Can tourists visit factories in China?
Yes. Some programs sell tickets to individuals, some release limited places in an app, and others accept only organized groups with advance documentation.
A practical guide for foreign visitors
China industrial tourism & factory tours
The public can watch Xiaomi build EVs in Beijing, walk a BMW production line in Shenyang, and peer into Tsingtao's brewery in Qingdao—if they can get through the booking systems. We checked the official routes.
13 source-backed listings · Verified August 15, 2026
Read this first
The answers most foreign visitors need
“Open to the public” rarely means that you can arrive at the gate. Most programs require advance booking, and the booking system can be the hardest part.
Can foreign visitors book?
Sometimes. BMW Brilliance publishes English information. Xiaomi's Beijing instructions say a foreign visitor may need help from a Chinese ID holder and must bring the original passport. Confirm passport acceptance before paying for travel.
Where should a first-time visitor start?
Choose your China base first. Guangzhou has the strongest cluster in this directory. Beijing and Shanghai each have a local automotive option. Shenyang, Qingdao, Hohhot, Wuhan, and Liuzhou are better treated as separate destinations.
Does Tech Buzz China arrange these public tours?
Generally, no. Factories and visitor centers operate the listings below. Tech Buzz China designs private professional programs for existing organizations and groups.
Are BYD, CATL, DJI, Huawei, NIO, or Tesla open?
They may receive invited or professional groups, but we have not verified a standing official booking route for ordinary visitors. We do not label a company “public” simply because someone has toured it.
Will I see a live production line?
Not necessarily. “Factory tour” can mean an operating workshop, viewing corridor, exhibition center, industrial museum, or mixed route. Reconfirm the route and production schedule directly.
See inside
What these visits can actually look like
Factory access sounds abstract until the robots start moving. These films show two very different ends of Chinese industrial tourism: a new EV plant built around automation, and a historic brewery that still exposes part of its operating line.
Xiaomi EV Factory, Beijing
Official footage of body manufacturing, automated transport, inspection, and the production systems behind the Xiaomi SU7.
Video: XiaomiTsingtao Beer Museum, Qingdao
A walk through the historic brewery complex, where the visitor route combines industrial history, brewing equipment, and views into production.
Video: New China TVPlan from your base
Choose the geography before the factory
China's factories tend to sit well outside the tourist center. The useful distinction is whether a visit fits your existing city stay or needs its own travel day.
Beijing & North
Xiaomi is inside Beijing. The BAIC Xiangjie route is also in Beijing but currently paused. Shenyang and Hohhot should be planned as separate destinations.
Shanghai & East
Shanghai Volkswagen is local to Shanghai. Qingdao and Wuhan are useful industrial-tourism stops, but not casual add-ons to a Shanghai afternoon.
Greater Bay Area & South
Guangzhou has XPeng, GAC, and Dongfeng Nissan. XPeng's Zhaoqing center and SGMW in Liuzhou can extend a southern China itinerary.
Other & multi-city
Mengniu publishes contacts for more than 30 factories. Longmen Steel in Hancheng is a dedicated industrial-tourism destination for organized groups.
Showing all 13 listings.
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Individual visitors
The easiest places to start
These facilities publish a route for individual visitors. Advance booking is still required, and limited inventory can make “open to the public” considerably less convenient than the phrase suggests.
Beijing · Electric vehiclesLimited release
Xiaomi EV Factory
小米汽车工厂
A guided look at Xiaomi's highly automated vehicle plant, including exhibition areas and production processes such as body manufacturing and inspection.
- Access
- Individual places released through the Xiaomi Auto app.
- Foreign IDs
- Beijing's official English guide says foreign visitors may need assistance from a Chinese ID holder and must bring an original passport.
- Booking
- Xiaomi Auto app → Discover → Events → Visit Xiaomi EV Factory.
Guangzhou & Zhaoqing · EVs and roboticsIndividuals
XPeng AI Technology Manufacturing Journey
小鹏AI科技智造之旅
XPeng's public industrial-tourism program covers its global headquarters and manufacturing bases, with material on AI vehicles, robotics, flying cars, visual inspection, smart logistics, and die-casting.
- Access
- Public booking; specific routes and inventory vary.
- Booking
- XPeng app, XPeng WeChat account, or the XPeng travel website.
- Scope
- Headquarters plus Guangzhou and Zhaoqing exploration centers.
Shenyang · Automotive manufacturingIndividuals
BMW Brilliance Tiexi Factory
华晨宝马铁西工厂
One of China's clearest factory-tour products: a 1.5-hour working-plant visit with published individual and group prices, booking instructions, age rules, and language options.
- Access
- Individual mixed groups at 14:00 on weekdays; private groups by reservation.
- Language
- Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean guides are listed.
- Price
- Officially listed at RMB60 for an individual adult ticket; confirm before travel.
Qingdao · Food and beverageIndividuals
Tsingtao Beer Museum
青岛啤酒博物馆
An industrial museum inside Tsingtao's historic brewery complex. The route combines company history and brewing equipment with views through glass into an operating smart production line.
- Access
- Timed, real-name public ticketing.
- Booking
- Official WeChat account or recognized ticketing platforms.
- Language
- Official materials advertise multilingual guiding; reserve in advance.
Conditional public access
Official programs with facility-specific rules
These companies promote industrial tourism or maintain booking routes, but the exact plant, date, and eligibility need to be confirmed before travel.
