Industrial heritages of China and Germany transform into new cultural landmarks

A press conference is held at the Industrial Museum of China in Shenyang, northeast China’s Liaoning Province, Dec. 25, 2024. Industrial relics in Germany and China, grounded in their past glories, now face a promising future of rejuvenation.

The iron and coal industry in Germany has undergone both prosperity and decline throughout its history, leaving behind numerous industrial relics. These industrial relics were later designated as industrial heritages by the authorities, and were transformed into tourist destinations. The Voelklingen Ironworks in Saarland was the first monument from the zenith of the industrial era that was included on the UNESCO World Heritage list. It has become an essential industrial heritage museum and also a unique location for international exhibitions, festivals and concerts.

Meanwhile, Tiexi District in northeast China’s Shenyang is an old industrial base established during China’s First and Second Five-Year Plan periods. This area was once filled with buzzing factory machinery and extensive railway networks. It is where the first metal national emblem of the People’s Republic of China was produced, along with numerous other “firsts” in the country’s industrial production history. As China implements revitalization strategies for the old industrial bases in the country’s northeast region, many traditional industrial companies have begun relocating from downtown areas, paving the way for the introduction of new service industries. The industrial heritages here have been transformed into public leisure spaces, creative industry parks, and distinctive neighborhoods. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

This photo taken on Dec. 17, 2024 shows an art installation of Urban Art Biennale at the Voelklingen Ironworks in Saarland, Germany. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)

This photo shows a miniature model and a demonstration of the Voelklingen Ironworks in Saarland, Germany, Dec. 18, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)

Visitors spend their leisure time at a coffee shop in the Hongmei cultural and creative industry park, which is transformed from an old factory, in Tiexi District of Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province, Nov. 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

This photo taken on Dec. 18, 2024 shows an art installation at the Voelklingen Ironworks in Saarland, Germany. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)

This photo taken on Jan. 25, 2024 shows an exterior view of the Industrial Museum of China in Shenyang, northeast China’s Liaoning Province. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

This photo taken on Dec. 17, 2024 shows a view of the Voelklingen Ironworks in Saarland, Germany. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)

This photo taken on Dec. 17, 2024 shows a view of the Voelklingen Ironworks in Saarland, Germany. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)

This photo taken on Dec. 18, 2024 shows an art installation of Urban Art Biennale at the Voelklingen Ironworks in Saarland, Germany. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)

This photo taken on Dec. 18, 2024 shows internal facilities of the Voelklingen Ironworks in Saarland, Germany. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)

People visit the Industrial Museum of China in Shenyang, northeast China’s Liaoning Province, Nov. 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

This photo taken on Dec. 18, 2024 shows a view of the Voelklingen Ironworks in Saarland, Germany. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)

Tourists visit the Voelklingen Ironworks in Saarland, Germany, Dec. 18, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)

People visit the Industrial Museum of China in Shenyang, northeast China’s Liaoning Province, Nov. 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

This photo taken on Dec. 17, 2024 shows an Urban Art Biennale poster at the Voelklingen Ironworks in Saarland, Germany. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)

People visit the Industrial Museum of China in Shenyang, northeast China’s Liaoning Province, Nov. 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

A visitor looks at a painting at an art gallery in the Hongmei cultural and creative industry park, which is transformed from an old factory, in Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province, July 7, 2021. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

Visitors take photos at the Hongmei cultural and creative industry park, which is transformed from an old factory, in Tiexi District of Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province, Nov. 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

Children play basketball at the Hongmei cultural and creative industry park, which is transformed from an old factory, in Tiexi District of Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province, July 7, 2021. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

People visit the Industrial Museum of China in Shenyang, northeast China’s Liaoning Province, Nov. 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

An aerial drone photo taken on July 7, 2021 shows the Hongmei cultural and creative industry park, which is transformed from an old factory, in Tiexi District of Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

People visit a photo exhibition at the Industrial Museum of China in Shenyang, northeast China’s Liaoning Province, Oct. 18, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

This photo taken on Dec. 17, 2024 shows a view of the Voelklingen Ironworks in Saarland, Germany. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)

Reference Link:- https://english.news.cn/20250117/7e99caa0c04d48a4973a7535395efb8d/c.html

Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan Founder & Chair, Global Silk Route Research Alliance

Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…

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