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China News Service, Beijing, February 5th: Why can "New Shougang" become a masterpiece of China's industrial heritage transformation?
——Exclusive interview with Wu Chen, chief architect and chief planner of Beijing Architectural Design and Research Institute
China News Service reporter Du Yan and Wang Zonghan
Industrial heritage is a civilizational achievement created by humans that requires long-term preservation and extensive exchanges. It is an indispensable and important part of human cultural heritage. It is crucial for cities to protect and utilize industrial heritage well.
As one of the representative works of transformation of China's industrial heritage, Beijing Shougang Park has continued to gain popularity in recent years. While hosting major events such as the Winter Olympics, the Service Trade Fair, and the China Science Fiction Conference, Shougang Park has also become a new window for China’s cultural exchanges with other countries, and the “new landmark of capital city rejuvenation” has confidently and generously appeared in front of the world.
What is the unique value of industrial heritage? How to achieve the integration of industrial heritage and cities to promote urban revitalization? What kind of industrial heritage protection path has "New Shougang" taken? Wu Chen, chair professor of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, dean of the School of Human Habitat Sciences, chief architect and chief planner of the Beijing Architectural Design and Research Institute, and chief architect of Shougang Group, accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service's "East-West Question" to answer the above questions. .
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
China News Service reporter: What is industrial heritage? What is the unique value of industrial heritage compared to other types of cultural heritage?
Wu Chen:
After the modern and even contemporary industrialization process, the factories, industrial structures, mechanical equipment, etc. that have appeared along with human production activities are all components of industrial heritage. Industrial heritage is an integral part of modern cities. To a certain extent, compared with other cultural heritage, the artistic value of industrial heritage may not be outstanding, but its characteristics are very distinctive.
First of all, industrial heritage is mostly large-scale spatial places located in cities. Unlike cultural relic protection units scattered in patches in the city, industrial heritage mostly preserves a complete and unique historical and cultural environment; secondly, industrial heritage can reflect the human production and labor process and has unique technological and economic characteristics. It records the historical process of science and technology and industrial development, shows the evolution of advanced production technology and industrialization, and has become a recorder of urban scenes in the past century.
Reporter from China News Service: Shougang Park is one of the representative works of transformation of China’s industrial heritage. What is its transformation process?
Wu Chen:
Founded in 1919, Shougang is the epitome of China's steel industry. It has participated in and witnessed the historical leap of China's steel industry from scratch, from small to large, and from large to strong. At the end of the 20th century, Shougang was in its golden period of production. In 1994, Shougang ranked first in the country with an output of 8.24 million tons.
With the rapid growth of steel production, Shougang cannot avoid the problem of environmental pollution. In 2001, Beijing successfully bid for the Olympic Games. In order to "Green Olympics" and restore the blue sky to the capital, Shougang kicked off the largest relocation in China's steel history in 2005. Since then, Shougang began to reduce production year by year until the last blast furnace No. 3 went out in 2010.
On December 22, 2010, the blast furnace in Shougang’s old factory area. Photo by Li Wenming
On September 24, 2022, citizens visited the Skywalk in Shougang Park, Beijing. Photo by Yi Haifei
In 2014, the National Development and Reform Commission decided to include 21 old industrial zones in urban areas, including Beijing’s Shougang Old Industrial Zone, into the national pilot program for the relocation and transformation of old industrial zones in urban areas.
In 2015, six units including the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Beijing Municipal Planning Commission, Shougang Group, Tsinghua University, Beijing Architectural Design Institute, and Beijing Urban Planning and Design Institute jointly carried out the "Research on Urban Style of Shougang Park" and established a hierarchical classification protection principles and frameworks, and innovatively proposed "retaining the industrial plain value, darning to enhance the brown value, and ecologically constructing the green value", and applying ideas such as "darning city" and "sponge city" to planning preparation and project renovation design. It clarified the direction for the transformation of Shougang's industrial heritage; at the same time, it also directly contributed to the decision of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee to settle in the Shougang Park.
At the end of 2018, Beijing released the "Action Plan to Accelerate the Development and Construction of the New Shougang High-end Industrial Comprehensive Service Zone to Create a New Landmark for Capital City Revitalization in the New Era (2019-2021)", which proposed the "four rejuvenations" of culture, industry, ecology and vitality. The overall goal is to create a “new landmark for capital city revitalization in the new era”.
In the early morning of January 1, 2023, citizens watched the light show in Beijing Shougang Park to welcome the New Year. Photo by Sheng Jiapeng
The "Four Revitalizations" of the new Shougang High-end Industrial Comprehensive Service Zone have achieved remarkable results. The holding of a series of major international and domestic events related to the Winter Olympics, fashion, and science and technology has produced significant international influence in the field of large-scale industrial heritage protection and revitalization. .
Reporter from China News Service: In the field of industrial heritage protection and inheritance, what unique path has the birth of “New Shougang” taken?
Wu Chen:
Domestically speaking, “798 Art District” and Shougang Park are both located in Beijing, but they have different development paths. Unlike Shougang Park, “798 Art District” was formed spontaneously. Its location is the "Beijing North China United Radio Equipment Factory" built in 1957. The park's convenient transportation and unique architectural style have attracted many art institutions and artists to rent idle factories and renovate them, gradually forming a collective Galleries, art studios, cultural companies, and fashion stores are all integrated into a multicultural space.
