Tiexi District of Siping. Interlaced rails recall a glorious past.  

Railway tracks flow like veins all over northeastern China. For those living here, railway represents a way of life.

The mineral-rich northeast region has long been regarded as the cradle of heavy industry in China. Here, cities are linked by interlaced railways and many places are named with a pre-fix of Tiexi, meaning "west of the tracks" in Chinese.

Trains thunder through these Tiexi districts, carrying coal, steel, and all kinds of machines. Factories once crowded along side the tracks, then came the workers, and followed by the opening of various facilities--cafeterias, public bathrooms, hospitals, theaters, libraries…

For decades, people in the Tiexi disctricts lived a secured and routine life working at the factories.

Since early 1990s, however, these state-owned factories began to be deserted or shut down as the country embraced market-oriented economy. Tens of thousands of people lost their jobs.

Today, the tracks are still lying there quietly, but for those living along them, life is not quite the same.

Tiexi District of Shenyang: A laid-off worker hunting for odd jobs in the street.

Tiexi District of Shenyang: Locals gather in front of a bulletin board to check on vacancies announcement.

Tiexi District of Shenyang. A glimpse of life in a deserted factory.  

Tiexi District of Siping: A worker passes the street stalls after work. 

Tiexi District of Anshan: Most job hunters choose to wait for work outside of the re-employment service center to avoid being charged a commission fee.