A very secure job is called tie fanwan, the iron rice bowl. The Handian dictionary defines it as “a very stable occupation or post.” The Taiwan Ministry of Education dictionary’s example: “Many people think that a job in a government office means holding an iron rice bowl.”
The enterprise looked after much more than the job. In June 2017, four central government bodies issued guidance on this. State enterprises were to hand over, step by step, the water, power, heating and property management of their workers’ housing compounds to specialized companies or institutions. The same guidance called for “positive progress” in reforming the schools and hospitals that enterprises still ran.