Steel town shutdown shatters the 'iron rice bowl'

A company in the capital of Shandong province was once famous for its "hot metal", but the decline of the local industry poses a dilemma for younger employees. Li Yang and Zhao Ruixue report from Jinan.

"To resign, or not to resign, that is the question," said Du Peng, a 36-year-old electrician for the Jinan Steel Group in Jinan, the capital of East China's Shandong province.

For the past two years, Du has only worked at the State-owned company for two days a week. In truth, he has nothing to do at work but sit and chat because since 2013, Shandong's largest steel producer has intermittently suspended production.