Back to 80: My literary life.

Chapter 813 Third Line Factory

Fang Minghua had been to Tianhan ten years ago. That time, he and Lu Yao were invited to interview. Although more than ten years have passed, the transportation from Xijing to Tianhan area is still inconvenient. Just like last time, they set out from Xijing at nine o'clock in the evening and took a twelve-hour train ride to cross the Qinling Mountains to reach Tianhan area.

Entering the Tianhan Basin, the surrounding environment changes drastically. There are green wheat seedlings and blooming rapeseed flowers everywhere, which makes people feel relaxed and happy.

Fang Minghua felt that the sky here was bluer than that in Xijing.

The 9th meeting of the 4th presidium of the Provincial Writers Association and the 7th meeting of the Council were held at Hanyuan Hotel. Fang Minghua, chairman and vice chairman of the Provincial Writers Association, presided over the meeting, and Chen Zhongshi, chairman of the Writers Association, delivered a work report on behalf of the presidium.

More than 100 people, including all directors of the 4th Council of the Provincial Writers Association, heads of writers associations from various cities and industries, and some employees of the Provincial Writers Association, attended the meeting.

At the meeting, members of the presidium of the Writers Association sat on the rostrum. Chen Zhongshi made a work report on behalf of the presidium, reported the main work since 1998, deployed the next key tasks, and proposed that we must strengthen the self-esteem and self-confidence of the literature of the new era, and tell the Chinese story well with heart, emotion and strength; we must adhere to the original intention and responsibility of writers in the new era, maintain integrity, promote virtues, and leave a good reputation in the pursuit of both moral integrity and art; we must persist in the new era Writers Association's adherence to the integrity and innovation, and continuously enhance the attractiveness, cohesion, influence and activity of the Writers Association.

“Comrades, this year is the last year of the 20th century. We are about to usher in the 50th anniversary of the founding of our motherland, and Macau is about to return to the embrace of the motherland. At this time of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, the Shaanxi Literature Army must continue its fine traditions, strive to write a new chapter in the high-quality development of Qin Province literature in the new era, and welcome the arrival of the new century!”

There was warm applause in the meeting hall.

Of course, it's not just talk. The National Writers Association has already issued a document requiring provincial writers associations to call on and encourage writers to go deep into the countryside, enterprises, schools, and military camps to write excellent literary works that reflect the times and are down-to-earth.

The document has been studied internally by the Writers Association, so everyone is very clear about it.

The meeting lasted for three days, and then, under the arrangement of the local government, a tour was organized to visit scenic spots in the Tianhan area.

Ancient Han Terrace, Baohe Plank Road, Wuhou Temple
But Fang Minghua didn't go.

He had visited the area once ten years ago and wrote a collection of essays entitled "Fragments of Civilization", most of which described the historical and cultural relics of the Tianhan area, opening the prelude to cultural essays.

He now wants to go and see where his brother-in-law Liu Jianjun is on a business trip.

After Liu Jianjun returned from studying abroad last year, he was promoted to deputy director of the 618th Institute as an exception. He immediately devoted himself to the early warning aircraft research and development project and is the project leader of the surveillance radar subsystem. Recently, he has been on business trips to Factory 182, which is located in the Tianhan area.

Fang Minghua wanted to go and take a look, and wander around to collect some information. He was very interested in the enterprises in the third-tier regions.

The so-called third-line enterprises, also known as "third-line factories", originated in the 20s. In order to cope with the increasingly deteriorating international situation at that time, the state decided to strengthen the construction of the national defense industry in the central and western regions. Since 60, large-scale military industrial enterprises have been built in the third-line regions of the central and western regions.

Among them, the 012 base is built in the Tianhan area, and the 182 factory is the largest aircraft assembly enterprise within the base.

In the evening, Fang Minghua called Liu Jianjun's mobile number. The other party answered the call, but unfortunately, he said, "Brother, I'm not at Factory 182 right now. I'm on a business trip to Nanjing. It's work."

