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Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Red industrial heritage in China

Scholars have long engaged with this topic. As early as aspects of local history. Further compounding this issue are
1994, Deborah A. Kaple introduced the concepts of the factors such as factory bankruptcies, changes in property
“industrial heritage of the CPC” and the “red factory,” rights, management reforms, and industrial restructuring
arguing that these should be regarded as part of the (Tang, 2007). Industrial archives, which are crucial for
broader “Cold War industrial heritage” (Kaple, 1994). understanding this history, have often been discarded as
However, her interpretation, rooted in the context of post- waste. The decentralization of archive protection (Shang,
Cold War thinking, reflects notable political biases. Similar 2019) has further complicated efforts to preserve local
perspectives appear in other works, such as referring to history and organize historical data effectively.
the “industrial heritage of the CPC” as “industrial heritage Third, the role of red industrial heritage in disseminating
without [its own nation’s] history” (Gillette, 2017, p. 217), mainstream culture has not yet been fully recognized or
or labeling it as “[China’s] political industrial heritage” widely understood. Public perceptions of mainstream
(Frazier, 2019, p. 62). According to the authors’ rough culture often focus on historical and cultural relics, with
calculations, these viewpoints rank among the most limited awareness of the industrial civilization that has
frequently cited in overseas research on China’s industrial emerged in modern times. This lack of awareness has led
heritage, and their erroneous conclusions—driven by to insufficient societal acceptance of industrial culture,
cognitive biases or intentional misrepresentations— presenting significant challenges to its preservation and
have been widely disseminated. While these early transmission (Fan et al, 2020).
studies contributed to defining the initial concept of
“red industrial heritage,” their interpretations are heavily Overall, red industrial heritage remains an emerging
skewed by linguistic and ideological prejudice, where the concept. Its scope, historical significance, and value have
disadvantages far outweigh the benefits. yet to be fully explored or comprehensively interpreted,
and systematic research on the subject is still in its infancy.
Despite these early international discussions, red This gap not only limits in-depth academic exploration
industrial heritage has not received the attention it deserves but also hinders the practical application of red industrial
in Chinese society for several reasons. heritage. Addressing these challenges requires continued
First, China’s current cultural relic protection policies efforts to deepen both academic exploration and practical
only recognize artifacts that are at least 60 years old, unless applications, particularly in understanding how red
they possess exceptional historical significance. Since many industrial heritage can propagate mainstream culture and
red industrial heritage sites were constructed after the offer deeper insights into contemporary China.
1960s, they often fall outside the scope of protected cultural
relics. This policy limitation has led to the mistaken belief 2. Overview of the red industrial heritage
that “if it isn’t a cultural relic, it doesn’t warrant protection.” concept
Theoretically, this belief stems from the uncritical adoption While relatively mature and widely accepted criteria exist
of Western heritage theories. Some scholars argue that the for determining what qualifies as industrial heritage, no
core of “heritagization” lies in the recognition of heritage clear or well-established set of indicators has been defined
value by official institutions. However, this approach whether red industrial heritage specifically falls within this
oversimplifies the complexities of how historical value is category. This lack of clarity poses a significant obstacle to
formed. Scholars have long pointed out the limitations of the in-depth exploration of its meaning and value.
this perspective (Li & Peng, 2009).
Second, red industrial heritage has suffered significant 2.1. Conceptualization of red industrial heritage
damage during urban renewal efforts, largely due to The history of the CPC is fundamentally the history of its
insufficient recognition of its historical value. As a leadership in guiding the nation toward modernization.
latecomer to industrialization, many Chinese cities Industrialization, a pivotal element of modernization, has
expanded rapidly through factory development. These played a crucial role in China’s progress. As a political party
factories were often centrally located, occupying large representing the interests of the workers’ and peasants’
areas and contributing to pollution. In the push for alliance, the CPC has a natural and intrinsic connection to
modernization and redevelopment, many historically industrialization. From its inception, the CPC prioritized
valuable industrial sites were demolished because their the workers’ movement and industrial production as
high-value urban locations made them prime candidates key focuses of its mission (Harper, 1969). Early CPC
for redevelopment. Without adequate time for cultural relic leaders, such as Mao Zedong (1893 – 1976), Liu Shaoqi
protection or efforts to preserve photos or architectural (1898 – 1969), Deng Zhongxia (1894 – 1933), and Chen
specimens, these heritage sites were lost, erasing integral Tanqiu (1896 – 1943), were actively involved in industrial

Volume 7 Issue 1 (2025) 3 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.4611