Kailuan National Mine Park

Kailuan National Mine Park

Kailuan National Mine Park is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a science education base.

The Kailuan Coal Mine, founded in 1878, is considered a living fossil of China’s coal industry. Over its three-century history, it has left behind many typical and rare historical, cultural, and mining legacies. The mine’s development helped establish the cities of Tangshan and Qinhuangdao. “China’s No. 1 Best Mine,” “China’s first standard-gauge railway,” “China’s first steam locomotive,” “China’s earliest road-rail overpass,” and “China’s earliest joint-stock system” all originated here. Historical figures such as Li Hongzhang, a representative of the Self-Strengthening Movement; Tang Tingshu, known as the father of modern Chinese coal mining; Zhou Xuexi, an industrial magnate from northern China; Li Dazhao, one of the founders of the Chinese Communist Party; and national hero Jie Zhenguo have all left important historical traces here. Kailuan pioneered China’s earliest mechanized mining and railway transportation industries, introducing advanced Western industrial civilization and production technology. It served as the starting point of early industrialization in China, the cradle of modern industrial civilization, and a microcosm of the transition from an agricultural to an industrial society. In August 2005, the construction project of Kailuan National Mine Park was approved by the Ministry of Land and Resources, and construction began in October 2007.

Kailuan National Mine Park covers a planned area of nearly 1.15 million square meters. It consists of two major scenic areas: the “Modern Industrial Expo Park of Northern China” located in Zone A of the Tangshan Mine (China’s No. 1 Best Mine), and the “Old Tangshan Folk Custom Town” situated in the central Da Nanhu Ecological Park. The two sites are about 2.5 kilometers apart and connected by a mining-owned railway, forming a complete “dumbbell-shaped” tourist area.

The construction of Kailuan National Mine Park will be completed in three phases. The first phase, the “Modern Industrial Expo Park of Northern China,” is divided into the “Mining Culture Exhibition Area” and the “Mining Heritage Display Area,” featuring attractions such as the museum, the main monument, the auxiliary monument, and three major industrial heritage sites. The second and third phases of the project are currently under preparation. In 2011, Kailuan National Mine Park was rated as a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

On July 27, 2011, visitors at the Kailuan Museum viewed the exhibited stocks of the Kaiping Mining Bureau. Established in 1878, the Kailuan Coal Mine is the origin of China’s modern coal industry. The park mainly consists of century-old mining relics of Kailuan and is divided into the “Modern Industrial Expo Park of China” and the “Ecological Leisure and Entertainment Park.” Construction began in 2007, and the first-phase projects, including the Kailuan Museum, have been completed and opened to the public.

In January 2011, the National Tourism Administration officially issued a document approving Kailuan National Mine Park as a “National AAAA-Level Tourist Attraction.” This makes it the second site within Tangshan’s urban area to receive this honor, following the Da Nanhu Ecological Park. It offers residents of Tangshan and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei metropolitan region a new culturally rich and fashion-forward destination for holiday leisure. This will undoubtedly greatly enhance the brand influence and cultural soft power of Kailuan.

Address: No. 54, Xinhua East Road, Lunan District, Tangshan City (near Kailuan Tangshan Mining Branch)

Type: Theme Park Museum

Rating: AAAA

Recommended Visit Duration: 2–3 hours

Phone: 0315-3024885

Opening Hours:

Tuesday–Sunday 8:00–17:00 (Closed on Mondays)

Ticket Information:

Kailuan Museum: 30 RMB; Underground Adventure Tour: 80 RMB; Combined Ticket (Museum + Underground Tour): 100 RMB