Beijing 2022 brings new life to old 'Steel City'

A former industrial quarter is being transformed into a hub for the Winter Olympic Games. Zhou Jie, Ji Ye and Zhang Han report for Xinhua.

On a sunny winter afternoon, barbershop owner Huang Jinzhi stood on the balcony of her home 13 stories above the ground in Beijing's Shijingshan district and pointed at a group of iron ore storage towers and blast furnaces about 300 meters away.

"They look beautiful," she said.

The towers and furnaces that were once operated by Shougang Group, one of China's largest steel enterprises, are now setting a vivid example of urban regeneration at Shougang Industrial Park.

The park is not only home to the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games Organizing Committee, but it is also being transformed into a Big Air snowboarding venue for the Winter Games.

It is the second time Huang has lived in the area, having left about 15 years ago because of the polluted air produced by the plant.

However, the environment began to improve ahead of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, when Shougang began a relocation program to return blue skies to China's capital.