王和香茶厂女工养老情况的田野调查
A Study on the Retirement Situation of Elderly Female Tea Workers in King & Song Tea Factory
在了解茶厂女工的老龄人口总体情况之后，我对其中5位长期在茶厂工作的年长女工以及茶厂经营者分别进行了深入的一对一访谈。
After learning about the general situation of the aging population among the tea factory’s female workers, I conducted in-depth one-on-one interviews with five senior female workers who have worked in the factory for many years, as well as with the factory owner.
一、养老条件总体情况
General Overview of Elderly Care Conditions
（一）医疗
Their Medical Conditions
关于茶厂女工的养老条件的总体调查，我首先做的工作是去了解狮山乡的医疗条件。总体上看，茶厂女工的医疗得到保障，但是随着这几年物价攀升，她们日常所需承担的医疗费用也在增加。
My research on the retirement conditions of female tea factory workers began with getting to know the medical situation in Shishan Township. Overall, the villagers in Sijia Village (which is a village within Shishan Township) have basic medical insurance, but with the rising cost of living in recent years, the medical expenses that villagers need to pay have also increased.
狮山乡的卫生站
The photo shows the health station in Shishan Township.
狮山乡卫生站的医生主要为村中老年人提供基础医疗服务，如感冒、发烧等常见病的治疗。然而，通过访谈我了解到，许多女工在患感冒、发烧等小病时，并不优先选择村卫生站就诊，而更倾向于前往距离村子十余分钟车程的一个私人诊所。原因在于该诊所的药价相对较低，医生看病较为对症，且无需排队，服务更加便捷；而卫生站则存在费用偏高、等待时间长、诊断不够精准等问题。受访者但奶奶说：“生病就去狮山卫生站和附近的小诊所。一年看病一千以内。去大医院看病可以报销，在村子里看都不能报销。”另外一位受访者姨奶奶说：“ 今年身体还可以，这两年好，以前不好，有流鼻血，胃肠炎，妇科病。以前的颈椎病在茶厂干活好些了。村子里有小诊所，一般在那里看，小诊所没法看的大病就去都昌县。今年没花钱，但是疫情的时候生病花了上千块，没有一定。”
The doctors at the health station mainly provide basic medical services for the elderly in the village, such as medicines and injections for illnesses like colds and fevers. However, through the interviews, I learned that many female workers, when they have illnesses like colds or fevers, don’t usually go to see the doctors at the village health station but prefer to go to a private clinic about a 10-minute drive from the village. The reason is that the clinic’s medicine is cheaper, the doctor’ treatments are more appropriate, and there is no need to wait in line, making it more convenient. In contrast, the health station is more expensive, with longer waiting times and less accurate diagnoses. One interviewee, Granny Dan, said, "When I'm sick, I go to the Shishan health station and the nearby village medical clinic. I spend less than 1,000 yuan a year on medical expenses. Going to a big hospital can be reimbursed, but in the village, it can't be reimbursed." Another interviewee, Granny Yi, said, "This year, my health is fine, better than in previous years. I used to have nosebleeds, gastrointestinal and gynecological problems. My cervical spine problems improved when working at the tea factory. I usually go to a small clinic. For serious illnesses, I go to Duchang County. I didn't spend money this year, but during the pandemic, I spent over 1,000 yuan on medical expenses."
关于村中医疗条件的调查，还有另外一个很重要的方面，就是村民的医疗保险。根据四甲村妇女委员会主任介绍，截至2025年7月，村民每年需缴纳400元医疗保险费用。缴纳后若因病住院，可报销至少80%的医疗费用。然而，这一报销比例主要适用于县级及以上医院，在村内的小诊所就医多数情况下仍无法获得报销。
Another important aspect of the female workers' medical conditions is their medical insurance. According to the director of the Women's Committee of Sijia Village, as of July 2025, villagers are required to pay 400 yuan annually for medical insurance. After paying this, at least 80% of the medical costs can be reimbursed if they need to be hospitalized. However, this reimbursement mainly applies to county-level and higher hospitals. In most cases, medical treatment in the small village clinics cannot be reimbursed.
茶厂周边乡村的私人诊所
The photos show the private clinic about a 10-minute drive from Sijia village mentioned by the female tea factory workers.
