Lesson video

Hi, I'm Mrs. Grey, and I'm so excited that you've decided to join me to learn geography today.

Today's lesson is in our unit of "Cities: "What Are They Like To Live In?" And the title of today's lesson is "Steel Cities: Tangshan and Sheffield." By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to compare how the cities of Tangshan and Sheffield have changed over time.

There are some keywords that we'll come across in today's lesson.

They are "industry," "globalisation," and "post-industrial." Industry is the business of turning raw materials into finished products, usually in factories.

Globalisation is the interconnection of countries worldwide, over time, through trade and industry.

And post-industrial is a term used to describe a city after it has changed from being a centre of manufacturing to a place where most people work in services.

Today's lesson is split into two learning cycles.

The first: How did steel shape the city of Sheffield? And the second: How is Tangshan shaped by steel today? So, let's take a look at our first learning cycle: How did steel shape the city of Sheffield? Sheffield was once a global centre of steel production.

You can see on the map there where Sheffield is located, that the purple dot.

Sheffield is a city in the north of England.

From early innovations in the 18th century onwards, Sheffield has been famous for its steel industry.

Its factories produced tools, cutlery, and industrial parts used around the world.

The city was part of a globalised trade network.

So steel was really, really important in Sheffield.

Our first check of the lesson now, then: Why was Sheffield important during the 19th and 20th centuries? A, it was a popular tourist destination.

B, it became a global centre of steel production.

C, it was the capital city of the UK.

D, it had the largest farming industry in England.

So pause the video, write down your answer, and then come back, and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? Why was Sheffield important during the 19th and 20th centuries? And the answer is B, it became a global centre of steel production.

Did you get that right? Well done.

The physical geography and transport links made Sheffield ideal for steelmaking.

Aisha asks, "Where did the resources come from to make the steel?" What a brilliant question.

Sheffield had the natural resources, iron ore, coal, and water, needed for steelmaking.

Sheffield became successful at making cutlery because nearby streams provided water power, and special stones from the Hope Valley were used to sharpen the tools.

So the physical geography, the natural geography of the area of Sheffield, made it an ideal location for steelmaking because of the natural resources that it had in the area.

Izzy asks, "How was the steel moved around?" Another great question.

The arrival of the railway, canals, and steam-powered ships all helped with global trade.

Another check for us now, then: Why was Sheffield good for steelmaking? A, it was located near the coast.

B, it had rich soil for agriculture.

C, it had coal, water, and iron ore nearby.

D, it had warm weather all year round.

So pause the video, write down your answer, and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? Why was Sheffield good for steelmaking? The answer was C, it had coal, water, and iron ore nearby.

Did you get that right? Well done.

Now, thousands of people worked in the steel industry in Sheffield.

Steel shaped every part of life, from jobs to the landscape.

During the First and Second World Wars, many women worked in the Sheffield steel industry making weapons and ammunition for the wars.

Industrial activity shaped the lives of people who lived there and Sheffield's environment.

The city was filled with factories, chimneys, and terraced housing for workers.

Also, pollution increased.

Smoke and waste affected the environment.

So lots of industrial activity is impacting the life of people who live there and the environment of Sheffield.

So it providing lots and lots of jobs for people, making the landscape look different with smoke, factories, and chimneys.

The housing that was built there was terraced housing for the workers to work there.

That also led to an increase in pollution.

All those factories producing lots and lots of smoke.

So that's gonna have a major impact on the environment as well.

Another check for us now, then.

True or false? Many women worked in the Sheffield steel industry.

Is that true or false? So pause the video, write down your answer, and then come back, and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? Many women worked in the Sheffield steel industry.

Is that true or false? The answer is true.

During the First and Second World Wars, many women worked in the Sheffield steel industry making weapons and ammunition for the wars.

Did you get that right? Well done.

The changing global economy brought radical changes to Sheffield in the late 20th century.

So global competition and new technology led to a decline of Sheffield's steel industry.

That then meant that factories were closed and jobs were lost.

So as the economy of the world changed, we've got more places producing steel, we've got more competition globally, and new technology has come about.

That meant that the steel industry in Sheffield declined; it went down.

And because of that, factories were closed because they weren't needed as much, and therefore, people also lost their jobs.

