A century-old mining town in the Fangzi district of Weifang, a National Historical and Cultural City renowned for its rich cultural heritage, has been transformed into a thriving cultural tourism destination, with heritage-led revitalization attracting nearly 1.6 million visits in the last year.
Fangtze Town, which emerged as one of China's earliest modern industrial mining settlements over 100 years ago, preserves coal mine relics, a railway station, and parts of the Qingdao–Jinan railway within its 1.97-square-kilometer core area.
Since 2008, local authorities have restored 68 heritage buildings on a case-by-case basis to preserve their original character. Culture parks, art museums and the Fangtze Museum have since been established, shifting heritage from static preservation to dynamic utilization.
The turning point came in 2024, when the hit TV drama Always on the Move, with 90 percent of its scenes filmed on location, brought the town into the national spotlight. Visitors poured in from across China, exploring markets, sampling local delicacies and buying cultural products.
To meet the surge in interest, authorities recreated iconic drama sets including the railway station, supply and marketing cooperative.
The film-driven traffic has translated into tangible consumption growth. Last year, the town recorded almost 1.6 million visits, steadily boosting revenue for surrounding restaurants and accommodations.
"The influx of visitors demand quality services," said Liu Lanqiang, deputy director of the Fangzi district German and Japanese architecture protection and development center. The town has rolled out four themed routes, including historical culture tours and film location visits, and introduced eight new business formats such as cultural creative shops and specialty cafes.
Today, visitors sip coffee in century-old buildings, browse exhibitions, and create handicrafts. An industrial relic has become living history and a powerful engine for local consumption.
