30s.

A: Mm.

Q: About how long does it take from not being able to handle it to being able to?

A: About a year or two. Slowly, slowly you get used to it.

Q: You have to be careful. If you're not, something falls—your foot, your hand. You get hurt easily. Does a brick fall and hit you? Or what?

A: Sometimes if you're not careful you get hurt. Here hurts, there hurts. Not big injuries—often small ones. Sprains, overexertion.

Q: What about your wages? Have they changed since you came, or stayed the same?

A: Wages aren't high either. Our work—can't stop. About ten-some days of work a month.

Q: What, ten-some days? You rest half a month, work half a month?

A: This work is piece-rate.

Q: About how much for half a month? Working half a month equals a month?

A: At most five or six thousand. Wages aren't high—four or five thousand.

Q: Men and women the same?

A: Same split. Six of us work, we split equally.

Q: Do you split by how much you unload, how much you carry, how many kilns you unload, or by month? How do you split?

A: By number of kilns. So much per kiln.

Q: How much per kiln?

A: One kiln seems to be ten-some thousand, fifteen or sixteen thousand.

Q: Does fifteen or sixteen thousand include unloading or loading?

A: Loading and unloading together. Same together.

Q: Actually pretty good. Does the boss want to buy social insurance for you? Pension insurance?

A: No. We still haven't bought pension insurance. He buys insurance, but not pension insurance.

Q: Too many mosquitoes. The boss pays your rent, right?

A: Boss pays rent and utilities.

Q: Then the kids are at home? How often do you go back to see them?

A: The kids—usually they're at school. We rarely go. The kids are at home, they're at school. They're ten-some, seventeen or eighteen. They can manage without us. We just send money every year. We go back once at New Year. If something comes up, we might go several times a year—don't even know.

Q: A few times a year?

A: If there's something, we go.

Q: Besides working, what do you do for fun? Any places to go?

A: What do we do—watch TV, just at home. Plant vegetables, do this and that. We even plant vegetables here, corn. We plant everything.

Q: So capable.

A: Just grow a little vegetables, on rest days. Nothing else to do.

Q: Do you go online, use your phone?

A: Mm, Douyin and such. Play Douyin? I watch a bit, then I'm tired, then sleep. Get up, cook, eat, go to work again.

Q: What will your kids do later? What do you hope they'll do?

A: Our kids won't do this kind of work. Won't.

Q: You hope they do this?

A: Sigh.

Q: You're Yi, an ethnic minority—are there policies for you? Does the state give subsidies to ethnic minorities? Some money?

A: No subsidies. Here, if you're a targeted poverty alleviation household, yes. Normally no. Only targeted poverty alleviation households, poor households. We're not targeted poverty alleviation, so the kids' schooling isn't free.

Q: What about bonus points on the college entrance exam?

A: They're all in university. Really good. If they can get through college, at least work should be relatively better.

Q: I see usually women push, men carry—is that more tiring?

A: No, this work isn't like that. It's the whole thing. Tomorrow it's not like this—tomorrow it changes, we rotate. This kiln—there are many varieties.

Q: Let me help them shoo mosquitoes. Anything else you want to ask? I want to ask if there are elderly at home?

A: The elderly at home have all passed away, passed away several years ago. All gone.

Q: How long do people usually do this, to what age? Do you want to go back home or stay here?

A: This work—can't be fixed now. If money is tight, we may have to keep doing it. Don't know how many years. Just keep going. There are still young ones and older ones. Expenses need a lot of money. No choice. Schooling is so expensive; they all have to go to university. Two kids at school—every month we have to send money. Give money for school. If they have no money, they don't eat.

Q: About how long do you plan to work?

A: Until the kids are out, no longer in school, things ease up a bit. Then we rest. Rest and go back to Guizhou.

Q: Then later, when the kids make something of themselves, you can rely on them. Pretty good. Once they finish university, you'll have it easier—no need to give money, maybe they'll even give you money. Will they give you money?

A: Sigh.

Q: Okay?

A: Mm.

Q: Then that's it.

A: Oh no, no, you can't take this money. Take it, take it. No, no.