The South Lake in Tangshan
4 min readPeople who have visited the South Lake in Tangshan are deeply impressed by the magnificent and beautiful scene. There are the biggest internal lakes in the north,a mirage-like small island at the center of the lake, fragrant and charming lotuses, reed marshes with wild ducks hidden inside,a lakeside sightseeing road full of willows, the Fenghuang Platform for overlooking, the Yulan Bridge, wooden trestles, pavilions, restaurants and tea houses, yachts, bicycles and battery driven vehicles. However, many people do not know that the biggest urban park of China used to be the earliest and biggest depression area at the Kailuan Coal Mine.
It was the subsidence of the mined-out area and the water coming out during the process that made the huge and deep lake. The Kailuan Coal Mine once dumped a lot of coal gangues around the lake. As time passed,a pattern with a deep lake surrounded by piles of gangue was formed. The Tang shan people called it”the bottom of a pan'”. For a period after the earthquake in 1976, it was used for storing urban refuse and discharging urban sewage. It can be imaginable how it looked like before being treated.
To some extent, the early industrial development focusing on resources development damaged the natural environment and left some abandoned industrial relics. Fortunately, the Tangshan people have become aware of using and transforming industrial relics. In Tangshan, it is a unique tradition to build parks and recreational venues by using industrial relics. By making use of discarded things, Tangshan is a pioneer in transforming the focus of urban construction from resource development tc environment protection. For example, the earliest people’s park(now Dazhao Park) of Tangshan wasonce a cemetery for dead miners; the labor park(now Fenghuang Mountain Park) used to be a stone pit of Kailuan Coal Mine; the Wandao Mountain Park used to be an argil pit of a pottery and porcelain factory; the Dacheng Mountain Park was once a stone pit of Qixin Cement Plant. Of these parks, themost significant one is the Dacheng Mountain Park, since the Dacheng Mountain is compared to the”mother”of the Tangshan people. It was inhabited more than 4,000 years ago.
In the 1950s, the archaeological excavation caused a sensation throughout the country. People found cultural relics from the late Neolithic Age as well as ruins and relics from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the Warring States and the Han Dynasty. At the end of the 19th century, the Qixin Cement Company found high-quality raw materials for making cement and founded a quarry here, which serviced for more than half a century. Later,a small cement plant was established and operated until the 1970s. The mountain with a long history and value was greatly damaged, with its western, eastern and northeastern feet occupied by stone pits. In the post-earthquake reconstruction at the end of 1970s, all mining and exploitation activities were called off and Dacheng Mountain was made into an urban park.
The park now covers an area of 1.18 million square meters, with a 125-meter main peak. The peaks are high and steep, with verdant gullies. There are a variety of cultural, historical and natural landscapes, including the relics from Longshan Culture, the Xingguo Temple, the Pavilion of General Jiang and the Monument of Anti-Japanese Movement of East Hebei. There is also a wild animal park covering 30 hectares,a wild botanical garden covering 23.36 hectares and a bird park covering 14,800 square meters, where birds are caged and put into natural conditions to breed. In addition, the International Karting Center,a motorcycle venue and amusement park are located here.
The Fenghuang Mountain Park was built on the Fenghuang Mountain. The Fenghuang Mountain is like an emerald jewel standing in the center of the city. The Fenghuang Pavilion on the top of the mountain lightens the sky over the city at night with its lights. Similar to Dacheng Mountain, the Fenghuang Mountain was damaged before it was built into a park. At the early construction stage of the Kailuan Coal Mine,a great quantity of building stones was exploited here so that the eastern, southern and northern sides of the mountain were made into abrupt cliffs. After the founding of the new China, th mountain was made into a park with protective walls, stairs,a deer park,a monkey park,a bird park, an aquarium and a swimming pool. Some of the foundational construction of the park, such as the trees and flower planting, were finished by citizens and students as volunteers so that the park was first called”abor park”.
After the earthquake, the Fenghuang Mountain Park was rebuilt into a venue for recreation and fitness rather than animal watching and breeding.In the 21st century，the Fenghuang Mountain Park underwent another reform.The walls were removed and the gate of the park was rebuilt into a square.In this way，the park was opened and connected with the urban landscapes and resources，such as urban streets，residential zones，museums，libraries and hospitals.It is no longer a traditional “park”，but a landscape integrated with the city to provide multiple choices and wide space.The new Fenghuang Mountain Park is a place for citizens to enjoy their leisure time and keep health and also a beautiful scene of the city.
