Urban industrial heritage is both a physical component of the city and an important carrier of urban memory, but there is still a lack of comprehensive analysis of industrial heritage in Tianjin and a need for a conservation system. This study took the industrial heritage of Tianjin built between 1860 and 1978 as the research object and used GIS technology to analyse the spatial and temporal distribution of industrial heritage and the current state of its reuse. The results show that in the temporal dimension, the distribution of industrial heritage in Tianjin shows a pattern of change of “gathering first, then scattering”, with the 1960s as the time point; in the spatial dimension, the existing industrial heritage shows a pattern of distribution along important transport routes—the Haihe River, the Jingfeng Railway and the Jinpu Railway, and there are three industrial heritage clusters. The conservation and reuse status of industrial heritage varies by resource type, but the overall state is poor. Based on the results of the above analysis, a holistic conservation concept of the “Tianjin Industrial Heritage Route” and a reuse strategy for different resource types of industrial heritage are proposed. This will help to integrate the reuse of Tianjin’s industrial heritage into the sustainable development of the city and provide a reference for the conservation of industrial heritage in other cities in China and even in the world.

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.