Pierre Cardin's 2023 new product launch conference and China's "Pierre Cardin Young Designer Competition" award ceremony were held at the No. 3 Blast Furnace of Shougang Park in Beijing. Photo by Sheng Jiapeng
Looking abroad, the Ruhr area in Germany, which everyone is familiar with, was once Germany's coal and steel production base. Unlike the Shougang Park located in the west of Beijing, the original site of the industrial heritage in the Ruhr District is far away from the city center, and its protection model is more static. This approach is not suitable for Shougang Park.
Located in west Beijing, a large area of land that can be fully renovated and utilized, the protection of Shougang’s industrial heritage and future urban development must be integrated. The industrial heritage of Shougang must not only be protected, but also the industrial style and flavor of Shougang should be preserved, so that history and nature can be integrated.
To make industrial heritage "alive", we need to let industrial heritage return to the urban production and life track and become part of citizens' daily life. Such a unique road provides a reference for the protection and development of industrial heritage. In renovation projects such as Guiyang Xinhua Printing Factory and Hangzhou Boiler Factory, we adhere to the concept of protection first and inheritance first, develop during protection, protect during development, and achieve a win-win situation between the protection and utilization of industrial heritage and the economy and culture.
The 2023 Beijing Xishan Yongding River Cultural Festival opened in the form of a large-scale immersive symphonic poetry and painting performance at the No. 3 Blast Furnace of Beijing Shougang. Photo by Yi Haifei
China News Service reporter: What benefits does the protection and development of industrial heritage bring to the city?
Wu Chen:
In the 1990s, the British concept of "urban renaissance" had a great influence on me. Therefore, I have a new understanding of the context of urban development, the significance of urban history to urban development, and the future direction of urban development, and gradually formed the "urban revitalization theory."
As a multi-dimensional and systematic way of thinking and practice, China's urban revitalization theory places greater emphasis on systems and holism, using a comprehensive and integrated perspective to solve urban problems through continuous action plans and realize the success of cities and regions. Sustainable improvement of the economic, social, cultural and physical space environment.
The 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) will be held in the form of "one conference and two pavilions" (i.e., National Convention Center and Shougang Park), attracting audiences to visit Shougang Park. Photo by Tian Yuhao
The ultimate goal of industrial heritage protection is comprehensive revitalization. The key to revitalization is to give full play to its spatial value, occupy a place in modern production, and carry out technological updates and content innovations while retaining its historical original appearance, so that industrial heritage can better adapt to the needs of modern society and be organically integrated with future urban functions. .
Industrial heritage revitalization brings new vitality to urban revitalization. The protection of Shougang's industrial heritage is gradually playing a leading role in modern urban life in Beijing, and is a paradigm exploration and practical attempt of urban revitalization theory. Through the wonderful appearance of the Winter Olympics and the Service Trade Fair, Shougang Park has become a window and important hosting place for Beijing’s international exchanges.
At present, Shougang Park has entered the "post-Winter Olympics era" and needs to find a new development direction. In the context of "technology returning to the city", I believe that Shougang Park has the development potential to become a "world-class technological innovation center area", and technology will become the wings of Shougang Park's next take-off.
Chinese player Su Yiming participated in the 2023-2024 FIS Snowboard and Freestyle Ski Jump World Cup held at the Shougang Ski Jump in Beijing. Photo by Tomita
Reporter from China News Service: How do you understand that "the ultimate goal of industrial heritage protection is comprehensive revitalization"?
Wu Chen:
For a long time, China's protection of cultural heritage, especially immovable cultural relics and historical buildings, has followed a "bottom-line thinking", that is, treating cultural heritage with a "museum-style" protection method. It is undeniable that this method has protected a lot of cultural heritage, but there are also many that have failed to maximize their value.
I always believe that the greatest value of cultural heritage includes not only historical value and cultural value, but also utilization value and economic value. Therefore, we explored and summarized the viewpoint of "active protection, overall creation, organic renewal, and comprehensive revitalization", which will open up the development ideas of cultural heritage and allow cultural heritage to be better integrated with modern life.
Based on this, industrial heritage should not only build a large-scale protection pattern, but also form a cognitive consensus among the whole society, that is, promote the systematic protection of industrial heritage through inheritance and utilization, and avoid the misunderstanding of "static protection" of industrial heritage protection.
Citizens are skating on Qunming Lake in Beijing Shougang Park and experiencing the fun on the ice. Photo by Jiang Qiming
As an architect, I believe that this profession plays a vital role in the sustainable development of cities. A responsible architect and planner is not only a designer and planner of the city, but also a leader in urban evolution. Architects must not only pay attention to humanistic care and the sustainable development of the city, but also make the city more inclusive through innovative design and social participation. This is a comprehensive goal that requires the joint efforts of city managers, architects, and citizens. (over)
Interviewee profile:
Wu Chen, University Chair Professor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dean of the School of Human Habitat Sciences, Chief Architect and Chief Planner of the Beijing Architectural Design and Research Institute, Chief Architect of Shougang Group Co., Ltd., Beijing Strategic Scientist, National People’s Congress Representative, Beijing Member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, deputy director of the Human Resources and Environment Construction Committee of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. He has won honorary titles such as "National May 1st Labor Medal" and "National Model Worker". He has rich professional design experience at home and abroad. He is the chief architect of important public buildings such as CITIC Tower, Beijing South Railway Station, and Nanjing South Railway Station. He has won dozens of international, national, provincial and ministerial design awards, and published many monographs and more than 80 academic papers. He has innovatively constructed a "new trinity" working model of architectural design, urban design, and urban science. He proposed the "urban revitalization" theory as early as 2002, and is the constructor and practice pioneer of China's "urban revitalization" theory.