Randy Olson: Personal Work
China 1989
Wuhan Iron and Steel factory school. Wuhan Iron and Steel was originally built and operated in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. As the rust belt in the United States waned, the entire plant was sold and moved to Wuhan, China, Pittsburgh's sister city. Once the plant was set up, the Chinese realized that there was not enough power in the entire province to run it. So, WISCO, sat on hold waiting for another power plant to be built. Wuhan is the industrial center of China. Built on the confluence of two rivers, Wuhan became an industrial success through railroads and steel production. Wuhan was home to the Peasant Movement Institute where Mao Zedong sowed the seeds of the Cultural Revolution.
Housing is the biggest problem at WISCO. Most workers live in a factory-provided two-room concrete apartment, sharing a kitchen and toilet with several families. Even though Tiananmen is just around the corner, political life in Wuhan is less heavy-handed than during the Cultural Revolution when the plant's armed Red Guards were at war with the university across the street. In 1989, production comes first. Political study happens every Thursday afternon, led by each department chief. Before the recent reforms workers would never have accepted a westerner into their homes.
