Chongqing - Robot workshops, car research centers, and old industrial sites are drawing families and foreign visitors as Chongqing taps into a booming industrial tourism market.

Where should families go for the autumn school break? Increasingly, the answer isn't a mountain or a museum, but a car plant, a robotics company, or an old factory.

A robot carries goods at Unitree Embodied Intelligent Robots Western Innovation and Operation Center in Dadukou District, Chongqing. (Photo/Liu Li, Visual Chongqing)

Across China, more factories and industrial sites are opening their doors to the public, combining tours with educational programs for children. The trend is creating new tourism experiences, breathing new life into idle industrial assets, and helping companies build their brands in a market worth hundreds of billions of yuan.

With one of China's most complete industrial systems and a rich manufacturing history, Chongqing is well placed to cash in.

Factories become classrooms

"This robot is so cute! Can it walk? Can it take me to school?"

On Nov. 7, dozens of students crowded around a guide at Unitree Embodied Intelligent Robots Western Innovation and Operation Center in Dadukou District, firing off questions. The center, run by a wholly owned subsidiary, is the company's fifth in China and handles research, sales, manufacturing and services for the western region.

Students watched quadruped and humanoid robots in action and learned how robots sense, decide and act. In a hands-on class, they assembled electronic robot dogs and programmed them to move.

"It's my first time seeing a humanoid robot this close. It's so exciting!" said student Zhang Xinyue. Her father, Zhang Jinsong, said the trip not only taught his child a lot in a fun way but also "planted a seed of scientific innovation."

At Changan Automobile's brand experience site, student groups take turns trying driverless rides, assembling model cars and meeting engineers. The site includes Changan's global research center, home to a national key laboratory for vehicle noise, vibration and safety, and an open innovation park. Together, they host nearly 30 research and administrative units and around 14,000 employees. Visiting groups can tour the factory, research center and park in a single day.

In May, the site was named one of China's first 30 "Travel with Brands" destinations by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. It is the only one in Chongqing.

Visitors explore and take photos at the Beicang cultural and creative block in Liangjiang New Area, Chongqing, on June 10, 2026. (Photo/Wang Jiaxi)

The boom is no passing fad, said Luo Zibai, director of the Chongqing Tourism Development Research Center. It is driven by industrial upgrading, government support and changing consumer demand. In May, seven ministries issued a notice on promoting industrial culture, protecting industrial heritage and developing industrial tourism. China's tourism plan for the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) also lists industrial tourism as a priority.

From "staff only" to "welcome in"

Industrial tourism is not new. But for years, it was largely limited to company visits and school trips. Many people saw factories as boring places with nothing to see.

That has changed. Smart car plants, old industrial sites, robot factories and even hotpot factories have gone viral. "Travelers now want immersive experiences with knowledge, technology and history, not just scenery," said Li Yongming, president of the Chongqing Cultural and Tourism Development Research Institute.

Data from online travel platform LY.com shows that since this summer, orders for factory tour products have risen more than 36 percent year on year, with family trips accounting for 68 percent. Inbound orders for factory tours have jumped more than ninefold, making them a new highlight in international tourism.

On Qunar, searches for factory visits, car plants, shipyards and science exploration have risen 2.7 times month on month since July, while searches for industrial study tours are up more than 70 percent year on year. Rocket factories, shipyards and robot manufacturing bases are the most popular.

A researcher with LY.com described the trend as a shift from buying things to buying knowledge, and said factory tours are becoming a long-term part of the tourism market.

Industrial heritage draws the crowds

Step off the busy Guanyinqiao shopping district and into Beicang, a cultural and creative block with gray brick buildings, old factory halls, and ancient trees. Built in the 1960s as a warehouse for the former Jiangbei Textile Factory, it is now a popular hangout for young people and has won more than 50 honors, including recognition as a national tourism and leisure block.

Beicang welcomes about 15,000 visitors a day on weekdays, 30,000 on weekends, and more than 80,000 on public holidays—more than many of China's top-rated tourist attractions.

Visitors tour the site of the 816 Project in Fuling District, Chongqing. (Photo provided by the 816 Project scenic area)

Hidden in the mountains of Fuling District, the 816 Project is billed as the largest known declassified man-made military cave in the world. Now a national industrial tourism demonstration base, it stages an immersive show, “Insight 816”, which tells the story of the soldiers and scientists who built it.

Li said industrial tourism has developed into three main types: industrial heritage, modern smart manufacturing, and science and technology. "This is a huge opportunity for Chongqing," he said, noting the city's industrial history from the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression to today's modern manufacturing clusters.

Chongqing now has two national industrial tourism demonstration bases, the 816 Project and the Chongqing Industrial Culture Expo Park, along with landmarks converted from old factories, warehouses and air-raid shelters, such as the Testbed 2 Arts Center and the Jianchuan Museum.

Experts say Chongqing has strong potential but needs to tailor each site to its resources and history, tell the stories behind them, and redesign factories to be more interactive and visitor-friendly.