Past: A Core of Pudong Marine Instrument Industry and an Abandoned Old Factory (1869-2021)

A century ago, the Shanghai Marine Instrument General Factory (and the old factory of CSSC Marine Technology Co., Ltd.) laid the foundation for EKA Tianwu. The history of this factory can be traced back to the Old Customs Pudong Factory established in 1869, which is also one of the earliest places of origin for marine instrument manufacturing in China. This factory was originally a private Universal Iron Factory that produced textile machinery until 1928 when it was reorganized into a state-owned general factory for the manufacture of auxiliary machinery and instruments for the marine industry. By 1960, it had been officially renamed the State-owned Shanghai Marine Instrument Factory, and later evolved into the Shanghai Marine Instrument General Factory within China’s shipbuilding industry system. For decades, it was China’s primary research and production base for the production of navigation instruments and precision marine parts. The factory produced many of the key components of Chinese naval ships and ocean-going merchant ships such as compasses and automatic steering gears, and thus witnessed the rapid growth of China’s marine instrument manufacturing industry from imitation to independent design and manufacturing. Therefore, the factory is a significant physical artifact bearing witness to the growth of modern industry in Pudong.

The factory now contains over forty structures of different styles, including large span steel structure production workshops, single story red-brick office buildings, old warehouses, industrial corridors, relics of precision instrument production and other heavy industry. Since the beginning of the 21st century, however, with the transformation and upgrade of Shanghai’s urban industries and the changing of functions in the Jinqiao Area, marine instrument manufacturing and other heavy industry began to move out. Production in the factory continuously declined and ultimately ceased in 2015. The factory remained unused and abandoned since 2015, the exterior walls decaying and peeling away, the steel structure components corroded and aging, the interior space cluttered and unused, and the infrastructure deteriorated. Although this site occupies a prime core location in Jinqiao, Pudong, it became an “industrial rust belt” of the city, a patch of underutilized land with serious potential safety hazards, requiring extensive restoration and transformation, and was thus designated as a key industrial heritage revitalization project.

Present: Revitalized as a Humanistic, Art and Commercial Block Renewed from Century-old Industrial Heritage (2021-Present)

In 2021, the official launch of the EKA Tianwu revitalization and transformation project took place. This project was jointly constructed by CSSC Marine and a professional urban renewal operator. With the century-old marine industrial heritage of the factory as its basis, the project protected the historical heritage of the factory at a minimum level of destruction and did not carry out overall demolition and reconstruction. Rather, the project carried out meticulous renovation and reinforcement of the more than 40 old structures. The project retained the majority of the core industrial elements and years of texture such as the red-brick walls, steel structure beams and columns, the old industrial components and production relics, while renovated the interior space, updated the fire protection systems and intelligent piping systems, optimized the public leisure support facilities, and created artistic landscape nodes, and made the old industrial buildings compatible with the diversified functional requirements of modern cultural creativity, commerce, offices and leisure.

Historical and Modern Significance

EKA Tianwu officially opened in June 2024. Based on the maritime spirit of “Exploration and Fearlessness,” the park retained the original industrial layout and architecture features of the factory, converted the old instrument production workshops into cultural and creative studios, art exhibition halls and immersive experiences. Preserving this maritime history created a feeling of exploration, whether it’s for children and families to explore delicious food inside restored warehouses, or for artists to find their inspiration in the site’s industrial past inside rustic studios.

While retaining a strong retro-industrial atmosphere and century-old marine-industrial memories, the shopping area has also become modern and trendy and quickly became a top Internet-famous destination and a high-end cultural and creative hotspot in Shanghai. However, beyond the success of the initial revitalization project, EKA Tianwu’s future success is still not certain: as a former industrial site, it’s located in the relative periphery of Pudong district, away from major residential areas, and unlike most other shopping centers in Shanghai, it does not have metro access, placing it at a major disadvantage. EKA Tianwu must strategize and make the most of its industrial history to appeal to shoppers, to continue serving as the lively cultural center and communal space it has transformed into.

Image References

All images not separately credited below filmed at location by Stories Rezoned team

1. Anonymous. Aerial View of Shanghai Marine Instrument Factory (Pre-Renovation). 2019. Benzhe Architecture, 2021, https://www.benzhe-arch.com/eka.
2. Zhang, Jianmei. Iconic Chimney of Shanghai Marine Instrument Factory. 2020. Tuchong, 29 Jan. 2025, https://tuchong.com/30046644/135195512/.
3. Anonymous. Abandoned Factory Equipment and Ruins. 2021. China News Service, 10 Mar. 2025, https://m.chinanews.com/wap/detail/chs/zw/356642.shtml.

References

1. Pudong New Area People’s Government of Shanghai. “An Old Factory in Pudong Transforms into an Art Block.” 18 July 2023, www.pudong.gov.cn/006012/20230718/763073.html.
2. Jiefang Daily. “EKA Tianwu: Riverside Rebirth of the Old Marine Instrument Factory.” 8 Jan. 2025, www.jfdaily.com/2025/0108/136987.shtml.
3. The Paper. “From Instrument Workshop to Cultural and Creative Landmark: EKA Tianwu Renews Pudong’s Industrial Style.” 20 Jan. 2025, www.jfdaily.com/shguan/2025/0120/102456.html.
4. Shanghai Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources. “Guidelines for the Protection and Renewal of Shanghai’s Industrial Heritage.” 25 Feb. 2025, zrzyj.sh.gov.cn/ghzl/202502/t20250225_168975.html.
5. Shanghai Jiayun Investment Management Co., Ltd. “Operation Practice and Heritage Protection Summary of EKA Tianwu Project.” 28 Feb. 2025, www.shjiayun.com/project/ekatianwu/.