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The tourists gaze can deeply trigger the most real thoughts and feelings in tourists’ hearts. The sense of place of Heritage Conservation Districts (HCDs) under the tourist gaze takes a mental perception of tourists’ feeling and is an important factor in the connection between values protection and development. Famous heritage districts function as important signs, causing the formation of mental images and an emotional sense of belonging to the place in tourists. The present research aims to determine a suitable methodology for recognizing the sense of place of HCDs under the tourist gaze. This study used image-based interviews through the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) and examined sense of place factors in the Shichahai HCD of Beijing. The result shows that the sense of place in the Shichahai HCD consists of three important factors, the physical environment, immaterial environment, and activity experience. We tested these factors as determinants in a sense of place model of tourist selection and emotional state during travel, exhibiting substantial explanatory potential. This study supports the idea that the sense of place of the Shichahai HCD under the tourist gaze can be re-made, and provides novel methods for evaluating the value of HCDs.

Industrial heritage conservation is an important aspect of regional sustainable development. This study considers the industrial heritage of China built between 1840 and 1978 to establish the Chinese Industrial Heritage GIS Database. Changes spatial distribution , status of spatial distribution and status of conservation and reuse of Chinese industrial heritage are analyzed. The results reveal that in the temporal dimension, China’s industrial heritage shows a pattern of development from accumulation along the coast to dispersal into the interior; in the spatial dimension, the existing industrial heritage forms three key regions, 14 key cities, and important railway and water systems located in eastern China. Regarding the status of conservation, fewer heritage sites are included in the conservation system and there is a greater potential for reuse. This study proposes the development of a Chinese Route of Industrial Heritage (CRIH), consisting of industrial heritage key sites (point elements); industrial heritage key regions and cities (surface elements); and industrial heritage key routes (line elements), as well as different thematic heritage series to extend the system dimensions. The CRIH is of great significance in promoting the overall conservation of China’s industrial heritage and regional tourism.