China, one of the biggest steel producers in the world, is having to cut back for the first time in 14 years. Qingquan Steel Plant in Tangshan became one of several so-called “zombie factories” when it closed its doors in 2014.
China's government plans to slash steel production by up to 150 million tons, which could see the loss of as many as 400,000 jobs according to state estimates. Officials point to excessive industrial capacity, a slump in demand and plunging prices as they attempt to restructure China's slowing economy. Hebei province, long regarded as China's steel belt, once accounted for nearly a quarter of the country's steel output.
In recent years, state-owned steel mills have been shut down and dozens of small privately-owned plants in the area have gone bankrupt.
Now all remains is the skeleton of a once thriving factory.