Fang Minghua was a little disappointed, but Liu Jianjun said on the phone: "It's okay. If you want to go, I'll contact my college classmate, Ke Bing, who works at the Design Institute of Factory 182 and is now the director of the special office. We lived in the same dormitory at school and have a good relationship. Let him take you around."

"Okay." Fang Minghua agreed.

The next morning, everyone was excited to go on a bus tour. Fang Minghua told Chen Zhongshi about this and asked for leave. As a result, the deputy director of the municipal government office who organized the meeting found out.

The deputy director's surname was Wang. He was very enthusiastic. When he heard that Fang Minghua was going to Factory 182, he immediately said, "Chairman Fang, I will contact the leaders of the base and ask them to send a car to take you there."

"Then I'll trouble Director Wang."

Fang Minghua did not refuse. He had heard from Liu Jianjun that to get to Factory 182, one had to go to the city bus station and take a minibus. It was quite inconvenient with so many people and so few cars.

Of course it is convenient to have a car to deliver.

Secretary Wang took out his cell phone and made a call, and then told Fang Minghua that the base would send someone to pick him up soon, and asked him to wait in the room. Half an hour later, a black Santana drove into the hotel, and a middle-aged man got out of the car. He found Fang Minghua and introduced himself as the deputy director of the base office, surnamed Zhang, and would accompany him to Factory 182.

Fang Minghua packed his luggage and followed Director Zhang into the Santana. The car drove out of the city and headed east along National Highway 108, then turned north and soon arrived at a market town.

What is different from other local towns is that there are rows of red brick residential buildings on both sides of the road, many of which are the tube-shaped buildings that were common in the 1960s and 1970s.

On the way, Fang Minghua also saw people wearing factory uniforms.

"Part of Factory 182 is located here, which we generally call 'down the mountain'," Director Zhang introduced to Fang Minghua.

"Isn't there still a mountain?" Fang Minghua asked.

"Yes, most of Factory 182 is still on the mountain, but it is not inside the mountain but at the foot of the mountain, 20 kilometers away from here."

“Is the design located on the hill or up or down?”

"Except for the structural room, the rest are at the foot of the mountain," said Director Zhang.

"Then we're almost there." Fang Minghua said with a smile.

“No, Chairman Fang, I will take you to the mountain because President Wang is waiting for you there.”

This?
"You are a famous writer. Mr. Wang and his team will definitely receive you when you come to the factory. I have already made an agreement with Mr. Wang that they will give you the greatest support while you are collecting folk songs in the factory."

Private matters have become public matters again?

But Fang Minghua has gotten used to it.

We passed the market town and headed north for about twenty kilometers to reach another market town, which was the mountain that Director Zhang mentioned.

We are already at the foot of the Qinling Mountains. Through the car window, we can see that many residential buildings are built on the slopes.

When Fang Minghua and his team arrived at the factory, General Manager Wang received him, along with a man in his fifties who General Manager Liu introduced as their union chairman named Zheng Yuanchao.

"Chairman Fang, let's arrange your accommodation first. We have a guesthouse in our factory. We will host a welcome party for you at noon after you finish your work. The classmate of Director Liu from the 618th Institute you mentioned is called Ke Bing?"

"Yes, the director of the special office of the factory's design institute."

"I know. He was just promoted last year. Okay, give him a call too. If there's nothing urgent, ask him to come up and accompany you!"

Soon, Fang Minghua was arranged to stay in the factory's guesthouse, which was not far from the factory headquarters, just down the slope. After settling in, he also had lunch in the guesthouse.

Fang Minghua also saw Ke Bing, who had come all the way from the foot of the mountain. He was wearing a blue factory uniform and glasses, looking very gentle.

There were not many people eating there. In addition to the few people just now, President Wang also called two deputy presidents to join them. They drank the local Chenggu wine, which Fang Minghua was very familiar with.

As everyone was eating and chatting, Fang Minghua was surprised to find that three of the four leaders, including the three CEOs and the union chairman, spoke with Northeastern accents!

(End of this chapter)