The next East-West Workshop on Industrial Archaeology, co-run by the Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA), will be on the 9th May. This is 10th online, free, workshop in the series and takes place exactly five years after the AIA co-hosted the first edition in May 2021.
The East-West Workshops on Industrial Archaeology were not created to endure; at least, not in a purely virtual format. When the first workshop was held in May 2021, it was mainly a way to prevent the COVID pandemic from disrupting our academic activities and international exchanges. However, the experience exceeded expectations. Five years on, the AIA are launching the 10th edition of a series of workshops that has become increasingly popular in the West, the East, and beyond.
To mark this special occasion, this workshop focuses on the archaeology, heritage, and history of alcoholic beverages. The speakers will examine the architecture of malt production in Britain and continental Europe (a key component of beer, whiskey, and other spirits), the history of winemaking and wine consumption in Spain, and the landscape of baijiu production in China. While the workshop acknowledges the serious consequences of alcohol abuse, it also recognises it as a significant element in many cultures worldwide, their social practices, and their heritage.
The East-West workshop series aims to exchange ideas and knowledge between Western and Eastern colleagues to develop a more international and diverse industrial archaeology. The event is jointly organised by the Institute for Cultural Heritage and History of Science & Technology (USTB, China) and the UK Association for Industrial Archaeology.
SPEAKERS & TALKS
- Amber PATRICK (Association for Industrial Archaeology, Britain): “Malthouse Developments – The Late 18th Century to the Mid-20th Century”
- Pablo ALONSO GONZÁLEZ (Spanish National Research Council, Spain): “Craft Vs. Industrial? A Critical History of Spanish Wine”
- Yuchen WANG (University of Science and Technology Beijing, China): “Symbiotic Cityscape: Luzhou Baijiu Cultural Heritage as an Urban Cultural Landscape”
DATE & TIME
9 May 2026, Saturday. 10.00-12.00 London time
PLACE
Zoom (online meeting). More info and free registration:


