China's factories are drawing a new kind of visitors — tourists. Once regarded mainly as production sites, these facilities are now becoming popular travel destinations, especially among younger travelers seeking hands-on learning experiences.

Applications to visit Xiaomi's manufacturing plant in Beijing exceeded 150,000 between April 2024 and mid-2025. According to data from online travel agency Ctrip, high-tech and heavy-industry study tours have emerged as a fast-rising category during this year's National Day holiday travel season.

Smart factories spark curiosity about science

During the summer vacation, more than 1,000 students visited the manufacturing base of CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co. in northeast China to learn how the country's high-speed trains are built.

Standing before the assembly line, they watched the entire process unfold — from the installation of core components to the completion of a full bullet train. The construction principle and precise collaboration mechanisms of high-speed trains became visible and comprehensible as the awe-inspiring industrial scenes corroborated the abstract engineering principles in textbooks.

Such immersive encounters not only demystify complex technologies, but also sow the seeds of scientific curiosity in young visitors.

Liu Boying, associate professor  at the School of Architecture, Tsinghua University, said industrial tourism is a new concept and form of travel that has emerged alongside the expansion of tourism products and the integration of industrial aesthetics. It makes profound technological knowledge tangible and accessible in authentic industrial settings.

Industrial tourism serves the purpose of science and technology education, enhancing the science literacy of the public, Liu added.

Interactive experiences redefine factory tour

While smart factories offer a glimpse into China's technological might, food-related tours appeal to the senses with their playful, hands-on approach.

At a dairy factory in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu province, children can wear lab coats and try their hand at milking cows, packaging products and monitoring operations. In a beer museum in Qingdao, east China's Shandong province, tourists can take part in theatrical beer-themed tours and night experiences, and taste bread made with heritage beer yeast.

Further southwest in Baoshan, Yunnan province, coffee enthusiasts can pick berries from trees, watch roasting and brewing demonstrations, and trace the product's journey from plant to cup.

Zhang Hui, director of the Modern Tourism Research Institute at Beijing Jiaotong University, said young people tend to choose personalized tourism products and services, and industrial tourism that blends local characteristics with interactive design meets their demand.

Through immersive and interactive tour design, the sector is evolving from simple production-line visits to "co-creative" tourism experiences that connect manufacturing with lifestyle and culture, according to Zhang.

Breathing new life into old industrial sites

China's former industrial zones — once abandoned after production lines shut down — are finding new life as cultural landmarks.

In Huaibei, east China's Anhui province, a decommissioned power plant has been transformed into an industrial tourism park, headlined by a mechanical "beast" named "Leilei," inspired by creatures from the Chinese mythology classic Shanhaijing, or The Classic of Mountains and Seas. The attraction combines motion, lighting and special effects to engage visitors.

In Foshan, south China's Guangdong province, a raw material workshop and warehouse from a 20th-century ceramics factory has been turned into a hub of artistic creation, talent incubation and pottery exhibition.

By the end of 2024, China had approved 122 national industrial tourism demonstration bases, 232 national industrial heritage sites, and 10 national industrial heritage tourism bases, with activities such as factory visits, museum exhibitions, and heritage site tours.

Zeng Bowei, director of the research center for China's tourism economy and policy at Beijing Union University, said for long-term growth, industrial tourism must go beyond the simple model of "production line visit plus product sales," and focus more on creating experiences that connect emotionally with visitors.