China Industrial Museum

Background

The China Industrial Museum is in Tiexi District, Shenyang. Its predecessor was the Foundry Museum, converted from the sand-casting workshop of the Shenyang Foundry. The foundry began as the Japanese Takasago Works, established in 1939; in 1946 several Japanese-owned factories were merged into the Shenyang Machinery Plant, which was named the Shenyang Foundry in 1956 and was once one of the largest specialized foundry enterprises in Asia. In April 2007, after pouring its last heat of molten iron, the plant relocated in its entirety; Tiexi District kept the sand-casting workshop, which opened as the Foundry Museum that June, and in 2008 the old workshop was listed as a Cultural Relic Protection Site of Liaoning Province. A new building was constructed to its north in 2011, and the first phase of the China Industrial Museum opened on May 18, 2012, with halls including the General History of Chinese Industry Hall, the Foundry Hall and the Machine Tool Hall; it has since expanded further. In 2018 the old sand-casting workshop was included in the second batch of National Industrial Heritage sites.

Local customs

Tiexi District was a major old industrial base of New China, and many visitors are former workers who once worked here and their children, who point out the equipment of their day in the workshops. Around the museum are other industrial heritage spaces such as the 1905 Cultural and Creative Park converted from old factory buildings, and the Shenyang sub-venue of China Media Group's 2024 Spring Festival Gala was also held here.

Religion & beliefs

• The museum has no religious function. The exhibits focus on industrial technology and the work and lives of workers
• the sculptures of model workers and groups of workers in the museum carry the memories of many families, so please respect the older workers visiting and don't photograph them impolitely.

Rules that apply here

Travel tips

• Allow 2–3 hours. The museum is at No. 14 Weigong North Street, Tiexi District
• take Metro Line 1 to a station in Tiexi District and walk or transfer to a bus
• taxis are also convenient, and there is parking near the museum. The specific policy on free or discounted admission, whether booking is required, opening hours and closing days are as officially announced
• the museum generally offers free guided tours at set times every day, as shown on-site. The workshops are cold in winter, so dress warmly. Combine with: the 1905 Cultural and Creative Park and the Laodong Park area in Tiexi District
• back in the city you can visit the Shenyang Imperial Palace and Zhang's Mansion, or pair it with the 'September 18th' History Museum for a route through modern Shenyang.