HOHHOT - Demolition began on a major blast furnace in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Wednesday, ending more than half a century of service.

At around 11 am, more than 200 workers started demolishing the No 2 Blast Furnace of Baogang Group. The demolition is expected to last over two months.

The furnace body, pipelines and other related parts are estimated to weigh over 10,000 tonnes, according to technical personnel of the group.

With an annual production capacity of 1.33 million tonnes of iron, the 1,800-cubic-meter furnace built in 1959 is the largest to be demolished since China initiated supply-side reform to tackle industrial overcapacity last year.

Because of the demolition, more than 2,400 workers will be transferred to other posts or retire, according to the group.