In this article, discover five essential locations selected from our Urbex China Map, which features over 500 abandoned places across China, carefully documented for unique and immersive explorations.

Abandoned factories in China are in a category of their own. The country's industrial transformation — from Maoist mass production in the 1950s to the world's factory floor in the 1990s to a service-led economy today — happened at a speed and scale that left behind an unparalleled collection of derelict steel plants, coking works, textile mills, and coal facilities. Many are enormous. Many are still intact. And most remain completely unknown to the international urbex community.

Why China Is the Ultimate Destination for Industrial Urbex

China began de-industrializing in the 1990s, closing or relocating hundreds of state-owned factories out of major cities. Environmental pressure ahead of the 2008 Olympics accelerated closures in Beijing. The property crisis has stalled redevelopment plans across the country. The result: a landscape scattered with industrial ruins of extraordinary scale and variety, from single workshop buildings to entire factory towns spanning several square kilometres.

📍 All locations below are referenced on our Urbex China Map — GPS coordinates, access notes, condition ratings, and explorer reports included.

1. Shougang – China's Largest Abandoned Steel Plant, Beijing (Known Location)

The undisputed king of industrial urbex in China. Shougang — Capital Steel — was founded in 1919 and grew into China's largest steel plant: 9 square kilometres, 60,000 workers, and its own schools, hospitals, and newspaper. Closed ahead of the 2008 Olympics for air quality reasons, the last furnace was extinguished in December 2010 after 92 years of production.

👉 Blast furnaces the height of buildings, an antique train graveyard, cavernous production halls, and rusting pipe networks stretching across a site bigger than many city centres.

👉 Story: Founded in 1919, Shougang was a city within a city. Its closure hollowed out an entire community. Parts of the site have been converted for the 2022 Winter Olympics — but large sections remain intact and explorable.

🔗 More on Shougang: Wikipedia – Shougang Group

2. Datong Coal Gasification Plant – Industrial Ruins, Shanxi (Known Location)

The most celebrated industrial urbex site in northern China among the community of Chinese and international urban explorers. The Datong Coal Gasification Plant was a major production facility in Shanxi Province — China's coal heartland — and one of the most visually extraordinary derelict factories in the country. Explored repeatedly since 2015, it remains a reference point for industrial urbex in China.

👉 A main building of stunning industrial architecture, rusting machine rooms with original equipment, abandoned coking towers, and the slow return of nature to a coal-black landscape.

👉 Story: As Datong transitioned away from its identity as one of China's most polluted industrial cities, its coal infrastructure was gradually decommissioned. The gasification plant is one of the last major intact relics of that era.

🔗 More on Datong's industrial ruins: China Ruins – Datong Coal Gas Plant

3. The Abandoned Textile Mill – Yangtze River Delta (Exclusive on our Map)

A former textile manufacturing facility in the Yangtze River Delta — once one of the most productive industrial regions in the world, now scattered with derelict mills as production moved inland or overseas.

👉 Dust-covered looms frozen mid-operation, broken skylights casting light across vast weaving floors, and storage halls still stacked with raw materials that were never processed.

👉 Story: The Yangtze Delta's textile industry dominated global fabric production for two decades. Rising wages and automation drove relocation from the 2000s onward, leaving entire mill complexes empty almost overnight.

📍 Exact location available on our Urbex China Map.

4. The Abandoned Electronics Factory – Pearl River Delta (Exclusive on our Map)

A derelict electronics manufacturing facility in the Pearl River Delta — the birthplace of the global tech supply chain — left behind as production costs pushed factories further inland.

👉 Assembly line infrastructure frozen mid-production, component bins scattered across factory floors, and the smell of industrial solvents still hanging in the air.

👉 Story: Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta built the world's electronics for 30 years. As wages rose and automation advanced, the factories that started it all were quietly vacated — replaced by the tech campuses that came after them.

📍 Exact location available on our Urbex China Map.

5. The Abandoned Coal Mine Complex – Shanxi Province (Exclusive on our Map)

A decommissioned coal mining facility in Shanxi — China's coal capital — where the machinery of extraction has been left exactly as it was on the last day of operation.

👉 Mining headframes silhouetted against a grey sky, underground shaft entrances sealed with rust, and a workers' village frozen in the 1970s just beyond the perimeter fence.

👉 Story: Shanxi's coal industry fuelled China's industrialisation for a century. As mines were consolidated or exhausted, entire complexes — including the workers' towns built around them — were left to decay simultaneously.

📍 Exact location available on our Urbex China Map.

Industrial Urbex China – Safety Reminder

Abandoned factories carry specific hazards beyond standard urbex. Always:

• Research each site thoroughly — industrial sites may contain asbestos, chemical residues, or unstable structures
• Explore with at least one other person
• Wear a mask, gloves, and sturdy boots — non-negotiable in industrial environments
• Never enter a site with active machinery or visible structural instability
• Respect the spaces and leave no trace

The urbex code applies everywhere: "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints."

❓ FAQ – Industrial Urbex China

What is the best abandoned factory to visit in China?
Shougang Steel Plant in Beijing is the most accessible and most celebrated — 9 square kilometres of intact industrial ruins reachable by Metro Line 1. For a more remote and raw experience, the Datong Coal Gasification Plant in Shanxi is the reference among experienced explorers.

Are abandoned factories in China dangerous to explore?
Industrial sites carry higher risks than other urbex locations: asbestos, chemical contamination, unstable floors, and open shafts are common. Always wear protective gear, never go alone, and avoid any structure showing signs of active collapse.

What regions have the most abandoned factories in China?
Shanxi (coal and heavy industry), Beijing and Tianjin (pre-Olympic closures), the Yangtze Delta (textiles), and the Pearl River Delta (electronics) offer the highest concentration of derelict industrial sites. Our Urbex China Map covers all of these regions.

🎯 Conclusion

China's abandoned factories tell the story of the fastest industrial transformation in human history — from Maoist steel works to the world's factory floor to a post-industrial economy, all in less than a century. Every derelict furnace, empty weaving hall, and rusting assembly line is a direct trace of that journey.

Thanks to our Urbex China Map, you get access to over 500 unique locations for a safe and immersive exploration experience — with GPS coordinates, access ratings, photos, and explorer reports for every spot.

🗺️ Explore the full Urbex China Map →