The towering chimneys bear witness to the roaring machines and the feverish industrial civilization in Beijing and carry the memory of the city's history and culture. In recent years, these large chimneys have been transformed into new landmarks for the capital's cultural and creative industries. The revitalization of industrial heritages not only enriches its cultural activities, but also promotes the cultivation of new cultural business models and consumption patterns, and stimulates the growth potential of cultural consumption.

Let's go and visit these chimneys in Beijing!

798 Art Zone, Chaoyang District

Located in Chaoyang District, the 798 Art Zone was once the old site of the state-owned 798 Factory built with the aid of the Soviet Union. As time goes by, the factory has waned. The idle workshops are used for rent. Thanks to its unique Bauhaus architectural style and cultural value, the red brick factories, mottled walls, abandoned boilers, and other industrial equipment in the park are still intact. The towering chimneys have become a landmark in the Zone.

Location: Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing. It was formerly the location of the old factories of the electronic sector such as the state-owned 798 Factory.

Uses: The chimney of the former North China Radio Equipment Factory was responsible for the production of early electronic equipment in China.

Height: 50m

Year of construction: Built in 1951

Although the factory has declined, thanks to its personalized architectural style and proximity to the Central Academy of Fine Arts, it has gradually gathered a large number of artists and has developed into the largest contemporary art community in China. Today, the Zone has become a cultural and artistic area dominated by galleries, art centers and studios, where world-renowned cultural and art institutions and galleries have taken root. It is already a holy place for cultural tourism for both Chinese and foreign visitors.

As an important business card of Beijing's urban culture and a window for cultural and artistic exchanges between China and foreign countries, the 798 Art Zone is constantly innovating cultural tourism experience. It has created a gathering place for cultural exchanges by releasing new potential for cultural consumption with the integration model of "culture + technology" and "brand + industry". The old factory that has gone through vicissitudes has faded away from the industrial production line and integrated into a strong artistic atmosphere, intertwining the industrial outline of history with the pulse of modern art.

751D·PARK

The 751D· PARK, which is next to the 798 Art Zone, was once the gas production plant of Beijing 751 Factory, It has long been responsible for the gas supply to Beijing and the electricity and heat supply to Beijing and surrounding areas. In 2003, the production and operation were stopped due to the adjustment of national energy policy, It was transformed into 751D· PARK. Today, it retains a strong industrial character. The quaint steam trains, large spiral gas tanks, cracking furnaces, criss-crossing pipe clusters, and huge chimneys all give people a sense of history across time and space.

Location: The 751D·PARK is next to the 798 Art Zone and it was once the gas production plant of the Beijing 751 Factory.

Uses: The chimney of the former Beijing state-owned 751 factory was responsible for the production of gas in Beijing.

Diameter: 70m

Year of construction: built in 1954

With the relocation of the China Fashion Designers Association to the Park, it has attracted a large number of well-known designers to move in. In addition to clothing, the Park continues to expand "design" to include architecture, home furnishing, automobiles, advertising, etc., forming an ecosystem with fashion design as the core and injecting new vitality into this old industrial park.

491 Space, Chaoyang District

Located in Chaoyang District, the 491 Space was renovated from the former site of the 491 Radio Substation of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, and has a history of nearly 100 years. It used to be the earliest radio station in China, and it was also here that the founding ceremony of New China was broadcast to the world. So it has great historical significance and cultural value.

Location: 491 Space, Chaoyang District

Uses: The chimney of the former 491 Radio Station under the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television was responsible for the transmission of large-scale medium and short-wave broadcasting.

Year of Construction: Built in 1918

Now, this area has become a cultural and creative park where elements of red culture collide with contemporary art. The vibrant and bright architectural style makes it a popular photo spot, attracting motorcycle and skateboard enthusiasts alike. The red-brick chimney still stands tall, silently witnessing the park's changes, and frequently appears in visitors' photos.

