A group of visitors dressed as factory workers from the 1950s scurry among the cafes and landscaped paths at Jinyi Park in Hedong district, Tianjin.

They collect work badges, search for technical drawings, solve riddles and try virtual machine operations as part of an immersive game at the former Tianjin No 1 Machine Tool Works. Hunting for clues in old workshops and offices, they follow routines that were once part of everyday life in the compound.

Outside, visitors sit on the lawns and indulge in a variety of activities with their friends and pets.

Yang Zhong, a researcher at the housing and urban-rural development commission of Hedong district, said the challenge has been to inject the old factory with a new lease on life without losing its original character.

"We wanted to preserve, as much as possible, the feeling of the original factory's spatial layout," Yang said.

The Tianjin factory was one of the State-owned machine tool enterprises known as the "18 Arhats", a group of key enterprises that helped develop the country's machinery industry. Established in 1951, it produced China's first all-gear transmission lathe with independent intellectual property rights.

After production moved to Xiqing district, more than 20 kilometers away, the old compound eventually fell idle. A State-owned company began planning its revitalization in 2020, and the renewal project got underway in 2023.

The wider project covers about 730,000 square meters, including the former factory compound of roughly 280,000 sq m and 15 surrounding residential compounds. Within the factory site, more than 20 old industrial buildings have been retained for renovation and reuse.

The transformation reflects Tianjin's efforts to reinvigorate old industrial compounds while preserving their important role in the nation's development.

One of China's major industrial cities, Tianjin was once home to bustling textile, machinery and light-industrial sectors. But as factories relocated or closed amid industrial restructuring, many compounds fell into disuse, opening the way for their repurposing as cultural, tourism and leisure destinations.