BEIJING — With the Winter Olympics, Beijing's Shijingshan district has accelerated the conservation of the industrial heritage of Shougang, a century-old steel plant, according to local authorities.

Efforts made in recent years to protect the industrial heritage have injected vitality into traditional industrial resources, Li Xianxia, spokesperson of Shijingshan district, told a press conference on Feb 13.

The Shougang Big Air is the world's first permanent big air venue for long-term usage. It is set to host freestyle skiing and snowboard big air events.

Founded in 1919, Shougang, a leading heavyweight steelmaker in China, once hit a record of 10 million tons of annual output, with more than 200,000 workers at the peak. It contributed around 10 percent of Beijing's GDP before 2008 when the capital city hosted the Summer Olympics.

As part of the city's economic restructuring and pollution control initiatives, Shougang started relocating its production base to neighboring Hebei province in 2005, where the steel conglomerate has built high-end and eco-friendly iron and steel production lines.