A millennia-old cave, a discovery site for human evolution, is reimagined as a layered public park — an organic blend of leisure, learning and local geology.
Tangshan Cave Park sits within Nanjing Tangshan Geopark – a living landscape shaped by geology, time and one of the world’s most important archaeological discoveries.
Here, the story of Nanjing Man, the Homo erectus subspecies discovered in the Tangshan hills, moves beyond the museum walls and into the mountain itself, through an immersive parkland experience.Working with the contours and character of the Tangshan landscape, our design extends the language of the surrounding hills into the Cave Park. The ground folds into terraces, paths and carved spaces that echo layered rock formations – creating plazas, cascading falls, an ecological lake, a bamboo forest and vine-covered steps. Each space invites visitors to explore the site’s geological evolution and cultural significance.
The Cave Park builds on the site’s Fangshan Tangshan National Geopark Museum, extending the experience into the wider landscape and mountain, and weaving archaeological landmarks, learning spaces and everyday leisure into a single connected place. Local materials – stone, bamboo, timber, rammed earth and water – ground the project in its setting and reflect Tangshan’s natural resources and history.
Sustainability is embedded in the folding landscape approach, which minimises earthworks, preserves existing vegetation and weaves new planting into the mountain ecology. The result is a resilient public landscape that balances environmental protection, cultural education and visitor enjoyment – and strengthens the long-term sustainable development of the Geopark.
