In Hubei province's Huangshi national mine park, a pit that is 444 meters deep has become a top tourist attraction. More than 1.2 million acacia trees have been planted in the park's hard rock mine to create a blossom scene in spring.

In 2016, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Finance proposed to promote the protection and use of industrial heritage. Some 11 projects were first accredited for the industrial-heritage protection plan in 2017. To date, there are 102 such projects in the country.

A total of 1,000 national "industrial-tourism demonstration" sites will be built, along with 100 related facilities and 10 cities for industrial tourism by 2025, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

In Tangshan, Hebei province, seven such sites have been developed that draw on the area's industrial heritage, and include China's first mechanized coal mine, steam locomotive and factories that made bathroom and toilet fittings.

The tourist numbers for past industrial sites in China grew by 31 percent annually from 2015 to 2017, and relevant tourism revenue rose by 24.5 percent, says the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.