Industrial past haunts vast abandoned Beijing steel plant

Beijing: Rust, dust and decay pervade a huge and largely abandoned steel plant in China`s capital Beijing, where ghosts of the industrial past linger on, years after the facility was closed.

Tens of thousands of workers once toiled at the Capital Iron and Steel Works, a showcase for Communist leader Mao Zedong`s attempts to rapidly modernise the then poverty-stricken nation.

But production ended years ago, and shards of sunlight now pass through crumbled concrete walls of the complex`s vast buildings, illuminating twisted metal debris strewn on the ground.

Massive pipes leading to a cylindrical blast furnace are brown with rust, and train tracks which once ferried metal are overgrown with weeds and rotting leaves.

The state-owned facility moved most of its production outside Beijing as the city scrambled to reduce air pollution ahead of the 2008 Olympics. Its production line finally closed in 2011.

Years later, most buildings where girders were cast and cut remain standing, and the factory`s red and white striped chimneys still tower over the plant`s suburban surroundings in the city`s west.

The factory, which opened in 1919 and grew to become one of China`s largest steel plants, now sees a steady trickle of photography enthusiasts attempting to capture the eerie atmosphere.

Local officials have said the facility will be turned into an arts, tourism and finance hub, likely inspired by "798", a former Beijing factory which is now a thriving state-backed art zone.

A banner hanging from one building advertises "creative offices," as workers in hard-hats cut rusting girders, resting by piles of cracked concrete as they carry out a challenging clean up.

The decaying site is said to be blighted by soil pollution from the plant`s industrial heyday.

Ground pollution "could be massive in area and volume," said Gong Yuyang, managing director of ESD China, a firm with knowledge of the operation.

But the effort is feasible with sufficient investment, he added.

The site is a warning of challenges facing much of northern China, where the iron and steel industry suffers from excess capacity, and is a major cause of dangerous smog.

Many similar facilities are set to close in China`s industrial heartlands.

At the height of China`s state-run economy, which began to fade after authorities launched a policy of economic reform and openness in the late 1970s, the Beijing plant`s owners provided for every aspect of employees lives, from homes to schools and entertainment.

Inside some of the remaining buildings, wire beds where employees once rested sit browned with rust, with papers rotting below as if the rooms were suddenly evacuated.

"The plant has moved. We are demolishing it, it will take a long time," construction worker Guo Xilin told AFP on a recent visit to the site. "Some parts we will keep."