Wang Shuqin is the chairperson of Shanxi Lu 'an Prefecture Lu Silk Weaving Group and the guardian of the intangible cultural heritage of Lu Silk. From hands to art, from people to hearts, Wang Shuqin devoted her entire life to just one thing. She is just like the Lu silk she has guarded all her life, exquisite, tough, and with its own warmth and tenderness. Although it is also a kind of silk, Lu silk does not have the inherent coolness of southern silk. Instead, it has a soft and thick texture that makes people want to get close to it, just like a mother's embrace, bringing a sense of peace to the heart.
Walking through the Lu 'an Prefecture Park, one can see red brick walls, tree-lined paths, and large chimneys. A group of large-scale zigzag-shaped factory buildings have been hung with the identity plates of historical buildings, telling a grand story with the memories of the old weaving factory. Together with the iconic office buildings and water towers as the memories of the site, modern art paintings have been integrated and preserved completely. It seems as if time has returned to the 1980s.
In the Lu 'an Prefecture Industrial Park, there are still the sawtooth row factory buildings that were built with Soviet assistance and designed and constructed by East Germany in the early days of factory establishment. The roofs are composed of glass Windows, which can facilitate production lighting and ventilation. This sawtooth building is unique to the industrial society and is a typical industrial building of that time.
In the early 1980s, Wang Shuqin, who had just graduated from university, was assigned to this long-dreamed textile factory as she wished. That was the highlight of her life. When I was in middle school, I saw that my classmates, as children of textile factories, always had the latest trendy stationery. And every time school was over, I could see the men from the textile factory wearing very fashionable pink shirts.
At that time, Gaoping Textile Factory gathered highly educated employees from 116 counties and cities across the country, including Qingdao, Fujian, Wuxi and Shanghai. It was a fashion trendsetter for Gaoping and even the entire Shanxi Province, and also a beautiful scenic spot. The factory park even has its own bathhouse, kindergarten and hospital. Throughout the 1980s, the textile factory was already a symbol of a happy and good life.
One skill, one art, one bed, one horse. Every bridal quilt in Lu 'an Prefecture bears the hard work of the skilled workers. Meanwhile, Lu 'an Prefecture is also the most solid support and the warmest haven for every skilled worker. However, along with the national economic structure adjustment, especially the wave of state-owned enterprise reform, a large number of state-owned enterprises were shut down, merged, went bankrupt and reorganized. During this period, Wang Shuqin was entrusted with the mission twice in a time of crisis. First, Gilier Clothing Company was established independently in a clothing workshop on the verge of bankruptcy and turned losses into profits. Its products were exported overseas. Then, when the parent factory, Gaoping Silk Weaving and Dyeing Factory, went bankrupt and underwent reorganization, she once again stepped forward and led this large state-owned enterprise through a transformation that left an indelible mark on her. Eventually, she developed the silk weaving factory into the sole inheritor of Shanxi Lu Silk.
Since I joined the factory, the factory director here has been replaced on average every one and a half years. At that time, the silk weaving factory was a unit at the director-general level. Many people regarded it as a stepping stone and then transferred to the administrative system to become a county magistrate or even a mayor. Such opportunities have repeatedly appeared before me. But I am well aware that if the Lu Silk Factory goes bankrupt, this ancient handicraft might be lost as a result. This is something I can prevent. So I followed the voice of my heart."
The young female factory director chose the silk weaving factory, which she had deep feelings for and was deeply rooted in her heart, to stand together with all the workers in the factory through thick and thin. With such an aspiration, Wang Shuqin's inner self has been constantly elevated, and her understanding of work has transcended the level of whether she likes it or not. Now her goal is to turn Lu 'an Prefecture into a century-old enterprise and continue the Lu silk for 600 years.
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