Hedong Park

Hedong Park

Hedong Park is located at No. 120 Chenglin Road, Hedong District, Tianjin, directly opposite the International SOS Children's Village. Covering an area of 100,000 square meters, it is a large comprehensive park. The site was originally a power plant ash-blowing ground, which suffered from severe pollution that adversely affected nearby residents.

Hedong Park was first built in 1996 on the site where waste slag and coal ash from the former power plant had been piled up. To improve the surrounding environment, the government turned it into an ash disposal park. Yellow soil was added to the existing grayish ground for greening purposes, and amusement facilities originally located at Tianjin Railway Station—such as carousels, Ferris wheels, and model airplanes—were relocated here. The park officially opened to the public in August 1997.

The park features a large sunken fountain plaza covering 9,500 square meters, as well as areas designated for senior activities, children’s play, cultural events, a swimming pool, and covered walkways. After its completion, it became a primary venue for large-scale city celebrations. It has hosted events such as the 8th and 12th Tianjin Rose Festivals, Chrysanthemum Exhibitions, the 1999 and 2000 Spring Festival Lantern Temple Fairs, as well as annual events like the Family Culture and Art Festival, Community Culture and Art Festival, and Summer Cool Cultural Square. These events have all been highly successful. In 2001, to enhance the landscape, a “Peony Garden” was created in the park. During spring, various peonies bloom in full splendor, attracting large crowds of admirers and forming a unique scenic highlight. To enrich the park’s vegetation character, cherry blossoms were planted extensively, becoming another main attraction. They complement the Peony Garden and together create a cohesive visual experience throughout the park.

Hedong Park boasts a rich variety of vegetation, including 1,643 trees such as Chinese scholar trees, ash trees, and plane trees, as well as 4,506 flowering shrubs such as crape myrtles, lonicera, and pearl bushes. Most of these plants will be preserved. The main goal of the current renovation is to diversify the plant species, elevate the quality of landscaping, upgrade recreational and fitness facilities, comprehensively improve the surrounding environment, and develop distinctive features. A man-made lake will be constructed in the center of the park, and rainwater collected in the lake will primarily be used for park plant irrigation, highlighting the park’s identity as a water-saving ecological garden.

Transportation

Address: No. 120 Chenglin Road, Hedong District, Tianjin

Transportation: Take bus routes 28 Intercity, 827, 866, 963, or Airport Shuttle Line 5, and get off at the Junshi Jiaotong Xueyuan (Military Transportation Academy) stop.