China encourages old industrial cities to leverage heritage

China's top economic planner is encouraging the country's old industrial cities to leverage their industrial heritage through ways such as developing tourism and turning old factory sites into film studios.

These old industrial cities can improve their support for business services and work to develop a new type of industrial culture tourism that combines entertainment with education, according to a plan released by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

The NDRC called for efforts to integrate industrial heritage with modern business, and turn old factories and facilities into cultural and creative industrial parks, or movie and television shooting bases.

The old industrial cities can also develop their exhibition economy and cultural activities highlighting industrial heritage, thus promoting the design, production and trade of art products, the plan said.