Tangshan Travel Guide: The Earthquake Memorial, Nanhu Park and the Eastern Qing Tombs
Most people come to Tangshan for one morning: the Earthquake Ruins Memorial Park, where about 240,000 names of the dead of 28 July 1976 are carved into a wall of black stone. Both the park and its museum's memorial exhibition were free and needed no booking in 2026. Afterwards, walk it off in Nanhu, a huge free park built on subsided coal-mine land next door. If you have a second day, drive north to the Eastern Qing Tombs in Zunhua, the largest Qing imperial cemetery. The Beijing–Tangshan intercity line now runs from Beijing Tongzhou in as little as 55 minutes.
Getting in and where to stay
Tangshan station is the main stop for trains from Beijing, Tianjin and the Qinhuangdao coast. The Beijing–Tangshan intercity line, open since December 2022, starts at Beijing Tongzhou station in the Beijing sub-centre; the fastest scheduled trains take 55 minutes. Taxis and city buses connect the station with the memorial park and Nanhu; buses You 1, 44, 47 and 64 stop at Dizhen Yizhi Gongyuan by the park gate.
Stay in Lunan District near Nanhu. The memorial park and the lakes are next to each other, and you can walk between them.
Places worth visiting
The memorial wall
At 03:42 on 28 July 1976 a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck directly under the city. About 85 percent of its buildings fell or became unusable, and the official toll was 242,469 dead; historians accept that the true figure was higher. The Earthquake Memorial Park opened in 2008 on the ruins of the casting shop of the Tangshan locomotive works. Its wall runs almost 300 m in 13 panels, each 7.28 m high, for the date. Relatives still come to find names, especially around the July anniversary. Keep your voice down near the wall, and photograph it from a distance when families are searching.
The grounds reopened on 1 July 2026 after several months of works and are open 07:00–19:00.
The museum and the clock
West of the wall, the China Tangshan Earthquake Museum covers the quake, the rescue and the rebuilding in an underground memorial exhibition. That hall reopened on 26 July 2026 and is open Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30 in summer), free with no booking. A separate science section had no reopening date in the notice. Do not confuse the park with the older Anti-Earthquake Memorial Hall at 102 Xinhua East Road in the centre. That 1986 hall is a shorter visit about the rescue and reconstruction, free with ID and closed on Mondays.
The factory ruins and memorial pool
The twisted steel and concrete of the old works are a protected relic. South of the wall, a 30,000 m² memorial pool is set 19.76 m from it, again for the year. Allow two to three hours for the wall, ruins and museum together.
Nanhu
Nanhu, south of the centre, was waste ground where Kailuan coal mining had made the land sink and groundwater rise; the earthquake made the subsidence worse. Greening began in 1996, the park opened in 2009, and it hosted the 2016 International Horticultural Exposition for the quake's 40th anniversary. It has been free since April 2018 and became a national 5A scenic area in 2024. Lakes with names such as Peach Blossom Pool and Swan Lake run either side of the Tianjin–Shanhaiguan railway. Walk part of the shoreline for an hour or two after the memorial.
Eastern Qing Tombs in Zunhua
The largest Qing imperial burial ground, about 125 km east of Beijing in the north of the prefecture, holds five emperors, among them Shunzhi, Kangxi and Qianlong. It also holds Cixi, whose hall is covered in gilded dragons. Qianlong's vault at Yuling is carved throughout with Buddhist figures and scripture; warlord troops blew it open in 1928. The site reopened on 14 August 2026 with online booking, 08:30–17:30 (shorter in winter). Most people hire a car; Zunhua's bus station has a limited tourist bus. It needs a full day.
When to come
Spring and autumn are best for walking the memorial and Nanhu. Summers are hot, and the late-July anniversary brings crowds of mourners, which some visitors will want to avoid. Winters are cold, dry and grey.
Eating in Tangshan
Tangshan was built on coal and the Kaiping mines of 1878, and its food is plain northern cooking: noodles, dumplings and stews. Seafood comes in from the coast at Caofeidian and Leting. Eat a quiet dinner after the memorial. The city is also the birthplace of pingju opera, and its ceramics industry has earned it the name "porcelain capital of the north".
How to arrange the route
- Day 1: morning train from Beijing Tongzhou, memorial park (not on a Monday if you want the museum), then Nanhu in the afternoon.
- Day 2: Eastern Qing Tombs by hired car, back to Tangshan or on to Beijing.
- Day 3: continue to Qinhuangdao for the sea and Shanhaiguan, or north to Chengde.
What to cut if short on time
A day trip from Beijing covers the memorial park and a walk in Nanhu. Cut the city-centre memorial hall first; keep the Qing Tombs for a separate day, ideally with a car.
Things to confirm before you go
- Memorial park and museum hours, which changed during the 2026 works.
- Whether the museum's science section has reopened.
- Eastern Qing Tombs booking, ticket prices and winter hours on the "清东陵保护区" WeChat account.
- Train times from Beijing Tongzhou.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Tangshan Earthquake Memorial Park free?
Yes. In 2026 the grounds and the museum's memorial exhibition were free with no booking.
Can I visit Tangshan as a day trip from Beijing?
Yes. The intercity train from Beijing Tongzhou takes about an hour, which leaves time for the memorial and Nanhu.
How far are the Eastern Qing Tombs from Tangshan city?
They are in Zunhua, in the north of the prefecture, and are best reached by car. Allow a full day.
Sources
The facts in this article were checked against the following sources, retrieved September 16, 2026, and rechecked on October 21, 2026.
- Tangshan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangshan
- 1976 Tangshan earthquake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Tangshan_earthquake
- 唐山市 (Chinese Wikipedia) https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/唐山市
- 唐山南湖 (Chinese Wikipedia) https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/南湖_(唐山)
- Memorial park trial reopening, July 2026 https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20260630A0A9WM00
- Memorial hall reopening, July 2026 https://xinwen.bjd.com.cn/content/s6a65c2d5e4b03fa51a8213a6.html
- Eastern Qing Tombs reopening, August 2026 https://xinwen.bjd.com.cn/content/s6a7d79e7d5de97bd7486f2dc.html
- Beijing Tongzhou station opening, 55 minutes to Tangshan (Beijing News) https://www.bjnews.com.cn/detail/1767059135129433.html
Hours changed several times in 2026; check the official notice before you go.
All photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under CC licenses; re-use requires attribution.
- tangshan-1.jpg from File:Tangshan Earthquake Memorial Park.jpg, by E2568, CC0
- tangshan-2.jpg from File:Tangshan Earthquake Memorial Park 2.jpg, by E2568, CC0
- tangshan-3.jpg from File:Tangshan Earthquake Memorial Park 1.jpg, by E2568, CC0