Restoring character

The Jinyi Park renewal team worked with a design institute affiliated with Tianjin University to assess buildings individually. Their age, history, former functions and preservation value were taken into consideration, Yang said.

Some could be retained mostly as they were, while others needed major repairs or remodeling to make them useful again. Decades of neglect and updated fire-safety requirements added to the workload.

One building required particular care. Built in 1951 to accommodate Soviet experts working at the factory, it had an exterior made of specially treated and strengthened bricks. Over the years, the exterior had been covered with pale yellow paint. Photographs from the 1970s showed that the original brickwork was red, said Lyu Hong, chief engineer of the renovation project.

The team removed the yellow paint, only to find that some bricks were damaged or missing, and parts of the structure were uneven. Different methods were used to repair the facade, including replacing missing sections and applying brick pieces and brick powder. But not every damaged section was concealed.

"We kept some of the bricks that were badly damaged so people could still see their original condition," Lyu said.

The team also addressed uneven settlement of the structure through brickwork repairs and grouting. The walkway outside was repaired, while inside the original terrazzo floor, wooden floorboards, timber roof, staircase, railings and dado wall features were preserved or restored.

When sunlight falls across the old staircase, the beauty of the terrazzo floor and wooden details that survived more than seven decades are highlighted. "The way the light changes across this space is especially moving," Lyu said. The building's old materials and changing light, she said, are part of what gave the interior its character.

The renovated building opened in November 2025, with Yichi Garden cafe as a new tenant. Plants, books, lighting and furnishings have been added, but the original structural details remain. Customers can eat, read, work, cosplay or spend time with friends in rooms that once accommodated the factory's Soviet experts.

"When customers enter the space and see these machines and the surroundings, they feel as if they are having a conversation with time," said cafe manager Wan Bifeng.

A painted wall has become a popular photo spot at the block.[Photo/China Daily]

"Former factory workers sometimes return to the compound, recognize machinery displayed downstairs and tell us that they once worked with the equipment," she said.

The renewal team had to work with aspects of the industrial site that could not easily be moved or removed.

"We designed the roads around the old trees rather than moving them to make way for the roads," Yang said.

A former factory canteen presented a particular challenge.

It had been earmarked for demolition to make way for a road planned to pass through the site. Instead, the team designed an open central space with glass curtain walls on both sides.

The glass sections can be dismantled if the road eventually goes ahead, allowing the building to remain in use for now, Yang said.

The team took a similar approach to the factory's equipment, incorporating overhead cranes, columns, old machines and machine parts into the renewed spaces.

A guide in period costume leads an immersive tour of the museum, which takes visitors on a journey through the country's manufacturing history.[Photo/China Daily]