{"id":9653,"date":"2025-07-23T09:43:38","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T07:43:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/c2dh-en\/?post_type=articles&p=9653"},"modified":"2025-07-23T09:43:39","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T07:43:39","slug":"industrial-history-in-action","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/c2dh-en\/articles\/industrial-history-in-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Industrial History in Action"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

In early June 2025, we travelled to China to follow the traces of Blast Furnace C, originally part of Luxembourg\u2019s steel industry in Belval. The furnace was dismantled in 1996 and shipped to China, where it was reassembled on the Anning plant near Kunming and remained in use from 1998 to 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea behind the research trip was to put industrial history into action and to investigate first-hand the history and legacy of Blast Furnace C in China. From online sources we had already learned that it had been shut down in 2021 and declared a national industrial monument in 2018. Still, the timeline was rather obscure and from the different reports we had read it remained unclear what had been planned and what had been implemented in situ. The aim was to visit the furnace and also to talk to the urban planners and industrial heritage authorities that we had identified in the online reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nMeeting with THUPDI in Beijing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We started our trip in Beijing with a visit to the Tsinghua Tongheng Urban Planning & Design Institute (THUPDI<\/a>). There we met Huo Xiaowei, Vice-Dean and head of the Heritage Division, and Zhang Jie, a former employee and now a PhD student at Beijing University. Both had worked on a reconversion plan for the former industrial site in Anning, where Blast Furnace C had been operating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n \n\"Tsinghua

\n Tsinghua Tongheng Urban Planning & Design Institute (THUPDI) <\/p>\n <\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n \n\"Meeting

\n Meeting with Roland Reiland, Luxembourg\u2019s Ambassador to China <\/p>\n <\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Our conversation soon revealed that, despite the differences between Luxembourg and China, both countries are dealing with similar challenges when it comes to reusing old industrial sites. What should be preserved? How can these places be made meaningful again? And how can the local community be involved in the process? We were particularly interested in how THUPDI used online surveys to gather feedback from former workers and residents, a participatory approach that involved citizens in suggesting which parts of the steelworks should be preserved because of their historical or emotional value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also visited the Shougang Industrial Park in western Beijing, where the old steelworks had been turned into sport venues and public spaces for the 2022 Winter Olympics. On a regular weekday around lunchtime Shougang Park was deserted, suggesting that it may not be the best example for the reconversion of an industrial site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later that day, we were invited for dinner by Luxembourg\u2019s Ambassador to China, Roland Reiland. This was a great opportunity to talk about our research in a broader context and discuss the current cultural connections between Luxembourg and China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n \n
\n
\n
\n