So big, big changes happened there in the late 20th century.

Now, Sheffield has a smaller steel industry.

So it still produces steel, but on a smaller scale.

Today, Sheffield is a post-industrial city.

Sheffield still makes steel, just not in the same quantities as it used to.

The focus is on recycled steel.

The processes are highly automated, so fewer people are employed, but the production is still significant.

In 1950, that was when Sheffield was at its peak production, peak producing steel.

It produced 1.

5 to two million tonnes.

It had multiple large steelworks and was mostly virgin steel.

In 2024, there was much smaller production.

Produced 300 to 500,000 tonnes, mostly recycled steel, and it was concentrated in fewer, specialised plants.

So you can see the difference there between the steel that Sheffield was producing in 1950 and the steel Sheffield was producing in 2024.

Now, Sheffield has also adapted to change by developing new industries and services.

So with the decline in industry, factories closing, people losing their jobs, Sheffield's had to adapt, and it's done so by developing new industries and services.

It has universities, parks, museums, and a growing tech sector.

Old steelworks have been turned into flats, offices, and cultural spaces.

And Sheffield is home to the Sheffield Steelers, a top ice hockey team in the UK's Elite League.

So lots and lots of changes there to make sure that they were adapting well to the changes in the global economy.

And so there are lots and lots of new industries and services in Sheffield.

Another check for us now, then: All industrial cities go into decline once their industries close.

Is that true or false? So pause the video, write down your answer, and then come back, and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? True or false? All industrial cities go into decline once their industries close.

That's false.

Why is it false? Some cities, like Sheffield, adapt by developing new industries, services, and cultural attractions after industrial decline in response to the loss of industrial jobs.

Did you get that right? Well done.

Our first task of the lesson now, then, we've got some questions for you to answer.

So, question one: Why was Sheffield important in the 19th and 20th centuries? Question two: What made Sheffield a good place for steelmaking? Question three: How did the steel industry change the way Sheffield looked and felt? Question four: Give two reasons why there are few jobs in the steel industry in Sheffield today.

And question five: How has Sheffield changed since the decline of the steel industry? So five questions for you to answer there.

Pause the video, write down your answers, and then come back, and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? So, question one: Why was Sheffield important in the 19th and 20th centuries? And you may have written: It was a global centre for steel production, making tools, cutlery, and industrial parts used around the world.

Question two: What made Sheffield a good place for steelmaking? You may have written: It had natural resources like coal, iron ore, and water, and good transport links like canals and railways.

Question three: How did the steel industry change the way Sheffield looked and felt? You may have written: The city was filled with factories and terraced houses, and the air was polluted with smoke from the steelworks.

Question four: Give two reasons why there are few jobs in the steel industry in Sheffield today.

You may have written: Global competition and new technology.

And finally, question five: How has Sheffield changed since the decline of the steel industry? You may have written: It has become a post-industrial city with universities, green spaces, culture, and repurposed old factory buildings.

How did you get on with those questions? Did you get them all right? Well done.

So, we finished our first learning cycle, which was: How did steel shape the city of Sheffield? Now we're gonna move on to our second learning cycle: How is Tangshan shaped by steel today? So, more than half of the world's steel today is manufactured in China.

Tangshan is a city in Northeast China, and you can see it located on the map there.

Tangshan is one of the largest steel-producing cities in the world today.

It has grown rapidly since the 1980s as China's demand for steel has increased.

Our first check then: Where is Tangshan located? A, Southern China.

B, Northeast China.

C, Central China.

D, Western China.

So, pause the video, write down your answer, and then come back, and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? Where is Tangshan located? The answer is B, Northeast China.

Did you get that right? Well done.

The steel industry has influenced population.

As the steel industry grew in Tangshan, the population has increased.

And we can see a map there with circles on, and those circles are cities that are in China.

And the size of those circles tells us how many people, the population.

And you can see there, the population of Tangshan has increased over time.

If you look at the line graph there, you can see that the graph is.

The line is going up.

It's increased over time.

Now we've got a similar map here for the UK.

As the steel industry declined in Sheffield, the population has remained static.

So, you can see the population graph there for Sheffield; that line has remained relatively the same.

