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When steel forests glow: How China’s heavy infrastructure found new audiences_我的网站

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    An aerial view of Ningbo Petrochemical Economic and Technological Development Zone in East China's Zhejiang Province on August 19, 2026 Photo: Courtesy of Hu Xuejun
As night falls along China's East China Sea coast, rows of sprawling industrial facilities glow brightly under the dark sky. At Sinopec Ningbo Zhenhai Refining and Chemical Co., Ltd. (NZRCC) in East China's Zhejiang Province, a network of oil pipelines, towering distillation towers and neatly arranged oil storage tanks forms a futuristic "steel forest" outlined by lights and shadows.
On Chinese social media, this striking tableau has been embraced by younger generations as the essence of "cyberpunk-style hardcore romance." Amateur photographers and influencers have compiled detailed guides to the best viewing spots, complete with walking routes, camera angles, and even the optimal time to capture the scene, the so-called "blue hour," the period just before sunset.
Dozens of kilometers away, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port presents another stunning industrial scene. At this super port, which has ranked first globally in cargo throughput for 17 consecutive years, massive cargo ships anchor on the blue sea, stacked colorful shipping containers stretch along the shore, and giant quay cranes line up neatly. The dynamic interplay of mechanical operation lights and natural mountain and sea scenery creates a harmonious industrial beauty.
For years, heavy chemical plants and port infrastructure were associated in the public mind with noise, pollution, and a kind of forbidding remoteness - places to be avoided. Today, however, these industrial sites have transcended their purely functional roles, emerging as vivid windows through which ordinary people can observe China's new quality productive forces, and as a new narrative of coexistence between industry, ecology, and tourism.
    An aerial view of the industrial facilities of Sinopec Ningbo Zhenhai Refining and Chemical Co., Ltd. on August 19, 2026 Photo: Courtesy of Hu Xuejun
From avoidance to admiration
"In the past, when people thought of heavy chemicals, their first associations were pollution and safety risks - they instinctively wanted to stay away. Now, young people willingly come close, take photos, and share images of refinery towers at night. That makes us deeply proud," Zhang Da, deputy general manager of NZRCC, told the Global Times.
Zhang emphasized that the facility's newfound "cyberpunk appeal" is not a gimmick created by lighting. Tens of thousands of tourists have now visited the outer perimeter of the plant. "Visitors can intuitively experience fresh air, a tidy environment and steadily operating production equipment. These unalterable real feelings are the core reason why industrial scenery has become a new urban landmark," he said. Modern industry, once distant to the public, has become visible, tangible and approachable.
A similar shift in public perception is taking place at Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. Netizens have spontaneously explored popular hiking trails on the mountains near the port. From elevated viewpoints, visitors can watch intelligent unmanned cranes operating with precise accuracy, alongside giant wind turbines spinning in the wind. Heavy industrial facilities blend seamlessly with lush mountains and clear waters, creating a perfect balance of motion and tranquility.
Chen Jia, a local resident, often comes to the coastline to overlook the port in his spare time and brings friends, including foreign visitors, to experience the scenery. "The efficient unmanned terminals, magnificent giant ships and harbor, and refreshing mountain-sea views have broken the cold stereotype of traditional industry. This is a unique romance made in China," he said.
    Foreign visitors take a group photo at Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. Photo: Courtesy of Ningbo-Zhoushan PortFrom photo shooting to industrial understanding
What gives these industrial landscapes their staying power is not the rush of a thousand camera clicks, but their genuine industrial strength and the invitation they extend to the public: to look beyond the spectacle and start asking how it all works.
"Industrial sites can become scenic spots through long-term safety and environmental governance, as well as sophisticated modern industrial management," Zhang noted. "Young people's interest in industrial landscapes is a great starting point. More importantly, we attempt to turn this temporary online attention into long-term public recognition, letting real industrial sites serve as a window for the public to learn about modern industrial systems."
NZRCC first made this understanding tangible in an unexpected place: a 15,000-square-meter woodland at the heart of the complex, where egrets have made their home. When pipeline plans originally called for cutting through the area, the company rerouted them to protect the birds' habitat. During breeding seasons, all nearby construction is suspended.
Today, the "Egret Garden" is equipped with a 24-hour livestream that has attracted over 200 million views online.
Beyond ecological progress, the company strives to translate obscure industrial jargon into everyday language for the public.
Through open houses and social media outreach, the public has come to learn that this forest of steel towers has developed key materials for artificial lung technology, produced separator films for new-energy vehicle batteries, and turned waste cooking oil into sustainable aviation fuel that now powers commercial flights. 
What began as a casual appreciation of a nighttime spectacle has gradually deepened into a genuine understanding that this once-distant industry underpins much of daily life, from transportation and housing to health care and the transition to cleaner energy, making China's new quality productive forces more tangible and understandable, Zhang said.
Ningbo-Zhoushan Port has likewise carved out a path toward meaningful public engagement. It has hosted a wide range of public exchanges and educational programs while carefully designing popular science exhibition halls and outdoor viewing sites to engage visitors.
"Since its founding, a port has always been about openness and connection," Zhuge Xurong, director of the Cultural News Center at Ningbo Zhoushan Port Company Limited, told the Global Times. That openness, he said, extends beyond shipping routes to the exchange of ideas and knowledge between the port and the public.
Such open industrial scenes have become common across Ningbo's industrial parks, with bilingual science popularization activities bringing modern factories closer to the public. Online content creators frequently visit these industrial bases, unveiling the mysteries of Chinese manufacturing to wider audiences.
The trend stretches nationwide: intelligent heavy trucks in Lingang new area of the Shanghai free trade zone, drone manufacturing bases in Shenzhen, rail-transport industrial parks in Chengdu. Meanwhile, older industrial sites are being transformed into cultural and creative parks, preserving their historical textures while injecting modern vitality.
From awe to intimacy, from distance to engagement - this distinctly Chinese brand of industrial romance is reaching more people, being better understood, and continuing to evolve. 
。    早在2017年，Climeworks就成为第一家从空气中吸出二氧化碳并将其作为产品出售的公司。那时，其名为Capricorn的直接空气捕集（DAC）工厂在瑞士Hinwil开业。

