Hetou Old Street 河头老街

About Hetou Old Street

That location connects it to Tangshan's coal-transport history, while today's experience centres on waterside shops, illuminated buildings and performance squares. Hetou Culture Square and the acrobatics area give useful anchors among the many themed spaces. The evening programme and ticket arrangements change, so choose your visit around the operator's current schedule rather than an old list of shows.

Hetou Old Street was originally called Grand Canal Chinatown (运河唐人街). In 1881 the Qing government dug a 35-kilometer canal, the Coal Canal (煤河), from Xugezhuang (胥各庄) toward Yanzhuang (阎庄) in Tangshan to move coal from the Kaiping mines; it stopped short at Xugezhuang because of the terrain, giving the area its name Hetou (河头), or 'canal head'. After the Tangxu railway (唐胥铁路) reached Tianjin in 1888, the canal's coal traffic declined. In 1959 a new canal was dug nearby to handle growing Tianjin-Tangshan freight, but construction stopped at Xugezhuang due to underground quicksand and was shelved.

In 2011 Fengnan district opened the Grand Canal Chinatown scenic area on the site, and in 2022 the Tangshan Fengnan Culture and Tourism Development Company (唐山市丰南文化旅游发展有限公司) invested 500 million yuan (5亿元) redeveloping it as Hetou Old Street. Since 2023 it has been rated a national-level tourism leisure district (国家级旅游休闲街区) and a national-level night-time culture and tourism consumption cluster (国家级夜间文化和旅游消费集聚区).

Hetou Old Street runs along both banks of the canal and combines dining, sightseeing, shopping, entertainment, sports, exhibitions and performances. Its shops line the street in a traditional architectural style and are lit up at night, while several themed cultural squares host performances such as acrobatics, traditional opera and bonfires at different times.

What to look for

• The canal-side streets and illuminated waterside setting.
• Hetou Culture Square and the dedicated acrobatics performance area.

The surrounding area

An eastern provincial city with its own regional snacks and contemporary food-and-leisure districts.

Location & getting there

Getting to Hetou Old Street

Use 河头老街 in Fengnan District, Tangshan, on the two banks of the Tangjin Canal.

• Wikipedia identifies Hetou Old Street as a local bus stop beside the entrance; check current services and the day's visitor entry arrangements.