I've recently been posted to the city of Changsha, capital of Hunan Province in China to teach English.
Naturally I've been keen do some hands-on research into its industrial history. However, like other Chinese cities, its rapid expansion and building of endless flats and shopping and entertainment centres leaves its older buildings quickly demolished without ceremony.
Occasional relics remain though. While out on a bike ride recently I spotted behind a 10 foot perimeter wall, a fantastic abandoned industrial complex.
What was found was a whole quarter of abandoned heavy industry rusting and crumbling away - furnaces, tanks, pipes, shafts, silos, workshops, stores. Thanks to help with translation, I found out it used to be a zinc factory.
China is the world's biggest producer of the stuff, and the smelting process creates significant heavy metal pollution.
Not knowing much Chinese, it's been pretty hard to gain any specific history on the place, but as the original signs use traditional Chinese characters, it must have been built before 1952, which is when mainland China moved to using simplified Chinese. From the state of the decay and rust I'd say it's been closed for well over 20 years.
On with the photos:
Near the entry point, an old bus next to some workshop/store buildings
Into the factory itself - this will have been one of the main production rooms
One of several shafts
Moving to the smelting / blasting area
The radioactivity signs were cause for some consternation
As were the severely rusting platforms and stairs
Rooms such as this felt as if they'd not been entered in decades
Finally, looking back from some wasteland at the far side
Thanks for reading!
Naturally I've been keen do some hands-on research into its industrial history. However, like other Chinese cities, its rapid expansion and building of endless flats and shopping and entertainment centres leaves its older buildings quickly demolished without ceremony.
Occasional relics remain though. While out on a bike ride recently I spotted behind a 10 foot perimeter wall, a fantastic abandoned industrial complex.
What was found was a whole quarter of abandoned heavy industry rusting and crumbling away - furnaces, tanks, pipes, shafts, silos, workshops, stores. Thanks to help with translation, I found out it used to be a zinc factory.
China is the world's biggest producer of the stuff, and the smelting process creates significant heavy metal pollution.
Not knowing much Chinese, it's been pretty hard to gain any specific history on the place, but as the original signs use traditional Chinese characters, it must have been built before 1952, which is when mainland China moved to using simplified Chinese. From the state of the decay and rust I'd say it's been closed for well over 20 years.
On with the photos:
Near the entry point, an old bus next to some workshop/store buildings
Into the factory itself - this will have been one of the main production rooms
One of several shafts
Moving to the smelting / blasting area
The radioactivity signs were cause for some consternation
As were the severely rusting platforms and stairs
Rooms such as this felt as if they'd not been entered in decades
Finally, looking back from some wasteland at the far side
Thanks for reading!
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