Guangzhou · Automotive manufacturingCheck facility
GAC Factory Tours
广汽集团参观预约
GAC maintains a central reservation page for the GAC Technology Museum and factories operated by GAC Aion, Trumpchi, Honda, Toyota, and other group units.
- Access
- Depends on the selected facility and available dates.
- Booking
- Select the facility through GAC's official reservation portal.
- Verify
- Confirm whether the chosen slot accepts individuals, foreign passports, and English-language visitors.
Liuzhou · Automotive manufacturingReservation
SAIC-GM-Wuling Industrial Tourism
上汽通用五菱工业旅游
The company's Liuzhou industrial-tourism program includes the China Wuling Hall, manufacturing content, and the newer LING Workshop experience for families and study groups.
- Access
- Official reservation route; availability and itinerary vary.
- Format
- Industrial exhibition and manufacturing-related visitor experiences.
- Verify
- Confirm whether the production floor is included on the selected date.
Multiple cities · Dairy manufacturingCall factory
Mengniu Industrial Tourism
蒙牛工业旅游
Mengniu says more than 30 factories are open for visits and publishes a factory-by-factory contact directory spanning Inner Mongolia, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Sichuan, Guangdong, and other locations.
- Access
- Factory-specific; contact the location directly.
- Booking
- Official page lists telephone contacts for each open facility.
- Language
- No consistent English-language promise across the network.
Hohhot · Dairy and agricultureVisitor attraction
Yili Health Valley
伊利现代智慧健康谷
A large industrial-tourism complex built around Yili's dairy manufacturing, milk-powder production, pasture operations, exhibition spaces, and science-education programming.
- Access
- Public industrial-tourism operation; products and routes vary.
- Scope
- Factory, visitor-center, and dairy-industry exhibits.
- Verify
- Confirm current ticketing and whether a live production line is operating.
Organized groups
Bookable, but not as an individual walk-in
These are public-facing programs in the sense that outside groups can apply. They are not retail attractions for a traveler who appears at the gate.
Shanghai · Automotive manufacturingGroups
Shanghai Volkswagen Industry Tour
上海大众汽车工业旅游
Shanghai's official English visitor guide describes access to the automotive production process, exhibition hall, and MEB new-energy workshop in Anting.
- Access
- Group reservations.
- Schedule
- Official guide lists Monday–Friday daytime opening.
- Booking
- Published group reservation telephone: 021-5956-0999.
Guangzhou · Automotive manufacturing10–40 people
Dongfeng Nissan Guangzhou Factory
东风日产广州花都生产基地
A formal, free factory visit with unusually detailed public rules. It is available only to organized social groups, not individuals.
- Access
- Groups of 10–40; visitors to the workshop must be 18–60.
- Language
- The factory explicitly says it does not provide foreign-language interpretation.
- Documents
- Company confirmation document and advance vehicle registration required.
Wuhan · Home appliancesCommunity groups
TCL Air Conditioner Smart Factory
TCL空调武汉智能制造产业园
A smart-manufacturing route covering automated production lines, laboratories, digital-twin systems, and industrial internet applications.
- Access
- The published route is primarily for organized community groups.
- Booking
- TCL Air Conditioner Wuhan official WeChat account → Discover → Visit Reservation.
- Verify
- Confirm group eligibility and current dates directly.
Hancheng, Shaanxi · Steel10+ people
Longmen Steel Industrial Tourism Area
龙钢公司龙门钢铁景区
A steel-industry tourism site built around production processes, industrial equipment, environmental systems, and the history of the Longgang operation.
- Access
- Groups of 10 or more must book at least 24 hours ahead.
- Documents
- The official site requires an organization introduction letter for group entry.
- Booking
- Published telephone: 0913-5182888.
Watchlist
Published program, currently paused
A booking page is not proof that a factory is accepting visitors today. This section keeps useful official programs visible without telling readers to plan around access that is unavailable.
Beijing · Electric vehiclesPaused
BAIC Xiangjie Super Factory
北汽新能源享界超级工厂
The official booking page describes individual and group visits through the smart exhibition hall, body, stamping, and final-assembly workshops. It currently says reservations are suspended because of factory modifications and confidential new-model introduction.
- Normal rules
- Individuals or groups, maximum 20 per time slot, ages 9–65.
- Status
- Temporarily not accepting reservations as of August 15, 2026.
- Photography
- Photography and video are prohibited inside workshops.
Booking in practice
Factory access in China is fragmented
There is no national booking system. A usable plan starts with the factory's own current instructions and leaves room for production changes, security restrictions, and full time slots.
Use the official channel
Follow the company's website, app, WeChat account, or published visitor-center contact. Search results often surface travel agents before the actual operator.
Confirm identity requirements
Ask whether the form accepts a passport, international telephone number, and foreign name. A tour can be open to the public while its booking system remains difficult for visitors without a Chinese ID.
Check the production schedule
A factory may admit visitors when the relevant line is idle. Ask whether the visit includes live production, a viewing corridor, or only an exhibition center.
Do not assume photographs are allowed
Working factories commonly prohibit photography, video, exposed cameras, or even visible mobile phones on the production floor.
Bring the original identity document
Real-name tickets are normally matched against the document used during booking. A confirmation screenshot alone may not be sufficient.
Reconfirm before traveling
Production work, model launches, confidential projects, maintenance, and government events can cancel a visit with little notice.
Planning a private professional program?
Tech Buzz China designs multi-day programs for investor, corporate, academic, and executive groups. Those programs are commissioned privately and built around the group's objectives, not assembled from the public tours in this directory.