Can the Renewal of Industrial Heritage Contribute to the Regeneration of China’s Economically Declining Cities? –The Case of the Changying Film Studio in Changchun

The effectiveness of industrial heritage renewal in urban regeneration has been recognised in theory and practice, but little attention has been paid to economically declining traditional industrial cities. For such cities, can the role of industrial heritage renewal be utilised to achieve urban regeneration? We explore this question through the case of the Changchun Film Studio (abbreviated as Changying), an important industrial heritage site in China. Our study draws on the three-pillar approach to sustainable development, while introducing a fourth pillar, culture, in light of the specificity of industrial heritage for urban regeneration, thus transforming the three-pillar approach into a four-pillar approach. Based on the four-pillar approach, we conducted sufficient semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, while combining relevant economic data to support them, and finally obtained our direct perception of the effect of the Changying reuse project. The results suggest that industrial heritage reuse can contribute to the regeneration of China’s economically declining cities, but only to a limited extent. It is recommended that future actions of industrial heritage reuse prioritise community participation and cultural values. Efforts should be made to cultivate a sense of community cohesion and centripetal force rather than focusing on the commercial profitability.