Cultural Politics Reconstruction of Textile Industry Heritage from the Perspective of Marxist Spatial Production Theory: A Case Study of the Modern Cotton Mill Cluster in the Yangtze River Delta
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study investigates the cultural-political reconstruction of textile industrial heritage from the perspective of Marxist spatial production theory, taking the modern cotton mill cluster in the Yangtze River Delta as a representative case. To reveal the mechanisms through which capital-driven spatial transformation reshapes production systems and workers’ identities, the research integrates historical archives, data from 12 heritage sites, 42 oral histories, ISO 1101-based precision measurement, three-dimensional reconstruction, and digital twin technologies into a comprehensive analytical framework. High-precision spatial acquisition and digital modeling not only enhance the authenticity of industrial heritage restoration but also provide a technical foundation for intelligent infrastructure monitoring and digital information management, where advanced sensing technologies play an increasingly important role. Quantitative analysis shows that the spatial retention rate of the blowing workshop is only 24.5%, while the average retention rate of original production functions is 33.3%, indicating substantial disruption of historical process logic and technological continuity under capital intervention. Based on these findings, a reconstruction strategy integrating process-unit preservation, precision measurement, digital twin restoration, and worker participation is proposed to promote the coordinated regeneration of technological systems and cultural memory. The proposed framework offers a sustainable pathway for balancing industrial modernization with heritage conservation and provides methodological insights for future interdisciplinary research on high-fidelity spatial sensing and intelligent digital management of industrial heritage.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
References
J. Ye, “The Characteristics and Cultivation Path of the Textile and Apparel Industry Cluster in the Yangtze River Delta,” Frontiers in Economics and Management, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 119-132, 2025, doi: 10.6981/FEM.202504_6(4).0014.
R. Wang, P. Yan, and S. Nie, “Research on the coupling and coordination of digital economy and high-quality development of textile industry in the Yangtze River Delta region,” Journal of Silk, vol. 60, no. 9, 2023, doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1001-7003.2023.09.002.
B. Hu and Y. Zhu, “From Capital to the New Era: Research on Marx’s Spatial Production Theory and the Construction of a New Development Pattern of Dual Circulation,” Journal of Chongqing University (Social Science Edition), vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 214-224, 2021, doi: 10.11835/j.issn.1008-5831.zs.2020.11.001.
R. Pandey, V. Gupta, P. Pandit, K. Rohit, and S. Pandey, “Textile intangible cultural heritage of the world,” Handbook of Museum Textiles. Hoboken, NJ, USA: Wiley; 2022, vol. 1, pp. 19-37, doi: 10.1002/9781119983903.ch2.
S. Tripa, L. Indrie, F. Tripa, and M. Mare, “A review on deterioration of textile cultural heritage objects and sustainable solutions to mitigate the degradation,” Industria Textila, vol. 74, no. 5, pp. 555-563, 2023, doi: 10.35530/IT.074.05.2022145.
P. Ma, X. Li, and D. Lan, “A Dual Strategy in the Adaptive Reuse of Industrial Heritage Buildings: The Shanghai West Bund Waterfront Refurbishment,” Buildings, vol. 13, no. 7, pp. 1582, 2023, doi: 10.3390/buildings13071582.
C. Coscia, G. Lazzari, and I. Rubino, “Industrial heritage, adaptive reuse and sustainable redevelopment scenarios: including local communities’ multiple values in the decision-making process,” Green Energy and Technology, pp. 347-360, 2024, doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-53709-7_24.
N. Pintossi, D. I. Kaya, W. P. Van, and A. P. Roders, “Challenges of cultural heritage adaptive reuse: A stakeholders-based comparative study in three European cities,” Habitat International, vol. 136, pp. 102807, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.habitatint.2023.102807.
X. Zhang and Y. Ren, “Revitalization of urban industrial heritage from a perspective of spatial production theory: The case study of “Old market” project,” Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, pp. 1-17, 2024, doi: 10.1080/13467581.2024.2396618.
