Economic Watch: From abandoned factories to cultural landmarks, China's urban renewal energizes new consumption

BEIJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- As dusk falls, neon lights cast a glow on the towering red-brick chimney bearing the words "Zhengzhou Memory," while folk music and dance performances fill the open-air stage, with crowds thronging around cultural and creative stalls.

Few would imagine that this new landmark in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, was once an idle space in the cityscape, an abandoned factory overtaken by wild vegetation.

Located in Jinshui District, the "Zhengzhou Memory 1952" creative park was transformed from a former washing products plant founded in 1952. Once the province's largest producer of washing products, the plant left behind a Soviet-style architectural complex with intact main structures after ceasing production in 2006.

Wandering through the creative park today, past and present converge seamlessly as Soviet-style warehouses are transformed into a dome art center, old production lines become a soap museum, and soap storage tanks are repurposed as rock stages.

Meticulously curated by shop owners, every industrial heritage site in the park exudes a distinct local character. Cafés, barbecue joints, bistros and industrial exhibition halls are teeming with visitors seeking immersive experiences, while the stroll between shops and historic industrial artifacts reveals a seamless blend of human warmth and vibrant market energy.

This remarkable transformation is the result of a three-year urban renovation project launched in 2019, guided by the government and supported by active participation from enterprises.

Restored while preserving its original appearance, the abandoned factory site has now been revitalized into a tourist and leisure block which houses over 230 shops and 100 market stalls, covering cultural creativity, catering and entertainment, artistic performances, and immersive experience theaters.

"There are old buildings everywhere, yet the place is full of youthful energy," said Wu Huashan, a tourist from nearby Hebei Province. "Every photo taken here looks amazing. With the lights and music in the park, the sense of ritual is overwhelming."

By focusing on a "five-sense economy" that engages tasting, viewing, listening, smelling and hands-on experiences, the park has gradually become a must-visit destination for young visitors. During the 2026 New Year holiday, it welcomed over 250,000 visitors and generated more than 11 million yuan (about 1.57 million U.S. dollars) in revenue.

According to Cao Xinhe, general manager of the creative park, the blend of local lifestyle, fashion and artistic appeal is what draws young people to this spot.

Wang Zhenjun, director of the Cultural Industry Research Center at Zhengzhou University, noted that the park's transformation from an industrial rust belt to a cultural and tourism attraction has not only added cultural symbols to the city but also created new urban consumption scenarios.

Similar transformations are taking place nowadays across China as the country advances a broader urban renewal initiative, which aims to promote high-quality urban development.

In Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, the graceful tunes of traditional Sichuan opera interweave with dynamic electronic music beats inside a teahouse.

Featuring gray tiles and bricks, Daqi Teahouse in Chengdu's Qingyang District was once the site of a local lacquerware craft factory with a history spanning more than half a century. After a renovation completed last October, the venue now integrates tea culture experiences, intangible cultural heritage exhibitions, and artistic exchanges.

"The teahouse serves as a carrier of Chengdu's culture," said Wen Yi, manager of Daqi, noting that it regularly stages tea art performances, Sichuan opera face-changing shows and offers classes in intangible cultural heritage handcrafts.

The transformation of the teahouse epitomizes local urban renewal practices. "We have abandoned large-scale demolition and reconstruction, instead allowing old buildings and traditional crafts to become the 'core assets' of new consumption," said an official from Qingyang District.

According to the Central Urban Work Conference held in July 2025, urban renewal will be an important lever to optimize urban structures, transform growth drivers, improve quality of life, advance green development, preserve cultural heritage, and enhance governance efficiency.

Official data shows that China has made solid progress in this regard. Last year, the country invested a total of 133.2 billion yuan in the renovation of 27,100 old urban residential communities, benefiting 4.99 million households.

Other key highlights of urban renewal included the establishment of more pocket parks and small recreational spaces, and the construction of urban greenways, all aimed at making cities more livable, according to the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

With authorities pledging to further advance high-quality urban renewal in 2026 and throughout the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), market participants expect new consumption patterns to emerge from the city-specific upgrading of aging neighborhoods, industrial zones, historic districts and heritage buildings. ■