Alliance set to reconstruct manufacturing areas, foster urban culture

A national alliance is being created to focus on the protection and reuse of old factories, as well as the fostering of urban culture.

The initiative was proposed by the China Cultural Industry Association and Beijing's Chaoyang district and officials said it will build the country's first national and professional platform to protect and develop industrial legacies, playing a leading role in promoting urban renewal and transformation.

Chaoyang officials said the alliance will be officially established in August.

"We hope to have win-win cooperation and share resources throughout the country, making the alliance a nonprofit platform that preserves the memories of steel manufacturing and stimulates cultural and creative parks," said one official.

Chaoyang district and the China Cultural Industry Association plan to organize a seminar in the Chaoyang Museum of Urban Planning in Beijing on Aug 18. Officials from Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Dalian and other cities who have experienced the projects of repurposing old factories will be invited, as will 50 art communities in China that have transformed old industrial zones, such as the 798 Art District in Beijing, Bridge 8 in Shanghai and Chengdu's Eastern Suburb Memory Park.

Seminar participants will discuss the significance of industrial heritage and urban renewal, as well as the best ways to protect and utilize old factory buildings, and improve the quality of renovation.

Officials said there will also be exhibitions to demonstrate the development of old factory protection in the country and the experience of the transformation and upgrading of the well-known industrial zones.

The alliance is of great significance to the protection and reuse of the industrial legacies, and will play a positive role in the creative development of urban culture, said an official in Chaoyang district of Beijing.

Inviting artists to take part in the transformation of the former industrial space can improve urban cultural quality and enhance the vigor and the competitiveness in cities. Officials said they sincerely welcome the art communities in the country to participate in the alliance.

In the past 20 years, Beijing's Chaoyang district has made great use of the cultural value of industrial legacies, setting up public cultural facilities and developing cultural and creative industries.

With a total reconstruction area of 2.82 million square meters, 57 former factories in Chaoyang district have been transformed and upgraded into cultural parks, including some landmark buildings, such as Beijing's 798 Art District, and Lang Yuan Vintage, combining art and culture with old factories and other industrial legacies.

Last year, the total income of the major cultural enterprises was more than 320 billion yuan ($47.8 billion), officials in Chaoyang district said.

Chaoyang district has explored four modes for the industrial zones transformation, said an official in the cultural and creative industrial development center.

The first one, he said, is like Beijing's 798 Art District, focusing on the exhibition of contemporary art. Its operation process is that the government provides management services to attract artists gathering spontaneously.

Another successful practice, 751D Park mainly focuses on the fashion design industry, jointly operated by the professional organizations and the owner.

The Chaoyang Museum of Urban Planning is operated by the government.

Laijin Industrial Park, mainly developed to attract the art media industry, has been set up by State-owned enterprises under government guidance.

These successful practices provide useful experience for those seeking to transform the old factory buildings and develop cultural parks, he added.

hanlu@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/24/2018 page7)