Tangshan
Tangshan (Chinese: 唐山; pinyin: Tángshān) is a coastal, industrial prefecture-level city in the northeast of Hebei province. It is located in the eastern part of Hebei Province and the northeastern part of the North China Plain. It is located in the central area of the Bohai Rim and serves as the main traffic corridor to the Northeast. The city faces the Bohai Sea in the south, the Yan Mountains in the north, Qinhuangdao across the Luan River to the east, and Tianjin to the west.
Tangshan
唐山市 | |
|---|---|
From top, left to right: Eastern Qing tombs, Tangshan Southlake Convention & Exhibition Center, Dachengshan Park, Cao Xueqin Cultural Park, Tangshan Art Museum | |
| Nickname: Phoenix City (凤凰城) | |
Location of Tangshan City jurisdiction in Hebei | |
Tangshan Location of the city centre in Hebei Tangshan Tangshan (Northern China) Tangshan Tangshan (China) | |
| Coordinates (Tangshan government): 39°37′46″N 118°10′26″E | |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Province | Hebei |
| Established | January 28, 1938 |
| Municipal seat | Lubei District |
| Government | |
| • Party Secretary | Jiao Yanlong (焦彦龙) |
| • Mayor | Ding Xiufeng (丁绣峰) |
| Area | |
| • Prefecture-level city | 13,472 km2 (5,202 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 3,874 km2 (1,496 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 3,874 km2 (1,496 sq mi) |
| Population (2020 census) | |
| • Prefecture-level city | 7,717,983 |
| • Density | 570/km2 (1,500/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 3,687,607 |
| • Urban density | 950/km2 (2,500/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 3,687,607 |
| • Metro density | 950/km2 (2,500/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard) |
| Postal code | 063000 |
| Area code | 315 |
| ISO 3166 code | CN-HE-02 |
| GDP (2018) | ¥653,010 million $96,716 million |
| GDP per capita (2018) | ¥82,971 $17,141 |
| License Plate Prefix | 冀B |
| Website | tangshan |
| Tangshan | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese | 唐山 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "Mountain of Tang" (Dacheng Hill) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Much of the city's development is thanks to the industrialization, beginning in 1870, when Kailuan Group established coal mines in the region. It's the birthplace of China's first standard-gauge railway, the first railway plant, the first steam locomotive, and the first cement factory. It was hailed as China's "cradle of industrialization". Even today, Tangshan is a hub of steel, energy, chemical, and ceramics production. Ping opera, which originated from the city's Luanzhou county, is one of the five most popular Chinese operas.
The city has also become known for the 1976 Tangshan earthquake which measured 7.8 on the Richter scale, flattened much of the city, and killed at least 255,000 residents according to official estimates. The city has since been rebuilt, has become a tourist attraction, and is among the 10 largest ports in China.
The city of Tangshan is approximately 149 km (93 mi) east by south east of Beijing and 110 km (68 mi) northwest of Tianjin. Tangshan's prefecture population was 7,717,983 at the 2020 census, with 3,687,607 in the built-up (or metro) area made of the 7 urban core districts.