Illustration: Chen Xia/GT
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) recently released a report stating that the country now boasts 264 national-level industrial heritage sites. From heavy-duty steel plants to mining sites that have witnessed the country’s energy transitions, most of these industrial remains have now withdrawn from active service. Once, they were building blocks to China’s modern industry growth, now that they have "retired," what path should they take? "Innovative transformation" is the answer.
Converting an old factory into a creative space is an intriguing idea, but it makes one wonder why these industrial remains deserve to be repurposed?
Indeed, compared with cultural and natural gems, industrial heritage has neither refined visual aesthetics nor grand landscapes.
No matter where they are, they often appear with rusting steel and aged concrete. In other words, industrial heritage does not impress the public with "scenic beauty." Instead, its value lies in what practical functions it can offer to people.
Built with practical needs like capacity and safety in mind, many industrial heritage sites still have robust structures and vast spaces. These sites’ basic construction actually makes them suited for reuse.
This differs from the repurposing of cultural heritage, which faces significantly more restrictions. Take a historic old street as an example. Its form, architecture, and the daily lives of its residents are all factors that must be taken into account for a new transformation.
Relying on their construction, many industrial sites have found new life. However, in the process of adapting industrial heritage, focusing on physical space is far from being sufficient. The key is to enriching them with new "content," be it trending commercial formats or venues for culture or entertainment.
Taking Shenyang’s Hongmei Cultural and Creative Park as an example. It was originally a monosodium glutamate factory with a complex that included 13 warehouses.
Now boasting modern elements like bookstores, livehouses and bars, the old site has gone through a renewal, becoming a photogenic spot for mostly young people.
Cases similar to the Hongmei Cultural and Creative Park are prolific across the nation. Yet, to evaluate whether an industrial heritage site is successfully revitalized should not be measured by the number of its photogenic spots, but by looking at the stories and memories it fosters among people.
For the older generation, especially those who participated in industrial jobs, industrial heritage serves as a living archive of their familiar daily life, representing a deep sense of nostalgia. To the younger generation, however, who have never experienced industrial work firsthand, such a heritage represents a novel aesthetic or a trendy lifestyle.
People’s different ways of seeing industrial heritage demonstrate industrial remains’ ability to evoke social memories linking the past to the present.
Thus, its reinvention must resonate emotionally with diverse communities. This can be achieved by, for example, preserving industrial landmarks like water towers and chimneys instead of pursuing large-scale reconstruction, while also inviting retired workers to share their stories as eyewitness guides.
Rooted in community experiences, industrial heritages are never locked in ivory towers separated from ordinary people’s daily needs. If they fail to update their operational models in response to their evolving surroundings, these sites, even those ones with the coolest aesthetics, are at risk of fading into obscurity.
That’s to say, an industrial heritage’s goal should go beyond becoming a popular destination but consider how its popularity can serve as a driver for local development. It is encouraging that in recent years, a growing number of industrial heritage sites have begun integrating community services into their plans.
Testbed 2 in Chongqing is one example. The site was once a printing factory connected to a local market. After it became popular, rather than disrupting the surrounding market, the site helped vendors upgrade their storefronts while simultaneously drawing more visitors.
"I’ve made some cheongsams. While they used to attract little interest from my neighbors, now many tourists appreciate my pieces and even place custom orders," Yang Li, a tailor at the market, told the Global Times.
"The goal is to safeguard the historical value of heritage in contemporary society, transforming it into a positive force for economic and social development that resonates with the public, fulfills cultural needs, and achieves a sustainable cycle," Shan Jixiang, director of the Committee on 20th-century Architectural Heritage affiliated with the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics, told the Global Times.
Although industrial relics differ from natural cultural relic sites, this does not mean they lack cultural value. Many industrial sites possess both industrial and cultural scenery. The site of the Wenzhou Alum Mine in Zhejiang Province is one of them.
The site boasts a history of over 650 years of alum mining and processing, alongside a wealth of industrial heritage items such as calciner and crystalline stone, showcasing the evolution of industrial civilization. Its inclusion, along with its cultural landscape, on China’s Tentative List for World Heritage in 2024 aimed to fill a gap in the Industrial heritage of non-metallic mines category within China’s World Cultural Heritage portfolio.
"For the site, it was recommended that it becomes a comprehensive cultural tourism destination by leveraging natural, cultural, and urban advantages," Shan told the Global Times. He also added that the site’s interactive experiences can be "enhanced by restoring furnaces and mining in desig-nated areas, while improving access to mine tunnels and incorporating digital displays."
Industrial heritage, once overlooked, operates not through grandeur but by connecting communities, stirring memories, and fostering new cultural spaces.
It subtly injects innovation into urban living, offering a powerful yet subtle reminder that a city’s soul lies beyond its uniform skylines.
原文地址：http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/1112/c90000-20389396.html