The picture shows the 603 Cultural and Creative Park in Xiangyang, Hubei Province. Photo by Ye Qiang, the Correspondent

The picture shows the Railway 1948 Cultural and Creative Park in Xiangyang, Hubei Province. Photo by Wang Yanyan, the Journalist

Wang Yanyan, the Journalist, and Xia Huan, Cai Dan, and Fu Changyou the Correspondents

In March this year, the Railway 1948 Cultural and Creative Park, located on Checheng South Road in Xiangzhou District, Xiangyang, Hubei Province, officially opened. The park has transformed 26.2 mu of idle railway land and buildings in line with local conditions. Centered on railway culture as its core IP (Intellectual Property), it has been developed into a comprehensive cultural and creative complex integrating cultural performances, homestay hotels, dining, and leisure and fitness. The project has not only revitalized idle railway assets but also injected new vitality into improving Xiangyang’s quality and boosting regional consumption.

The outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan  clearly proposes “high-quality advancement of urban renewal.” Strengthening the protection and utilization of industrial heritage is a key path to activating idle and inefficient spaces, fostering new business formats, creating new consumption scenarios, and injecting sustained vitality into cities. Today, many industrial heritage sites in Xiangyang are riding the momentum of urban renewal, transforming from dormant old sites into cultural landmarks, consumption hotspots, and fertile ground for entrepreneurship, writing a new chapter of integration and coexistence between industrial heritage and modern life.

Industrial Essences and the Daily Life
Old Factory Areas Transformed into New Community Hubs

In the transformation of industrial heritage in Xiangyang, the integration of the “daily life” and “industrial essences ” has become a distinctive feature. Entering Live Yeah Market in Fancheng District, this park, transformed from the former Jianchang Machinery Factory, perfectly illustrates the convergence of “industrial heritage” and “daily life.”

At the entrance of Live Yeah Market, the words “Xiangyang” formed by pink flower bouquets complement the simple red-brick walls, becoming a popular check-in spot for residents. Meanwhile, the towering beams and exposed brick walls of the old factory buildings have been preserved intact, quietly telling the industrial stories of the 1980s.

In addition to preserving industrial authenticity, the introduction of new business formats has brought new vitality to the space. New establishments such as the Rumu Aesthetic Home Lifestyle Pavilion have settled in, injecting fresh artistic elements into the solid industrial foundation. The fusion of retro charm and modern minimalist settings has created a tranquil place for young people to drink coffee, read, and purchase cultural and creative products.

Across the street from the artistic atmosphere inside the park are bustling residential compound facilities and emerging commercial businesses. This renovation has abandoned a single cultural or commercial model and carefully built a “one-stop” community service system. Through complementary business formats and functional integration, it preserves the warmth of old communities while upgrading residents’ consumption quality, bringing new vitality to what was once a quiet factory area.

Yu Mei, the property manager of Live Yeah Market, announced that the second phase of the market will soon open. It will continue to adhere to the concept of “preserving the old while innovating,” further introducing diversified formats such as aesthetic lifestyle stores, bars, and dessert shops, continuously enriching public service and cultural scenarios. The market aims not only to become a popular check-in destination for young people, but also a new hub for residential compound residents’ happy lives.

Industrial Connotation and Jiangnan Poetic Charm
Old Factories Unlock New Cultural Tourism Scenarios

If Live Yeah Market focuses on everyday urban life, Xiangyang Courtyard has taken a distinctive “industrial and cultural tourism” road. Founded in 1968, the Xiangyang Bearing Factory once carried Xiangyang’s industrial memory. With the changes of the times and industrial upgrading, some old factory buildings gradually became idle. Today, the renovation and upgrading of “The Most Beautiful Countryside: Xiangyang Courtyard” have transformed this once quiet space into a popular cultural tourism destination, completing a stunning transition from industrial site to poetic retreat.

Relying on the industrial foundation of the old factory buildings, the project invested 30 million yuan to carry out protective renovation, carefully creating a 12,000-square-meter poetic garden. During the transformation, the project team adhered to the principle of “equal emphasis on protection and innovation,” preserving the industrial character of the old factory while ingeniously incorporating Jiangnan-style elements such as pavilions, terraces, bridges, and flowing water. This integration of Jiangnan elegance with local urban life has innovatively created a new “cultural tourism and dining” business format, achieving a perfect combination of industrial memory and tourism experience.

