Great Iron Statue

Author: Zhang Anjie
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: The reform of state-owned enterprises is the key to China's economic system reform, especially after China's entry into the WTO, large and medium-sized state-owned enterprises faced new challenges and opportunities. This reality undoubtedly provided new material for realistic literary creation. Zhang Anjie's novel The Great Iron Statue follows the reform and restructuring of the Tiancheng Machinery Factory, which celebrates its anniversary with the new China, and realistically depicts the struggles of the new generation of state-owned enterprise leaders, represented by Liu Zhengyuan, who keep pace with the times, break conventions, and lead the factory to a win-win cooperation with private enterprises, striving for greater development space for the enterprise. From one perspective, it analyzes the fundamental problems of large and medium-sized state-owned enterprises and attempts to offer innovative solutions. It is a rare and powerful work on workers in recent years. The title The Great Iron Statue comes from a core image in the novel—the iron statue that serves as the factory emblem of Tiancheng Machinery Factory. The novel begins with the collapse of the statue and ends with its rebirth. In my opinion, this seemingly straightforward symbolism has a more complex implication: for whom was the iron statue erected—for Liu Zhengyuan, the lone reform hero, or for the ordinary workers with a deep attachment to the "big factory" despite their grievances? Perhaps the answer lies in the beginning. If we take Zhang Anjie's metaphor and compare the image of workers to a great iron statue, then the trajectory of idealism from its high point to its abandonment also mirrors the process of the statue from standing tall to collapsing. Now, Zhang Anjie has resolutely allowed the statue to stand firm once again in the world, clearly with ambitious intentions. He knows: for the iron statue to stand firm, its roots must be planted in the hearts of all brothers and sisters of the working class. Relying solely on lofty idealism and heroism may be empty and misplaced, but abandoning the responsibility to history and human sentiment in response to this is even more unacceptable. The enduring appeal of The Great Iron Statue lies in this very thing—it portrays a "pioneer" like "Director Qiao" who endures suffering, has a long-term vision, and dares to make decisions, but also writes about more aggrieved and helpless laid-off workers who are marginalized by society. What is particularly rare is that his "Director Qiao," Liu Zhengyuan, shares the same confusion as the laid-off workers. He goes to the machinery factory not to shoulder heavy burdens but to make light-hearted remarks after drinking, stumbling into his role by chance. He lacks the courage to act despite knowing it is impossible, often shirking difficulties instead. Fundamentally speaking, though he is the factory director, he is also a worker—partly because he comes from Tiancheng, but more so because he possesses the temperament and sentiments of a worker. Even his way of relaxing is distinctly worker-like—to go to the forging workshop and swing a heavy hammer a few times. It is precisely because he shares the fate of the workers that Liu Zhengyuan finds decision-making particularly difficult, for he knows that his choices directly affect the livelihoods of thousands of workers. Meanwhile, the laid-off or workers, though full of grievances, even take private jobs for their competitors, but deep down, they still hold a loyal heart for the "big factory." As long as the factory offers them a little warmth, they are willing to give their all in return, without hesitation. Let alone figures like "Nine Iron Hammer" and Master Niu, who have dedicated their lives to the "big factory." Perhaps in the eyes of some writers, heroes pursue grand achievements, while ordinary people face only the sorrow brought by incomplete lives, and the two are irreconcilable. Passion and weariness, vigilance and escape, exploration and avoidance, songs of joy and tears—all these binary opposites held by "reform literature" and the "wave of realism" are actually just two sides of the same hand, always turning over the same piece of flesh. Heroes and ordinary people may be each other's others, but they are both hidden within the truth of human nature—how can they not transform into one another? Understanding this, we can say that Zhang Anjie's "Great Iron Statue" is sculpted for Liu Zhengyuan, but also for Nine Iron Hammer, Master Niu, Master Han, and Huzi. It is sculpted for all workers who face life's hardships but refuse to abandon their ideals. In fact, many passages in the novel suggest this, such as Liu Zhengyuan, with his arms raised, calling out to the workers amidst a sandstorm, resembling an iron statue; Master Niu, glaring fiercely at troublemakers, also like an iron statue; and at the end of the novel, when Liu Zhengyuan, leading the old, middle-aged, and young technical workers of Tiancheng to work tirelessly for three days in the estate, collapses from exhaustion and falls into a deep sleep, resembling a powerful group sculpture. Zhang Anjie, with his genuine emotions—he himself has nearly a decade of experience working in factories and possesses keen insight—has reerected the iron statue of the workers, though it is far from perfect, with sharp edges that seem menacing, yet it is so vivid, so textured, so full of vitality.
Lastly, it should be noted that in addition to the breakthrough in the humanistic significance and spiritual level regarding the rigid literary genre concepts we discussed earlier, The Great Iron Statue also offers an answer worth attention—the rebirth of Tiancheng Machinery Factory primarily relies on external forces. Through its joint venture with the Yuanquan Group led by Dahei Tou, the factory has been revitalized. This is likely different from all previous novels on the theme of state-owned enterprise reform, as the author does not superficially hope for the revival of the struggling state-owned factory to rely solely on internal and innovation. In the author's view, state-owned factories have abundant human resources and equipment advantages, while private enterprises have ample financial reserves, smooth sales channels, and flexible operational mechanisms. By combining their strengths and pursuing mutual benefits, this is not a bad strategy for state-owned enterprises to overcome their difficulties. It can be said that the answer offered by The Great Iron Statue is bold and innovative. This book is a contemporary Chinese novel that primarily tells the story of Tiancheng Machinery Factory, which is at a critical juncture in its reform, when a major incident occurs.