Discovering Beijing’s industrial-strength beauty

The Germans chose a functional Bauhaus-influenced design. Those buildings still attract much attention from architecture historians interested in their unique style, which later proved perfect for art galleries and studios. The indoor work spaces were large and had a window design that maximized natural light, yet they faced north to prevent strong shadows. Arch-supported roof sections held banks of slanted windows, creating a distinctive sawtooth appearance which is now an iconic symbol of the zone. Some still retain early engineering and power generating equipment, which have themselves become permanent exhibits of 1950s engineering.

Visiting the area today, it is hard to imagine it was mostly wide stretches of farmland — yet the scale is huge. The entire complex covered 500,000 square meters, of which 370,000 were occupied by living quarters for workers and their families.

Construction started in April 1954, and production commenced in 1957. Parts of the factory buildings were actually produced in East Germany before being transported overland along the Trans-Siberian Railway to Beijing.