Zhang Hao, Marketing Director of the project, said: “Transforming old factories into Jiangnan-style gardens and creating a ‘cultural tourism and dining’ format is intended to allow citizens to experience the elegance and poetic charm of Jiangnan water towns immersively right at their doorstep, enriching their leisure lives.”

Ms. Zhang, who has lived nearby for more than 20 years, deeply felt the changes: “It used to be an old factory area with a relatively outdated environment. After renovation, it has become like a Jiangnan courtyard, with mountains and water. It’s great for walks and photos after meals. Life is more convenient and more pleasant.”

Today, Xiangyang Courtyard has become a cultural tourism destination with both visual appeal and rich content. In addition to immersive Jiangnan scenery and authentic cuisine, it has carefully created diverse leisure experience scenes: every evening, traditional Chinese-style dances, Three Kingdoms-themed performances, and martial arts interactive shows are staged in turn, creating a strong atmosphere. Popular features such as tea-boiling areas and seasonal photo spots have attracted many residents and tourists.

Industrial Memory and Creative Vitality
Old Factory Areas Cultivate New Grounds for Industrial Development

Among Xiangyang’s industrial heritage revitalization projects, the 603 Cultural and Creative Park has become an important carrier for cultivating new urban growth drivers through a “culture and industry” model. Located at the foot of Xian Mountain in Xiangcheng District, the park features red-brick walls, old gantry cranes, and vintage workshops. It was formerly Wenzi 603 Factory, once a leading enterprise in China’s printing industry, where classic reference books such as the “Xinhua Dictionary” and “Chinese Idiom Dictionary” were printed, carrying rich industrial culture and historical memory.

In the process of urban renewal, the 603 Cultural and Creative Park has adhered to the core concept of “restoring the old as it was,” preserving key industrial traces. The former machine repair workshop has been transformed into the “Third Front Construction Memory Exhibition Hall,” and printing workshops have been converted into artistic spaces, allowing the toughness of industry and the softness of art to collide, and enabling the memories of the older generation to resonate with contemporary creative ideas. Today, the once old factory buildings have been transformed into art studios, boutique homestays, and galleries, achieving a transition from single warehousing functions to a comprehensive cultural and creative park.

According to a relevant official from the Xiangyang Bureau of Housing and Urban-rural Development, in order to build a cultural and creative park with Xiangyang characteristics, extensive study and repeated discussions were carried out. Ultimately, it was decided not to blindly copy successful models from other regions, but to base development on local advantages and transform the old factory area into a cultural and creative park to achieve industrial upgrading. Today, the 603 Cultural and Creative Park combines nostalgia with modernity, and industrial aesthetics with trendy culture. The once dilapidated factory buildings have undergone a remarkable transformation and returned to public view as a benchmark for Xiangyang’s cultural and creative industries.

To further enhance the park, construction of the 603 Printing: Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance Center began in April 2025. The project has transformed more than 2,000 square meters of vacant factory buildings into a main venue for intangible cultural heritage inheritance, while more than 1,500 square meters of outdoor space will be developed into a printmaking market. At the same time, the park is building a 603 Printing Museum and upgrading the Third Front Construction Memory Printing Hall, further expanding functions such as exhibitions, research and study, experiential learning, and cultural exchange, promoting the integration of industrial memory, intangible cultural heritage, and modern education. Meanwhile, a nearby commercial complex and parking building project has entered the acceptance stage, which will effectively fill the gap in commercial facilities in the Xian Mountain area and help create a comprehensive commercial and cultural center.

Today, the 603 Cultural and Creative Park has become a distinctive park where nostalgia and modernity coexist, and industrial aesthetics blend with trendy culture. So far, more than 60 enterprises have settled in, creating over 3,000 jobs and generating nearly 300 million yuan in annual output value, becoming an important platform for gathering creative talent, activating cultural industries, and showcasing urban charm.

From the people-friendly Live Yeah Market to the cultural tourism-focused Xiangyang Courtyard, to the creative industry-driven 603 Cultural and Creative Park, and the newly opened Railway 1948 Cultural and Creative Park, Xiangyang’s practice of revitalizing industrial heritage consistently adheres to the core principles of “prioritizing protection, activating utilization, and innovating business formats.” Today, with industrial heritage as an important carrier, Xiangyang has transformed old factories and industrial areas into cultural landmarks, consumption spaces, and industrial platforms through diversified renovation models. This not only preserves the city’s cultural continuity but also effectively stimulates new momentum for urban development, forging a distinctive path in which urban renewal and industrial heritage protection develop in harmony.