Century-old factories rejuvenated by industrial tourism

Precursor to the Nantong·1895 Cultural and Creative Industrial Park. [Photo provided to en.nantong.gov.cn]

The Dasheng Cotton Mills and other factories built 100 years ago in Chongchuan district, Nantong, have been given a new lease of life after being transformed into the Nantong·1895 Cultural and Creative Industrial Park.

The roads in the park are lined with red slogans from the past, towering chimneys, and criss-crossed pipes, revealing a glorious past, while refreshing white walls create an aesthetic feeling of contrast with black reinforcing steel bars.

A building in the Nantong·1895 Cultural and Creative Industrial Park. [Photo provided to en.nantong.gov.cn]

The uniquely-designed art spaces, robot-shaped signs, exaggerated graffiti, and installations made by old objects brighten up the entire park, where blue glass windows, iron spiral staircases, and remains of large machines seamlessly blend with green vegetation, sparking photographers' imaginations.

To natives of Chongchuan, the establishments are not just lifeless brick buildings, but irreproducible cultural symbols and chronological memories, contributing to the area's unique characteristics and temperament.

A view of the Nantong·1895 Cultural and Creative Industrial Park. [Photo provided to en.nantong.gov.cn]

Previously a workplace, the industrial park has now become a place for local young people to chase their dreams as increasingly more film and television companies and art studios are being set up here.

Plan a trip to the Nantong·1895 Cultural and Creative Industrial Park to experience its vitality!