Watch the sparks of precise welding by robotic arms on the intelligent production line, and experience the entire process from picking fruits to making coffee with your own hands... The factory workshops that were once "off-limits to outsiders" are now becoming a "cyber park" where young people are rushing to check in.

From the opening to the public in April last year to the first half of this year, the number of people who have registered to visit the Xiaomi Automobile Factory has exceeded 150,000, and the average monthly visitor reception exceeds 10,000; the Qingdao Brew Museum attracted more than 40,000 visitors during the Spring Festival Golden Week, and generated 4 million yuan in revenue from tickets and special brews consumption alone; the price of tickets for Hangzhou Yushu Technology's visit soared to 3,000 yuan each, and tickets are still hard to come by.

According to Ctrip's latest National Day travel data for 2025, high-tech and heavy industry study tours are the dark horses in the market. Among them, aerospace and automotive industry tours account for over 20% of market interest, with the Chongqing 816 Nuclear Power Plant, Geely Automobile Plant, and Jiaxing Rocket Plant among the top five destinations.

Why does industrial tourism so precisely align with the aesthetic and consumer preferences of the younger generation? What are its core values ​​and unique characteristics? How will this emerging industry develop in the future? Recently, Science and Technology Daily reporters visited several companies and interviewed relevant experts to explore the logic behind the popularity of industrial tourism.

Smart factories create immersive classrooms

Inside the spacious and bright Xiaomi Auto factory, industrial robots effortlessly flip and precisely assemble vehicle body parts, while AMR logistics carts silently shuttle along their assigned routes, like teammates working in perfect harmony. In the center of the exhibition hall, the armored cage-like body of the Xiaomi SU7, like a suspended work of art, became the focal point of the entire exhibition.

"It's amazing! I felt like I was on the set of a sci-fi blockbuster." "The future has arrived," many tourists exclaimed as they stepped off the tour buses. Designated a 2024 Beijing Industrial Tourism Demonstration Site, the factory leverages 419 industrial robots, 304 vision systems, and 94 logistics robots to create a smart manufacturing paradise integrating R&D, production, and in-depth user experiences.

Mr. Zhang, a tech enthusiast who had just finished his tour, couldn't contain his excitement. "Seeing all the theoretical parameters online and seeing it with your own eyes are two completely different things! When you see hundreds of robots working together, hear the 'click' and 'click' sounds of the robotic arms, and see an SU7 transformed from a skeleton into a complete vehicle, the sense of order and precision is truly amazing!"

Looking at her child who was still excitedly enjoying the exhibition, Ms. Li smiled and told the reporter, "My little car enthusiast was really happy today. Seeing the complete process and all the high-tech equipment, he kept talking the whole time. It seemed like he was getting closer to his dream of becoming an automotive engineer. This visit was very meaningful."

On March 24, 2025, nearly 50 Beijing citizens and tourists visited the Xiaomi Automobile Factory to experience the charm of intelligent manufacturing up close. The picture shows children experiencing the intelligent cockpit in the technology exhibition hall. (Photo courtesy of Visual China)

"We are committed to integrating professional knowledge with physical displays to provide visitors with a truly rewarding science experience," said Shi Xiaomin, project manager for Xiaomi's automotive factory industrial tourism.

This concept was also vividly demonstrated during industrial research and study activities. This past summer, more than 1,000 young people visited the high-speed rail manufacturing base of CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd. (CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles) for a unique technological exploration.

Standing before the EMU assembly line, the students witnessed the entire modern assembly process, from core components to complete train bodies. The abstract engineering principles previously taught in textbooks were reinforced by the spectacular industrial scene before their eyes, making the structural principles and precise coordination mechanisms of EMUs and high-speed rail clear and tangible. This immersive tour not only unveiled the technological secrets behind "China Speed" but also sowed the seeds of scientific exploration in the hearts of young people.

Li Ke from CRRC Changchun's Modern Service Industry Division introduced that the factory has now opened core manufacturing areas such as subway assembly production lines, with a total area of ​​more than 60,000 square meters, and the annual study and research visits reach more than 3,000 people.

