| dc.description.abstract | The elderly oil workers from Chuhuangkeng, due to their work and life experiences, have developed a strong emotional connection with the site. However, their collective memories differ from the social memories displayed in the exhibition hall. This research aims to address three objectives: (1) the life experiences and emotional connections of the elderly oil workers at Chinese Petroleum Corporation (CPC), (2) the social memory presented in Taiwan Oil Field Exhibition Hall, and (3) the differences between the collective memories of the elderly oil workers and the social memories in the exhibition hall. The primary research methods include “Semi-structured interviews” and “Secondary Data Analysis,” supplemented by field observation, where the researcher, acting as a visitor, observes the reactions and thoughts of other visitors in the exhibition hall. The “Semi-structured approach”, with interview subjects including (1) elderly oil workers, (2) exhibition curators and advisory committee members who provided suggestions for the exhibition, and (3) CPC. Due to restrictions, interviews with CPC were not possible; instead, text analysis was used to examine the bid documents provided by the company at the time.
The study found that each elderly oil worker’s story is unique, and the pathway to becoming a employee of CPC involved not only geographical factors but also whether family members worked at CPC, personal professional skills, and examinations. Some elderly oil workers left Chuhuangkeng for personal reasons, which was not directly related to the rise and fall of the mining industry, and their emotional connection to the place did not vanish with relocation. The establishment of Taiwan Oil Field Exhibition Hall contributed to a degree of local revitalization, with the exhibits mainly reflecting CPC’s intentions, highlighting its oil exploration and extraction technologies. The section of “Elderly Oil Workers’ Collective Memory” was added at the request of the exhibition vendor, but the exhibits on collective memory were subject to CPC’s approval and were therefore presented as “social memories.” The social memories displayed in the exhibition hall differ from the collective memories held by the elderly oil workers due to the imbalance of discourse power. As employees, the elderly oil workers could only provide “suggestions” about their own memories, while CPC defined the exhibition hall as a corporate image pavilion. The exhibits inside were the result of negotiations between CPC and the vendor, aiming to serve a positive and proactive role in shaping the corporate image. This led to the displayed content not fully reflecting the collective memories of the elderly oil workers. | en_US |