Originally from southwestern China, I have lived in the United States since 2005. My research focuses on my hometown, Chengdu. It examines the rise and fall of state-owned steel mills in the context of Chinese socialism.
Born in a state factory hospital, I spent years of my childhood living inside industrial residential complexes. In 2002, the factory where two generations of my family worked went bankrupt, and its land was sold off to private developers. Years later, when I returned to visit, I found little that remained of the landscapes familiar to me. In place of the bustling steel factory located on Chengdu’s second-ring road, there stood sprawling shopping malls and high-rise condominiums. My research originates from impressions of a familiar urban space that no longer exists and asks about the political and economic forces that enabled its creation and demise.
Sarah Chang PhD 