The Dasheng Cotton Mill in Nantong, Jiangsu province was listed among the second batch of the National Industrial Heritages, which was announced by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Nov 15.

A total of 42 industrial institutions around the country were listed in the second batch of the National Industrial Heritages, including four in Jiangsu, which are Nanjing Jinling Machine Manufacturing Bureau, Nanjing Yongli Chemical Industry Company Ammonium Factory, Wuxi Maoxin Flour Factory and the one in Nantong.

Nantong Dasheng Cotton Mill, which is listed among the second batch of the National Industrial Heritages. [Photo/Ntjoy] 

As industrial heritage is an important carrier of industrial culture, the ministry launched a pilot project to identify the industrial heritages last year. A place related to modern industry and built before 1980, such as a factory, workshop and mining area, can apply to be a National Industrial Heritage. 

Nantong Dasheng Cotton Mill has been in existence since the early days of modern China. It was founded by Zhang Jian, a pioneer of China’s modern industry, and its output used to account for 11.9 percent of the nation’s total number of spindles.

According to the Industry and Information Technology Department of Jiangsu, in order to promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, it is giving full play to the resources related to the national industrial heritages, including developing industrial tourism, building industrial museums, industrial parks and innovation and entrepreneurship bases.