Liu Boying, chairman of the Industrial Heritage Committee of the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics and professor at the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University, believes that industrial tourism is a new concept and form of tourism that has emerged with the expansion of tourism products and the superposition of industrial aesthetics. It makes profound scientific and technological knowledge intuitive and tangible in real industrial scenes.

"Industrial tourism itself has the function of scientific and technological education, and can subtly enhance the public's scientific literacy." In Liu Boying's view, this is the unique scientific popularization value of industrial tourism that distinguishes it from other forms of tourism.

Interactive co-creation reshapes the cultural tourism experience

If the smart manufacturing factory is shocking with its hard-core technology, then the food factory brings tourists a "playful and tasting" atmosphere of fireworks.

At the Luobawang Industrial Park in Liuzhou, Guangxi, a fully automated production line operates at high speed, with a steady stream of bagged snail noodles rolling off the line, including ingredients, pretreatment, sterilization, and packaging. After the tour, visitors can choose their own ingredients, mix their own seasonings, and cook their own noodles in the self-service restaurant. When the steaming hot noodles are served, many visitors slurp them up and exclaim, "It tastes amazing!"

"As soon as I entered the workshop, the familiar aroma of sour bamboo shoots hit me!" said tourist Ms. Liu excitedly. "This time, I was able to see firsthand how rice noodles are steamed and how the soup is standardized. It was quite astonishing. Finally, I went from being a 'foodie' to a 'chef'. I can customize a bowl of noodles myself, and it tastes even better!"

"We turned the factory into a scenic spot, added a comprehensive snail noodle exhibition center, a snail noodle self-service experience restaurant, and a cultural and creative exhibition area. We also launched cultural and creative products such as 'snail noodles + bauhinia' and 'snail noodles + cars' to continuously enrich the tourists' experience." Zhou Wenling, a relevant person in charge of Guangxi Luobawang Cultural Tourism Development Co., Ltd., introduced that the company hopes that tourists can intuitively understand the production skills and cultural heritage of snail noodles, and then understand the industrial story of a city from a snack.

Similar interactive experiences are being implemented in more industrial scenarios at an accelerated pace.

At the Weigang Fresh Time Dream Factory in Nanjing, Jiangsu, children can put on lab coats and experience a series of tasks such as milking, packaging, and monitoring; at the Brew Museum in Qingdao, Shandong, visitors can unlock brew-themed drama tours and night tours, and taste bread fermented with century-old brew yeast; at the Gaosheng Coffee Estate in Baoshan, Yunnan, visitors can experience coffee bean picking with their own hands, and observe the entire process of drying, screening, storing, roasting and brewing coffee beans, and immerse themselves in the complete transformation from fruit to a cup of coffee.

This upgrade from "visiting" to "experience" has also won clear support at the policy level.

In February of this year, Beijing solicited public opinion on the high-quality development of industrial tourism, proposing a themed tour featuring "driving new energy vehicles, visiting super factories, tasting reservoir fish, savoring Erguotou, and enjoying the beauty of the countryside." Yantai, Shandong, proposed creating a "China Gold Capital" gold panning adventure tour, offering special activities such as exploring a thousand-year-old gold town, experiencing gold panning, gold-themed performances, and gold handcrafting experiences.

Zhang Hui, dean of the Modern Tourism Research Institute at Beijing Jiaotong University, said that young people today are more inclined to choose personalized and customized travel products and services. They are no longer satisfied with simply visiting tourist attractions, but rather use travel to showcase their unique personalities and lifestyles. Therefore, industrial tours that deeply integrate local characteristics and provide a unique sense of participation meet their needs.

Zhang Hui believes that through immersive and interactive project design, industrial tourism has transcended the traditional model of production line tours and entered a stage of "co-creation," deeply integrated with lifestyles. These engaging and interactive experiences are reshaping the public's perception of "manufacturing": it is no longer a cold machine, but a cultural journey that can be touched, participated in, and savored.

