Northeast China ‐ cradle of change: A preliminary review of changing technological and industrial structures

Purpose ‐ The Northeast of the People's Republic of China is now termed the "rustbelt" of the country: there is a need to reform and restructure enterprises in the region. China's major industrialization is underway elsewhere, with factories located in coastal area and primarily oriented towards exports into global markets. In the meantime the original primary industrial base in Northeast has been almost been forgotten. Design/methodology/approach ‐ This preliminary mapping and tentative analysis of the Chinese rustbelt is based on intensive field interviews in three major cities in Northeast China ‐ Dalian, Changchun and 1Harbin. The empirical results are complemented with official statistics and other government information. This research paper is a first attempt to take stock of the remaining technological and industrial structures that exist in the area and how they can become revitalized to service the overall economy. Findings ‐ This paper provides a preliminary examination of the possibility of using the region's strong higher education base to develop new high technology industries. It argues that this is a possible option for the future. Originality/value ‐ The information and analysis provides insights into a region of China not well-known to the rest of the world, which has many challenges, but also many opportunities.