A blast furnace that had been in service for more than 60 years at the Tisco Museum in Taiyuan, Shanxi province. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Former industrial sites in Shanxi today serve as heritage museums, report Yang Feiyue in Beijing and Sun Ruisheng in Taiyuan.
Jiang Quanxi often gets nostalgic when walking past Tisco Museum. Many of what he refers to as his "old friends", furnaces, chimneys, the very symbols of prowess, tell their own tales to visitors who seek to know more about the past industrial glory of Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi province.
The exhibits range from a blast furnace that had been in service for more than 60 years to a steam engine that is 21 meters long, from the 1960s. This engine stopped functioning in 2003 at the old site of Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group) Co.
"I've worked in the company since graduation in 1987, and had worked with the blast furnace for 19 years," Jiang says. "It was hard going at work."
Jiang recalls that he was often soaked in sweat after a day's work, and even in winter, he needed to wear a single blue unlined garment, because of the high temperature.
"The blast furnace is a reminder (of the history) and an inheritance," Jiang says. "I feel it is very close to my heart when I see it now."
Along with the giant machine and equipment, about 120 historical archives and industrial items have been preserved in the museum that was built by the company in 2014. The company was founded in 1937 and has played an important role in the nation's industrial development.
China's first stainless steel was produced by Tisco in 1952, and the company has evolved into a major force in engineering machinery, aerospace and military development.
"We have archived the development history in Tisco Museum's exhibition hall, and tell visitors stories about the company," says Feng Yaoyu, director of the museum.
One can read steel-themed journals from 1951 and study the country's first operation manual for electrosmelting of steel. A hangar built in 1923 and a watch tower erected to protect the plant are among the highlights at the museum.
"We open to the public on a regular basis," says Shang Qing, a guide at the museum's exhibition hall.
Many company personnel, parents and students have visited to learn about the industrial history. "We've received more than 10,000 visitors since 2010," says Shang.
In Shanxi, many industrial sites like Tisco Museum have been given a new lease of life and become a learning place for the public.
The exhibition hall at the former site of the Taiyuan Armory. [Photo provided to China Daily]
About a 10-minute drive away, Taiyuan Armory also offers a stroll down memory lane with a history stretching back more than 100 years. A birthplace of modern Chinese artillery, the site is a well-preserved military industrial heritage. Local authorities have transformed it into an ordnance-themed cultural park covering 36,000 square meters that offers tourism and patriotic education. Several workshops are scattered there, with mottled brickwalls and towering chimneys. Visitors can see objects dating back to the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) at the exhibition hall, which is an eye-catching building combining Chinese and Western elements.
"The beam above is in traditional Chinese style, and the arches are commonly seen in Western buildings," says Wang Kexin, an employee of the 1898 China Soldiers (Taiyuan) Ordnance Culture Development Co, which runs the park.
"This exhibition hall mainly preserves some of our working equipment during 1912-49, including mimeographs, typewriters, telephones, tables, chairs and benches," Wang says.
One can also learn about factory management from 1898 to 1949 with documents prominently displayed on the wall, including meeting minutes and staff salaries. Behind the exhibition hall lies Jinzao Workshop, where a large number of drawings, knives, measuring instruments, machinery and equipment jump into sight. It restores the production scenes of Shanxi's artillery and other industries.
More than 50 large-scale pieces of equipment there were imported from France, the United States, Sweden, Hungary and Germany. Many of them have become moveable historical relics and are very precious, Wang says.
The most valuable exhibit is a gun barrel drawing bench that was produced by the French company Somab in 1923. "It was used until 2000."
At a short distance from the workshop, more than 20 artillery pieces are displayed in the Modern Artillery Exhibition Hall, such as the first generation of the medium-caliber artillery used after the founding of New China. It was developed in August 1954. Taiyuan Armory was named a national industrial heritage in 2018.
"Industrial heritage is not just about inheritance but also about innovation," says Wang Zubin, chairman of the ordnance culture development company. "We will tap into more stories based on industrial heritage protection."
Digital technology, such as virtual reality, will be introduced to better spread ordnance culture.
Those who want to experience how Fenjiu, one of the country's most well-known liquors, is made, can visit the Fenjiu culture scenic area in Xinghuacun town that is about 90 minutes drive away.
Fenjiu became well-known 1,500 years ago, and this scenic area features an ancient-looking cluster of structures. Imposing black-tiled buildings stand close to each other and were fashioned based on elements of the Tang (618-907), Song (960-1279), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties. The famed Tang poet Du Mu (803-852) made the town an epithet for good wine in his poem The Mourning Day.
Visitors watch Fenjiu, one of the country's most well-known liquors, being produced in Xinghuacun town, Shanxi. [Photo provided to China Daily]
At the museum, visitors can sample beverages and see the process of liquor-making, from brewing to storage, filling and packaging. The cluster is part of local government efforts to integrate tourism with culture.
By 2020, the country had 62 national industrial culture heritage sites, named by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Shanxi has six, including the Shigejie coal mine and Gaoping textile and dyeing plant.
"Industrial tourism started early in Shanxi," says Wang Aiqin, head of Shanxi Culture and Tourism Department, adding that its form has shifted from museums to creative and entrepreneurship parks.
The Coal Museum of China that opened in 1989 and the Pingshuo open-air coal mine that launched travel routes in the 1990s are models of industrial tourism development, she says, adding that industrial tourism development should take advantage of local existing conditions.
"With support from related government departments, industrial tourism development in resource-based regions has been on the fast track," she says.
But she calls for more attention to industrial heritage protection and utilization.
"At present, China's resource-based regions are in a critical period of transformation and development.
"Actively promoting the development of industrial and cultural tourism, according to local conditions, has strong practical significance for resolving excess capacity, improving industrial quality and efficiency, expanding the value of 'time-honored' brands, and transforming the development of many resource-based cities and old industrial bases," she adds.