Technological narratives activate historical memory

As night fell, Lei Lei, a 43-ton bionic mechanical behemoth in Kuiniu Tianjie, Huaibei, Anhui, started an interactive show under the stars that combined mechanical kinetic energy, light and shadow art, and visual effects, causing the audience to exclaim in surprise.

This mythical beast, 13 meters tall and 21 meters long, draws its image from the ancient mythology of the Classic of Mountains and Seas. It serves not only as an ambassador for the Huaibei Old Power Plant Industrial Tourism Zone but also embodies the cultural power of the industrial heritage site's "reverse growth." This dance of myth and reality transforms a city's industrial DNA into a vivid and tangible cultural narrative, revitalizing it.

As industrial tourism explores deeper historical and cultural levels, true "dialogues between time and space" are taking place in various places.

In Shiwan, Foshan, Guangdong, a former raw material workshop and warehouse of a ceramics factory dating back to the last century has been transformed into "Meitaowan No. 7 Pottery Warehouse," a cultural and creative hub integrating artistic creation, talent incubation, and ceramic art exhibitions. By 2024, visitor traffic in the Meitaowan area exceeded 2.6 million, a year-on-year increase of 45%.

In the Quanzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone in Fujian Province, digital printing technology, AI painting, thermal transfer technology, and traditional skills such as string puppetry and health incense making are wonderfully combined together, allowing visitors to experience the deep integration of technology and culture through interactive experiences.

Zeng Bowei, director of the China Tourism Economics and Policy Research Center at Beijing Union University, said industrial tourism is not simply "industry plus tourism," but rather a fusion of centuries of industrial accumulation and tourism elements. It relies on historical memories and the restoration of authentic scenes to resonate with tourists.

Integrating hardcore industries into humanistic narratives has become a successful exploration into enhancing the tourism experience. However, its overall development still faces challenges: how to move from scattered highlights to a sustainable, large-scale industry?

Data shows that the global industrial tourism output value accounts for an average of about 10% to 15% of total tourism revenue, while in my country it is currently less than 5%. Compared with countries with more mature industrial tourism development such as Japan and Germany, it still has great growth potential.

In recent years, national policies regarding industrial tourism have been continuously refined. In 2016, the former National Tourism Administration published the "National Industrial Tourism Development Outline (2016-2025) (Draft for Comments)," proposing the creation of 1,000 national industrial tourism demonstration sites by 2025. Since 2021, policies have continued to strengthen. The "14th Five-Year Plan for Tourism Development" proposes to "encourage the development of industrial tourism based on industrial production sites, production processes, and industrial heritage, and to establish a number of national industrial tourism demonstration bases." That same year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and eight other departments jointly issued the "Implementation Plan for Promoting the Development of Industrial Culture (2021-2025)," which clearly outlined plans for promoting the innovative development of industrial tourism from multiple perspectives, including the integrated development of industrial culture and industry, and the practice of industrial culture education.

By the end of 2024, my country had announced two batches of 122 national industrial tourism demonstration bases, six batches of 232 national industrial heritage sites, and 10 national industrial heritage tourism bases. These bases offer a variety of tourism resources, including urban leisure, corporate visits, museum exhibitions, and site and heritage viewing. Industrial tourism is shifting from traditional site tours to modern industrial tourism, which is more diverse and enriched in content.

According to the "In-depth Research and Development Trend Forecast Research Report on China's Industrial Tourism Industry from 2023 to 2028" by the China Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, there were more than 1,200 industrial tourism companies in my country at the beginning of 2024, and it is expected that the scale of China's industrial tourism market will reach more than 100 billion yuan in 2030.

"Although industrial tourism accounts for a small portion of the overall output value, my country boasts a rich heritage of industrial civilization and holds enormous potential in its industrial heritage resources." Zeng Bowei believes that for long-term development, industrial tourism must move beyond the rudimentary model of "production line tours and specialty product sales" and instead prioritize the visitor experience and emotional connection. "Through immersive, narrative, and highly interactive project design, integrating industrial stories into daily life, we can truly transform industrial sites from mere 'manufacturing sites' into culturally engaging 'value-added destinations.'"