So that means that the population hasn't particularly gone up or down; it's remained relatively static.

Now, steel shapes both the landscape and the built environment of the city.

The city has large industrial zones with huge steelworks.

It has a large port to facilitate global trade of the city's steel.

And that's gonna be important, isn't it? If they're producing lots of steel and they're gonna be selling it and trading around the world, they're gonna need the means to do that.

So, that large port allows for that to happen.

Steel shapes people's jobs, homes, and way of life.

Now, Aisha asks, "Do lots of people in the city work in the steel industry?" And the answer is, yeah.

Many people in Tangshan rely on the steel industry for work.

Industrial workers often live in housing provided by industrial plants or factories.

And you can see an image there of some of those houses.

Another check for us now, then: Where do many steelworkers in Tangshan live? A, in countryside villages.

B, in housing provided by factory owners.

C, in skyscrapers in Beijing.

D, in temporary camps outside the city.

So, pause the video, write down your answer, and then come back and see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? Where do many steelworkers in Tangshan live? The answer is B, in housing provided by factory owners.

Did you get that? Well done.

Now, industrial activity brings challenges for health and the environment.

Pollution from factories affects the air and water quality.

The government in China is trying to improve air quality by investing in cleaner technologies.

In Tangshan, some industrial landscapes have been restored as parkland and international exhibition facilities.

So, that industrial activity can bring lots and lots of challenges.

It can influence the quality of the air and the water, but the government in China is doing something to try and tackle that.

Another check for us now, then: What is one way the government is trying to reduce pollution in Tangshan? A, banning factories.

B, moving people to other cities.

C, developing cleaner technology.

D, stopping exports.

So, pause the video, write down your answer, and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? What is one way the government is trying to reduce pollution in Tangshan? The answer is C, developing cleaner technology.

Did you get that? Well done.

Now, the global economy affects cities differently depending on time and place.

Sheffield moved away from heavy industry in the 20th century, but Tangshan is still growing its steel sector.

Both cities show how industry can shape a place, but in different ways.

Another check then.

True or false? Tangshan and Sheffield are post-industrial cities.

Is that true or false? Pause the video, write down your answer, and then come back, and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? True or false? Tangshan and Sheffield are post-industrial cities? And the answer is false.

Why is it false? So, Sheffield is post-industrial because most people work in jobs that provide a service rather than making products in a plant or factory.

But Tangshan is one of China's largest centres for steelmaking today and home to many other industrial sites and factories.

Did you get that right? Well done.

So, we're onto our final task of the lesson now, then.

It's a fill-in-the-gaps activity.

Tangshan is a major steel-producing city in Northeast _____, where the steel industry plays a key role in shaping the economy, _____, and landscape.

Unlike Sheffield, which has become a post-industrial city, Tangshan continues to grow through _____ trade and globalisation.

The city has large steelworks, modern housing, and faces environmental challenges like air _____.

Steel influences daily life in Tangshan, showing how industry can still _____ cities today.

So, you've got five gaps to fill in there.

So, have another read through that paragraph, pause the video, write down your answer to fill in each of those gaps, and then come back, and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? Let's have a look at the answer now, then.

So, Tangshan is a major steel-producing city in Northeast China, where the steel industry still plays a key role in shaping the economy, jobs, and landscape.

Unlike Sheffield, which has become a post-industrial city, Tangshan continues to grow through global trade and globalisation.

The city has large steelworks, modern housing, and faces environmental challenges like air pollution.

Steel influences daily life in Tangshan, showing how industry can still shape cities today.

How did you get on? Did you manage to fill all those five gaps? Well done.

So, we're at the end of our lesson today on steel cities, Tangshan and Sheffield.

Let's have a little look at what we've learned.

The changing global economy can lead to radical changes in cities.

Sheffield was once a global centre of steel but is now transformed into a post-industrial economy.

Tangshan is a major steelmaking city in Northeast China.

Air quality is often poor in Tangshan, and so the government is trying to reduce air pollution from heavy industry.

Industrial activities shape the lives of people who live there, the environment, and the identity of a city.

Thank you for joining me for today's geography lesson.

I've really enjoyed it, and I hope you have too.

I look forward to seeing you next time.