Shougang Park

Here in Shijingshan, there are huge chimneys that served as the backdrop for skiing at the Winter Olympics. These chimneys belonged to the Capital Steel Mill (Shougang), the first state-owned steel mill in the People's Republic of China. With the development of the city, it is no longer in production and operation, and the well-preserved steel industry buildings and facilities, such as blast furnaces, cooling towers, coke ovens, exhaust chimneys, etc., have been revitalized.

Location: Shougang Park, Shijingshan, Beijing

Uses: The chimney of the former Capital Steel Mill (Shougang) which supported early steel production in China.

Cooling Tower Height: 70m

Year of Construction: Built in 1919

These industrial-style buildings and steel production equipment left behind by Shougang have been transformed into high-end industrial gathering places for AI, Internet, and games. The Winter Olympics ski big air venue and training facilities for national teams of speed skating, figure skating, and curling have also been built here. The former industrial base has become an Internet favorite spot, with a strong sense of industrial culture and a sense of cyber futurism intertwined. The unique charm of the Park has attracted many tourists to come and play.

At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, there were spray of molten steel flying and iron flowing here. This capital steel mill witnessed the magnificent modern industrial epic of New China. Today's Shougang has transformed from a traditional heavy industry site to the Shougang Park integrating culture, art, and technology, witnessing the supreme glory of the "Double Olympic City". Efforts are accelerated to make Shougang's old factory area a new landmark of urban rejuvenation featured with the spirit of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics "Together for a Shared Future".

Café in a Chimney

This café in Shougang Park is built in a quenching tower in the Park, the chimney-shaped building was mainly used to extinguish the coke generated during the coking process in industrial production thus ensuring a smooth production process. In the café, the main structure is retained, the top of the tower is transformed into a skylight, the textured brick façade of the tower remains unchanged, and the overall decoration is distinctly industrial.

Location: In the coke quenching tower of Shougang Park

Uses: The main function of the quenching tower was to quench the hot coke during the coking process.

Year of Construction: Built in 1919

Being in a chimney, this café looks more like a coffee castle from a distance. The overall industrial-style decoration of the chimney is in harmony with the literary and artistic atmosphere of the coffee. The cultural and artistic atmosphere and the industrial style are perfectly integrated here. Its unique temperament has made it a popular attraction.

The Digital Art Industrial Park, No. 75 Jianguo Road

A 240-meter-high chimney on Jianguo Road is particularly eye-catching. It is known as the "last chimney on Chang'an Avenue" and belongs to the former No. 1 Thermal Power Plant in Beijing. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the thermal power plant was responsible for the power security on important anniversaries. Now, it is no longer used for heating and power generation and has been transformed into a comprehensive cultural park that features "industrial heritage + visual arts + digital creativity".

Location: No. 75, Jianguo Road

Uses: The chimney of the former Beijing No. 1 Thermal Power Plant was used to secure the power supply and heating in important areas of Beijing.

Height: 240m

Year of construction: Built in 1955

Walking in the Park, industrial memories can be found everywhere. All kinds of pipelines and equipment tell the glory of the past. The machinery and equipment in the factory area in the past have become the "hard core" embellishment of the Park, forming a unique urban landscape. With a number of digital technology and cultural communication enterprises operating here, the Park is working to explore the path of transforming into a cultural and creative park focusing on digital technology, to strengthen the intersection of industrial plants and technological innovation, and to bring new development opportunities to the old factory.

Tianning Temple, Beijing

There is such a place beside Beijing's West Second Ring Road - on one side is the majestic and quaint Tianning Temple Pagoda, and on the other side is a large chimney rising from the ground in an industrial plant. With a history of nearly 900 years, the Tianning Temple Pagoda is 57.8 meters high, which is not only the highest dense-eaves pagoda in Beijing but also a precious relic left when Beijing was the southern capital of Liao Dynasty. It is also the oldest ground building in Beijing.

