【Haichuan Chemical Industry Site】The former site of Nanjing Yongli Tin Factory has been transformed into the 1934 Cultural Industrial Park

Thread Content

Rows of villas with blue bricks and black tiles, in the style of the Republic of China era, appear particularly aged under the winter sunlight. Located on Fenghuang South Road, Dachang Sub-district, Jiangbei New Area, Nanhua No. 6 Village was once the expert dormitories of the Yongli Tin Factory, founded by the patriotic industrialist Mr. Fan Xudong. As a municipal cultural heritage site and an industrial relic, it is set to be given a new life. Reporters learned recently that this area is set to be developed into a 1934 Cultural Industrial Park, allowing for the coexistence of the preservation and development of buildings from the Republic of China era as well as industrial relics. Yongli Tin Factory was the predecessor of SNIC Group; it was founded in 1934 by Fan Xudong, known as the father of China’s chemical industry. It served as the cradle of China’s chemical industry and one of the earliest chemical manufacturing bases in the country. China’s first bag of fertilizer, its first pack of catalysts, its first high-pressure vessel, as well as its first sets of equipment for producing ammonia, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and other chemicals were all developed here, giving rise to more than 30 \"records in China’s chemical industry\" over the years. Before the War of Resistance against Japan, the Yongli Tin Factory was known as the \"largest factory in the Far East,\" and the name of the former large factory complex originated from this. In 2012, the city designated the buildings in Nanhua No. 6 and No. 3 Villages, as well as related old factories such as the former site of the Yongli Tin Factory, as cultural relics under protection in Nanjing. In 2017, our city released the first list of industrial heritage sites, and the “Former Yongli Tin Smelting Plant” was included on that list. Unfortunately, due to issues such as property rights and funding constraints, these industrial sites have remained unused for many years, without being properly preserved or utilized. It wasn’t until last year that things took a turn for the better. With the support of Nanhua Company, Yongcheng Advertising Media has invested 200 million yuan to develop the 1934 Cultural Industrial Park in this area, which includes the former site of Yongli Tin Factory, the old Nanhua No.1 Middle School, as well as surrounding areas such as the weaving factory buildings. “We will carry out sustainable development and utilization of the Republican-era buildings and old factories at the former Yongli Tungsten Plant site, focusing on cultural creativity, film shooting, and fashion districts, to create a culturally distinctive tourism, culture, and fashion park in the Jiangbei New Area. ”Cheng Leqing, chairman of Yongcheng Advertising Media, explained that the 1934 Cultural Industry Park to be established will bring in enterprises and teams related to the cultural industry, in order to carry out open-ended conservation of industrial sites through the approaches of “culture + technology,” “culture + creativity,” and “culture + tourism.” Recently, reporters visited the construction site of Phase 1 of the 1934 Cultural Industrial Park and saw that the project was nearing completion. The site where the employees of the former Yongli Tin Factory used to live, and which was once Nanhua No.1 Middle School, has now been transformed into a filming location for Hubang Film and Television. The studio on the first floor is currently under renovation, while the office area on the second floor already has people working there. It is reported that construction of Phase 2 will begin shortly after the Spring Festival, and the building used by the former Yongli Tuo factory for producing woven bags will be converted into art studios, exhibition halls, photography studios, and more. As for the Republican-era villas in Nanhua 6 Village, their original architectural appearance will be preserved, with plans to develop eco-friendly and low-carbon business formats such as creative offices, homestays, and bookstores. Wei Chuanxiong, deputy head of the Public Relations Department of Jiangbei New Area, said that for industrial sites such as the Yongli Smelting Plant, protection and development should go hand in hand. It is a good approach to evaluate them based on their comprehensive values in terms of historical culture, aesthetics, architectural value, and overall layout, and to make use of them to create cultural industrial parks. In the future, Jiangbei New Area will also promote the preservation of industrial sites by simplifying approval procedures and attracting private investment, so that these valuable heritage sites can become new elements to strengthen the cultural confidence of Jiangbei New Area. Our newspaper’s reporter, Zhu Xiaolu