Shougang Steel at Night: 8 Pictures From The Industrial Edge of Beijing.

Shougang (首钢) Steel, a large state-owned enterprise, was founded in 1919 and built its first blast furnaces on the western edge of Beijing next to Shijing Mountain.[1] The Shijingshan Iron and Steel plant has also been known as Capitol Iron and Steel.[2] By the 21st century, the plant was a massive industrial complex[1] featuring 4 blast furnaces and surrounded by a sprawl of numerous other industrial estates.

During preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, authorities created a plan in 2005 to relocate[2] iron and steel production to another province to ensure air quality in the host city.[1–5] The plant reduced production over the next few years and finally was officially closed at the start of 2011.[1, 4]

These pictures are taken later in 2011, many from the abandoned 碧霞元君庙 temple on an adjacent hill to the west of the Shougang site.

  1. 91年北京首钢老厂区停产 张德江:应做新起点——中新网. Published online January 13, 2011.

  2. Steel giant Shougang to move out of Beijing. Xinhua. Published online February 8, 2005.

  3. Beijing steel plant to relocate. China Economic Review. Published online February 10, 2005.

  4. 留存钢铁记忆 首钢探路工业遗产保护. Published online November 27, 2017.

  5. Wainwright J, Mann G. Climate Leviathan: A Political Theory of Our Planetary Future. London ; New York: Verso; 2018.