Less than 100 meters away from Tianning Temple stands a 180-meter chimney which once belonged to Beijing's No.2 Thermal Power Plant.Founded in 1972, the factory was responsible for the winter heating of state organs and important departments of Beijing along West Chang'an Avenue and nearby residents. After the factory was shut down, it was transformed into a cultural and technological innovation park.

Location: No. 3, Tianning Temple Front Street, Xicheng District, Beijing

Uses: The 180-meter-high chimney of the former Beijing No. 2 Thermal Power Plant secured nearby winter heating.

Height: 57.8m

Year of construction: Built in 1972

When the No.2 Thermal Power Plant ceased to operate, there was some debate about the disposition of the large chimney in order to protect the landscape of the Tianning Temple Pagoda. Today, the Tianning Temple Pagoda and the big chimney watch each other, creating the magic of perfectly integrating the ancient and the modern and witnessing the development of Beijing together.

77 Cultural and Creative Park

Located in the back street of the National Art Museum of China in Dongcheng District, the 77 Cultural and Creative Park is rebuilt from the old factory building of the former Beijing Offset Printing Factory. Several old-fashioned red brick industrial plants are dotted around, making people feel as if they are in the industrial civilization with the characteristics of the 20th century. The old chimneys and hot stamping die-cutting machines in the original factory area have been well preserved. There are some small buildings with red brick walls. The winding steel ladders extend to the roof. These have attracted many young people.

Location: The back street of the National Art Museum of China, Dongcheng District. It was rebuilt from the old workshops of the original Beijing Offset Printing Factory.

Uses: The chimney of the former Beijing Offset Printing Factory was responsible for printing.

Year of construction: Built in 1960

Nowadays, the 77 Cultural and Creative Park has become a cultural and creative park dominated by drama, film and television sectors. Its long-term cultural accumulation and old industrial heritage have attracted a large number of core cultural resources. The three-dimensional streets and alleys, rich cultural venues, and the blending of old and new buildings in the Park have created a place for cultural and artistic exchanges and a source of inspiration. Hundreds of cultural and creative markets, outdoor art activities, exhibitions and other activities are held here every year.

Yuejie Jinhuiyuan

The former site of Yuejie Jinhuiyuan (aka Pano Park) was a local heating station, and later it was redesigned and built into a technology park. The original boiler room and coal house were converted into office buildings, and the chimney became a landmark building. The robust style of old industrial factories here has made it a popular new photo spot in Beijing.

Location: No. 217, Xiaoguan Beili, Chaoyang District, Beijing

Uses: The chimney of the former local heating plant was used to secure the heating of nearby residents in winter.

Year of construction: built at the end of the 1980s

There is also a unique bar in the Park housed in an abandoned chimney. It has set a world record for its 14.67-metre-high liftable wine rack. The red brick chimneys and iron pipes retain the traditional industrial décor and give this bar a unique atmosphere.

Coking Plant

In addition to Shougang, another important industrial symbol of Beijing is the Coking Plant, built in 1958, which mainly produces gas for fuel. With the accelerated development of Beijing, the Coking Plant has now ceased production, leaving behind huge chimneys, workshops and industrial equipment such as coke ovens, railways, pipelines, cooling towers, etc.. After decades of vicissitudes, it gives people the feeling of instantly travelling back to the last century, with the roar of machines and the eruption of steam being heard in their ears.

Location: No. 638, Huagong Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

Uses: The chimney of the former Beijing Coking Plant was responsible for the production of coal gas in Beijing.

Year of construction: Built in 1958

As a typical sign and symbol of the city's industrial civilization, the chimneys have witnessed the development and changes in Beijing. These witnesses and monuments of the industrial age are eliminated with Beijing's new development. But as Beijing is developing its cultural sector, they have metamorphosed into cultural and tourism landmarks and new symbol of spiritual culture. The chimneys have become a proof of the city's growth process, witnessed people coming and going, and also recorded the brilliance of each era.