Wugengliao Blast Furnaces, Ancient metallurgical site in Shangtianzhi, China.
Wugengliao Blast Furnaces is a metallurgical site with several preserved smelting furnaces and production facilities that demonstrate traditional Chinese iron-making techniques. The structures illustrate the practical methods used to process raw iron into usable materials.
The eight furnaces were built in 1958 at the Wugengliao ironworks during the Great Leap Forward, when the site briefly held 24 earthen blast furnaces. Production stopped in April 1960 because the iron was of poor quality and transport was difficult. Most furnaces were then demolished, leaving eight, which Fujian listed as protected in 2009 and the state listed nationally in 2013.
The site was originally the Wugengliao iron-smelting plant, and the eight surviving furnaces stand in a north-south line, built of red brick. Visitors can trace the row of cylindrical stacks, each about five metres tall, and see how the 1958 campaign left its mark on this village landscape.
The eight furnaces stand in a north–south line at Wugengliao, in Shangtian Village, Shuyang Town, Nanjing County, Fujian. The site is reached from the village; the furnaces are about 5 m tall, so allow time to walk the full row. No visitor facilities are documented.
At its peak in 1958 the site held 24 furnaces, but most were demolished after production stopped in April 1960; only 8 remain, standing about 5 m tall in a single north-south line. The reason for the shutdown was poor iron quality and transport difficulties, not the furnaces' design.
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