The Beauty of Industrial Tourism in Shandong

Visiting factories is becoming a new trend. In Shandong, tourists no longer head only for mountains and rivers—they step into factories to explore the stories behind a bottle of beer, a piece of ejiao, or a glass of red wine.

With all 41 major industrial categories, Shandong has a clear edge in industrial tourism, where its manufacturing strength reveals a unique charm.

The Qingdao Beer Museum, open for more than two decades, has welcomed over 15 million visitors, and its visitor volume keeps climbing.

At Dong'e Ejiao World, cutting-edge technology coexists in harmony with plain, unadorned craftsmanship. Visitors often linger here. What truly touches people is never the precision of machinery, but the warmth of craftsmanship and the perseverance of heritage.

As one of the first batch of National Industrial Tourism Demonstration Bases, the Changyu Wine Culture Museum is a landmark of industrial tourism in Shandong.

The Jiao-Ji Railway Museum, a comprehensive museum integrating history, culture and education, offers an important window to learn about China's modern history and the development of railways.

A national AAA-level tourist attraction, Mengniu Tai'an Industrial Tourism Park is also a full-spectrum dairy production base. It manufactures three major categories of products — ice cream, UHT milk and yogurt — with more than 160 product varieties.

Vintage factory sites including Zibo 1954 Ceramic Cultural and Creative Park have been renovated into dynamic complexes combining cultural creativity, catering and new media.

At Hisense, a tour of its R&D and Innovation Pavilion takes visitors through its future blueprint spanning smart homes, smart communities and smart cities.

At the Caoxian Original-Design Hanfu Base, visitors can view the complete Hanfu production workflow, from design and embroidery to finished garments, and enjoy an immersive cultural experience.

It is fair to say that industrial tourism in Shandong is forging a brand-new path. As growing numbers of people choose to step into factories and workshops, spaces once marked "No Admittance", this trend itself is a vivid embodiment of cultural confidence. When we push open the gates of these industrial venues, we witness not only how products come into being, but also the sediment of time.

(Reported by Liang Yong Qi from Dazhong Daily in Heze)