Shougang Park, The Steel Mill Turned Tourist Spot And Olympic Dreamland
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Update time : 2022-03-25 18:58:21
When I saw Shougang Park for the first time, I was awestruck. I was impressed not just by the stylish appearance of the venue, but also by the fascinating idea of how an industrial wasteland was repurposed first as a park and tourist attraction and, later, as an Olympic venue.
For those who don't know about Shougang Park, what follows is a bit of history. Originally built all the way back in 1919 in Shijingshan District, Shougang was a steel mill that operated in the capital until 2005, when operations were relocated to Hebei Province in order to reduce pollution in Beijing ahead of the 2008 Summer Olympics.
The mill remained silent and shut for a long time after the Summer Games, but that all changed in the late 2010s, when the area began the process of being converted into a 2022 Winter Olympic venue. Developers didn't want to wait until the Games to repurpose the mill site, though, and it was quickly turned into a park and tourist attraction, with tours of the mill on offer, restaurants, and more.
