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Tangshan is located in the central section of the Bohai Economic Rim, facing the Bohai Sea to the south. Lying on the North China Plain, Tangshan is adjacent to the Yan Mountains to the north, borders the Luan River and Qinhuangdao to the east, and to the west and southwest borders Tianjin.
On the eastern coast of Hebei, Tangshan is a city that rose from the ruins of a devastating earthquake, showcasing resilience, modern development, and a testament to the indomitable spirit of its people.
- Overview
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- The contemporary city
Tangshan, industrial city, eastern Hebei sheng (province), northeastern China. It is situated in the northeastern portion of the North China Plain, about 30 miles (48 km) north of the Bo Hai (Gulf of Chihli) and 65 miles (105 km) northeast of central Tianjin metropolis. Pop. (2002 est.) city, 1,498,175; (2007 est.) urban agglom., 1,879,000.
Originally, Tangshan was a small hamlet dependent upon nearby Kaiping and located in an area where many small coal pits had been worked since the 16th century. In 1876 a Cantonese promoter of Western-style industrialization proposed to the governor-general of what was then the province of Zhili that a coal industry be established there. The first shaft of the mine at Kaiping (Tangshan) was begun in 1879. The coal was taken by horse tramway to Xugezhuang (now Fengnan), 7 miles (11 km) away, whence it was carried by canal to Ninghe (Lutai) on the Jiyun River and thence shipped to a depot near Tianjin.
In 1882, despite official opposition to railway development, the tramway was turned into China’s first proper railway. The railway was extended to Ninghe in 1887 and then in 1888 to Tanggu, the outport of Tianjin. New collieries were opened at Linxi, 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Tangshan, and these too were linked by rail to Tianjin. The Kaiping Mining Company then established its own shipping line, supplying coal to the northern ports, to the Chinese northern naval fleet, and to Shanghai. In 1891–94 Tianjin was connected by rail with Shanhaiguan, on the coast to the northeast of Tangshan; the company also developed its own port facilities after 1899, with a railway link to the ice-free harbour of Qinhuangdao. The Boxer Rebellion of 1900, which led to the occupation of Tangshan by Russian troops, while Qinhuangdao was occupied by an allied force, brought suspension of work on the port and rail link. The company, already in financial difficulties, then fell under British control. Production was resumed, and the new port and rail link were completed; by 1903 virtually all coal was exported via Qinhuangdao.
Since 1949 Tangshan has grown from being largely a coal producer to being a diversified industrial city and the economic leader of Hebei. Tangshan manufactures many of the steel products made in the province; mechanized coal mining has dramatically raised annual output; and the region’s thermal-power-generating plant is one of the largest of its kind in China. In addition to producing cement, Tangshan is known for its salt, ceramic, chemical, machinery, and textile industries. In addition to rail lines, the city has been linked by expressways with Beijing, Tianjin, and Shenyang and with Jingtang, a new seaport southeast of Tangshan on the Bo Hai that is under the city’s administration.
On July 28, 1976, the city was devastated by a giant earthquake. Strong aftershocks continued for days. The quake leveled almost every building and flooded the mines. Some 242,000 people were officially reported as having been killed, though the death toll may have been higher. Several other earthquakes struck the city during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and all new buildings were designed to be highly earthquake-resistant. Huge new apartment complexes housed 80,000 families by the end of 1980, and factories were rebuilt downwind to minimize air pollution. Land along the fault lines was made into parks. Although many industries resumed operation within a year or two, it was not until the 1980s that total production regained its pre-1976 levels.
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- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Time Zone: UTC + 8 hours Time Zone Code: CST Distances. Tangshan → Shanghai : 979 km: Tangshan → Beijing
Tangshan is a locality in Tangshan, Hebei and has about 3,370,000 residents. Mapcarta, the open map.
This place is situated in Tangshan Shi, Hebei, China, its geographical coordinates are 39° 38' 0" North, 118° 11' 0" East and its original name (with diacritics) is Tangshan. See Tangshan photos and images from satellite below, explore the aerial photographs of Tangshan in China.
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This place is situated in Jiangning, Jiangsu, China, its geographical coordinates are 32° 3' 27" North, 119° 3' 27" East and its original name (with diacritics) is Tangshan. See Tangshan photos and images from satellite below, explore the aerial photographs of Tangshan in China.
