Many Post-’80ers in China have childhood memories of co-living. In towns of machinery and tall chimneys, workers streamed out of factories after their shifts and headed back to their dormitories nearby. The auditorium, where meetings, lectures, movies, plays and ceremonies were put on, was undoubtedly a center for their spiritual life. It was the auditorium where most of their collective memories were created.

Shandong Zibo was once known as a City of Ceramics in China. Among the porcelain factories around Zibo, Kunlun Porcelain Factory boasts the most glorious past. It was not only the most profitable porcelain factory, but also a cradle for some of the best arts and crafts masters in the country, whose works shone through state banquets held in the Great Hall of the People. More than 30 years passed, the factory has long been swept by the wave of bankruptcies and restructurings. The “Workers Club” in the center of its living area is now faced with demolition. Those young people who used to storm the stage of the auditorium are now scattered.

When we visited the Workers Club for the first time, most of its interior space had been demolished, leaving an empty shell. This abandoned house went through ups and downs and now time seems to stand still here. It is declining rapidly like a ghost town where weeds grow all over, forgotten by most people. Interestingly, a building often manifests its essence after it becomes a ruin. We came to understand the special meaning the Workers Club was given. It was like a socialist church where the workers had joys and sorrows and could always be healed. Through movies, lectures, meetings and other activities, they gradually had the same pace of spiritual life. The Workers Club painted a bright color to that era.

▼老幻灯片，The old slides © 一本造建筑工作室