S. Han and H. Zhang, “Progress and prospects in industrial heritage reconstruction and reuse research during the past five years: Review and outlook,” Land, vol. 11, no. 12, pp. 2119, 2022, doi: 10.3390/land11122119.
K. Wang, “Temporal insights into mega-events and waterfront industrial heritage transformation: A case study of Shanghai’s Huangpu River industrial zone,” Built Heritage, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 48, 2024, doi: 10.1186/s43238-024-00160-1.
X. Xiong, Y. Wang, C. Ma, and Y. Chi, “Ensuring the authenticity of the conservation and reuse of modern industrial heritage architecture: A case study of the large machine factory, China,” Buildings, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 534, 2023, doi: 10.3390/buildings13020534.
S. F. Kazmi and J. Afridi, “The social impact of globalization on traditional textile communities in Pakistan: Annual Methodological Archive Research Review,” vol. 3, no. 5, pp. 70-76, 2025, doi: 10.63075/7bej4793.
L. M. P. Iglesias and G. Bernardo, “The industrial heritage as text and pretext for contemporary architecture: Journal of Architectural Conservation,” vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 102-114, 2022, doi: 10.1080/13556207.2022.2061140.
X. Wu, L. Yu, H. Fang, and J. Wu, “Research on the protection and reuse of industrial heritage from the perspective of public participation—A case study of northern mining area of Pingdingshan, China,” Land, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 16, 2021, doi: 10.3390/land11010016.
Y. J. Ahn and Z. Juraev, “Critical analysis of Marxist ideas in modern urban planning,” Cities, vol. 148, pp. 104843, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2024.104843.
Y. Qi, “The social production of industrial heritage spaces in the background of cultural governance: A comparative study based on cases from taipei and Hong Kong,” Buildings, vol. 13, no. 7, pp. 1579, 2023, doi: 10.3390/buildings13071579.
J. Zhang, J. Cenci, V. Becue, S. Koutra, and C. Liao, “Stewardship of industrial heritage protection in typical Western European and Chinese regions: Values and dilemmas,” Land, vol. 11, no. 6, pp. 772, 2022, doi: 10.3390/land11060772.
Z. Qian, “Heritage conservation as a territorialised urban strategy: Conservative reuse of socialist industrial heritage in China,” International Journal of Heritage Studies, vol. 29, no. 1-2, pp. 63-80, 2023, doi: 10.1080/13527258.2023.2169954.
Y. Song, T. Zhang, B. Ma, J. Wang, and D. Xue, “Renewal mechanism and path of old industrial areas in cities from the perspective of spatial production: An analysis based on the "power-capital-society" framework,” Geography & Geographic Information Science, vol. 41, no. 2, 2025, doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-0504.2025.02.011.
M. C. Lite, O. G. Iordache, R. R. Constantinescu, N. Badea, and E. C. Tănăsescu, “Textile artefacts conservation using nanomaterials– Review,” Industria Textila, vol. 73, no. 6, pp. 607-613, 2022, doi: 10.35530/IT.073.06.202263.
X. Dang, W. Liu, Q. Hong, Y. Wang, and X. Chen, “Digital twin applications on cultural world heritage sites in China: A state-of-the-art overview,” Journal of Cultural Heritage, vol. 64, pp. 228-243, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.culher.2023.10.005.
G. Yao, “Digital development of intangible cultural heritage and application of key technologies,” Journal of Changzhou University (Social Science Edition), vol. 22, no. 4, 2021, doi: 10.3969/j.issn.2095-042X.2021.04.013.
J. Zhang, J. Cenci, V. Becue, and S. Koutra, “The overview of the conservation and renewal of the industrial Belgian heritage as a vector for cultural regeneration,” Information, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 27, 2021, doi: 10.3390/info12010027.
M. M. Rashid, C. K. Khoo, and D. Masoomikhameneh, “Affect, Digital Heritage and Circular Economy: The Case of Dennys Lascelles Wool Store in Geelong,” Heritage, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 204, 2025, doi: 10.3390/heritage8060204.