二 | 除了作为Climeworks持续增长的基础，Capricorn的存在本身就是全新的碳清除行业的一个重要里程碑。五年后，Capricorn基本上是过时的气候技术。Climeworks周四宣布，它“完成了其在Hinwil的DAC设施的商业运作阶段，导致其第一代技术的淘汰”。该公司没有立即回应The Verge关于这对工厂的未来意味着什么的问题--它是否会完全关闭或继续在线但放弃向其他公司出售二氧化碳。

三 | 但Climeworks在其公告中明确表示，它现在优先考虑“扩大其永久性二氧化碳清除量”。而Capricorn 并不是为了永久清除大气中的温室气体而建造的。它开始向附近的一个温室提供二氧化碳，该温室用它来帮助种植蔬菜。然后，可口可乐HBC瑞士公司在2019年出现，并开始购买二氧化碳来对其气泡矿泉水进行碳酸化。据Climeworks称，这是第一次将直接空气捕集技术应用于饮料行业。Capricorn向世界展示了直接从空气中捕获二氧化碳的技术可以在商业规模上发挥作用。挑战在于，打开瓶装苏打水最终会将二氧化碳释放回空气中。

四 | 而作为示范项目开始的Capricorn，并没有捕捉到非常多的二氧化碳。

五 | 为了真正对气候变化产生影响，大量的二氧化碳需要被抽出并永久储存。这就是Climeworks的最新努力的目标。2021年9月，该公司开设了迄今为止最大的直接空气捕集厂，名为Orca，与Capricorn每年捕集的几百吨二氧化碳相比，它能够每年从空气中去除4000吨二氧化碳。

六 | 6月，Climeworks公司的Mammoth项目破土动工，预计其捕获的二氧化碳是Orca的9倍。Orca和Mammoth都位于冰岛Hellisheiði的战略位置--那里相对年轻的玄武岩层可以为捕获的二氧化碳提供充足的储存，就在捕获的设施附近。有趣的是，Climeworks在冰岛的业务仍然在Carbfix公司的帮助下制造一种气泡水，该公司与之合作储存二氧化碳。在从空气中过滤后（使用看起来像装满巨大风扇的集装箱），每吨二氧化碳与大约27吨水混合。然后，这些气泡水被注入地下，在那里它将与玄武岩发生反应，产生碳酸盐矿物。这个想法是，一旦碳酸水变成了坚硬的岩石，就不必担心二氧化碳逸出并加热我们的星球。在Capricorn之前，在实验室之外并没有太多的工作以这种方式解决气候变化问题。可以肯定的是，仍然有很长的路要走，以证明围绕着碳清除的技术、经济和政策能够足够一致，对气候危机产生重大影响。Capricorn的初步成功是这个旅程的一部分。现在，随着该设施退居二线，转而从事更持久的碳清除工作，Capricorn正标志着该行业的另一个转折点。

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