（二）生活
Their Daily Lives
关于生活方面，我主要向茶厂女工们了解了物品采买、出行方式和文娱活动等主要方面的内容。
Regarding daily life, I mainly asked the female tea factory workers about their shopping, transportation, and entertainment activities.
物品采买是茶厂女工日常生活的重要组成部分，涉及到她们的饮食和生活用品的获取。狮山乡有多个小卖部，其中最常用的是乡中心的小商店，女工们常在这里购买肉类、鱼类以及其他生活用品。
Shopping is an important part of the tea factory workers' daily lives, for it involves getting food and other necessities. There are several small shops in Sijia Village, and the most commonly used one is the small store in the center of Shishan Township. The workers often buy meat, fish, and other daily goods there.
在蔬菜采购方面，女工们大多选择自己在家种的蔬菜，因此不会频繁购买。米也是必需品，因为家里的土地已被承包，无法种植稻谷，因此需要从商店购买。
For vegetables, most of the female workers prefer to grow their own at home, so they don’t need to buy them often. Rice is also a necessity. Their land has been leased out, so they can’t grow rice themselves and have to buy it from the store.
女茶工在油榨坊取榨好的食用油
The female tea workers collect the freshly pressed cooking oil at the oil mill.
食用油的购买情况较为特殊：女工们家中的地里可以种植油菜和芝麻，山上也能种茶籽和油茶，收获后通过村里榨油的店铺榨油。加工费相对便宜，手工榨油100斤的费用是60元。如果带回家的谷饼（榨油的废物）不返回，榨油店则不会收费，因为榨油店可以将这些谷丙转卖。不同油的价格差异较大，芝麻油的价格为24-25元每斤，菜籽油为10-11元每斤，而茶油则较贵，每斤50元。
The purchase of cooking oil is a bit special: the workers can grow rapeseed and sesame in their fields, and tea seeds and oil tea on the mountains. After harvesting, they can have the oil pressed at a local store in the village. The processing fee is relatively cheap—60 yuan for 100 jin (about 50 kilograms) of oil. If they don’t take the leftover oil waste (called “gu bing”) home, the shop does not charge, as they can sell the waste. The prices of different oils vary: sesame oil costs 24-25 yuan per jin, canola oil costs 10-11 yuan per jin, and tea oil is more expensive at 50 yuan per jin.
此外，随着家中外出打工的年轻子女减少，家里养鸡的情况越来越少，因此鸡蛋也成为了必须购买的日常物品。
Additionally, as their sons and daughters leave to work outside, these female workers do not raise chickens at home, so eggs have become an essential item to buy.
村庄到都昌县城有公交车，车票大约为30元。而往返临近的村子时，女工们大多选择骑电动车，方便快捷。
There is a bus from the village to Duchang County. The ticket costs about 30 yuan. For villages nearby, the female workers mostly choose to ride electric bikes, for it is convenient and quick.
上图是茶厂女工出行所骑的电动车。
This photo shows the electric bikes of the female workers.
在文娱活动方面，茶厂女工的选择较为有限，反映出农村地区娱乐资源的匮乏。在访谈中，在问到：平时闲的时候做什么？女工们的回答几乎都是“没做什么”。
When it comes to entertainment, these female tea factory workers have very limited options, reflecting the lack of cultural and recreational resources in rural areas. In interviews, when asked, “What do you usually do in your free time?” most female workers simply answered, “Not much.”
一位受访者彭奶奶提到：“干完活后，我就照看老头子做饭给他吃。晚上还得照看孙子，他放假回家了。空闲时，我就种地、洗衣服、烧饭。”
One interviewee, Grandma Peng, said:“After I finish work, I cook for my husband and take care of him. In the evening, I look after my grandson when he comes home on school holidays. In my free time, I farm, do laundry, and cook.”
另外一位63岁的段奶奶也表示：“我每天要照顾老伴和孙子，做饭给他们吃。回家后，干些做晚饭、搞棉花、花生的活。休息时，我会看短视频。和茶厂里的其他人交流的时间不多，偶尔会和堂妹在一起聊聊天。”
Another interviewee, Grandma Duan, who is 63 years old, also said: “Every day I have to take care of my husband and randson, cook for them. After I get home, I prepare dinner nd do some farm work like rowing cotton and eanuts. When I take break, I watch short videos. I don’t talk much with other women in the factory, but sometimes I chat with my cousin.”
