Years of Kiln Fires

In the 1980s, the construction industry developed rapidly. Shihezi Ring Kiln Factory, a subsidiary of the Shihezi Construction and Installation Company, grew quickly with the times, and the lives of parents and children went down different paths as a result.

By the late 1990s, energy conservation, emissions reduction, and cost control had led the construction industry to use hollow bricks on a large scale. The ring kilns that fired red bricks fell into decline and went from state-run to privately contracted. Large numbers of workers were laid off, just as several families' children were facing the crucial high school entrance exams. Under enormous financial pressure, some chose to attend high school, some enrolled in vocational schools so they could start working sooner, and others entered society early, struggling to earn enough for their daily meals.

The childhood friends who had once been so close had long since been parted by time. Everything had changed, and no one was the same.

In 2013, the ring kiln was demolished, and the site was designated for Shihezi Airport.

A brand-new kiln was built and fired up, equipped entirely with modern machinery and powered by electricity.

Yu Rongguang and other veteran workers attended the opening ceremony.

Amid the blazing flames, three generations from the ring kiln had made their way through hardship and struggle, yet never given up.

Amid the blazing flames, the silhouettes of three generations grew ever more distant...

The ring kiln that held all their memories of youth was gone, while the new kiln blazed brightly.