总体来说，茶厂女工的生活主要由日常的家务劳动和简单的娱乐活动构成。尽管文娱活动对养老生活至关重要，但由于村里娱乐资源的匮乏，老年人的生活似乎缺少一些乐趣。不过，好在农村生活常常充实忙碌，忙碌于田间地头，日子便悄然过去。
Overall, the daily lives of female tea factory workers are mainly made up of housework and simple entertainment. Although leisure activities are important for the elderly, due to the lack of resources in the village, their lives seem to lack a sense of enjoyment. However, life in the village is often full and busy—they are busy working in the fields, and time passes quietly.
（三）茶厂女工养老谁保障
Who Supports Elderly female workers?
在和村妇委会的主人谈话中，我了解到狮山乡的村民每年需缴纳400元医疗保险费用。对于五保户，政府提供每月900元的五保金。而低保户则按月领取低保金，标准为每月600元，最低也有300元。在茶厂中，大约有1到2名员工是低保户。
In a conversation with the head of the local Women’s Federation, I was told that villagers in Shishan Township need to pay 400 yuan each year for medical insurance. For people under the "Five Guarantees" policy, the government provides 900 yuan per month. Those receiving minimum living allowance get between 300 and 600 yuan per month. Among the female tea factory workers, about one or two people receive this allowance.
茶厂的余老板提到，曾有一位五保户在茶厂工作，但由于丈夫和儿子都因病无法劳动，这位五保户也因身体原因无法继续工作，最终未再来茶厂工作。
The tea factory owner, Mr. Yu, mentioned that there was once a worker under the “Five Guarantees” program. However, because her husband and son were both too ill to work, and she herself was not healthy enough to continue working, she finally stopped coming to the factory.
对于60岁以上的村民，政府提供的养老金金额在80至200元之间，每个人根据个人情况不同领取不同金额。
For villagers over 60 years old, the government provides a basic pension ranging from 80 to 200 yuan per month, depending on individual situations.
彭奶奶，74岁，已在茶厂工作了7年。她没有受过教育，无法识字。彭奶奶提到，她每月的养老金为88元，但她还未领取最新的养老金，估计金额可能已增加至约100元。彭奶奶在茶厂的年收入大约为1万多元，主要通过摘茶和打药获得收入，其中打药部分年收入约为1000元。此外，彭奶奶还在茶厂旁的果树山做一些其他工作，增加家庭收入。
Grandma Peng, 74 years old, has worked at the tea factory for seven years. She never received formal education and cannot read or write. She said, “My monthly pension is 88 yuan, but I haven’t collected the pension. It may have increased to around 100 yuan. My annual income from the factory is over 10,000 yuan, mainly from picking tea and spraying pesticides. Among this, spraying earns me about 1,000 yuan per year. I also does extra work near the fruit trees garden by the factory to help with my income.”
刘奶奶，74岁，已在茶厂工作4年。她同样没有受过 formal 教育，无法识字。刘奶奶的养老金大约每年为2000多元，虽不高，但对于她而言，也是一份稳定的收入来源。
Another worker, Grandma Liu, also 74 years old, has worked at the factory for four years. Like Grandma Peng, she never received formal education and cannot read or write. She said, “My pension is a bit over 2,000 yuan per year, not much, but still a stable source of income.”
整体而言，茶厂女工的养老条件处于较为基础的水平。政府提供的医疗保险、养老金和低保金在一定程度上为她们提供了经济保障，但由于收入较低，仍需依靠其他经济来源维持生计，比如茶厂女工的经济收入主要来源于茶叶采摘、打药和在周边果树山的工作。医疗资源较为紧张，特别是对于需要长期治疗的重大疾病，部分女工可能难以承受高额的医疗费用。文娱活动的匮乏和单调的日常生活使她们的精神世界缺乏多样性，生活质量有待提高。
All in all, the retirement support for these female tea factory workers is quite basic. The local government provides some financial support through medical insurance, pensions, and low-income subsidies. However, their incomes are still low, so they rely on additional earnings such as tea picking, spraying, and fruit farm work. Medical resources are limited. For serious illnesses requiring long-term treatment, some female workers may have difficulty in high medical costs. The limited entertainment options and the repetitive daily routines also affect their mental health. There is still room to improve their quality of life.
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