Re-enactment of a royal ritual from the Qing Dynasty.

For decades the name Tangshan rekindled painful memories of a severe earthquake that devastated the city in 1976.

Yet Tangshan has risen like a phoenix from the ruins as a new tourist destination attracting visitors with its well-preserved cultural sites and nature.

In the south of the 13,472 sq km city are a cluster of islands covered in forest with soft sandy beaches and diverse bird species.

Stretches of the ancient Great Wall meander through its northern mountains, still standing after centuries and the 1976 disaster.

The short distance that separates Beijing and the coastal city of 7.19 million people is expected to provide a boon to tourism during the Olympics.

Imperial tombs

An hour-and-a-half's drive east of Beijing visitors come to the largest royal tomb complex in China - Qingdongling, the eastern imperial tombs of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Surrounded by mountains, construction on the tombs started in 1661.

Covering 78 sq km, 15 impressive tombs hold the remains of 161 royal family members, including five emperors, 15 empresses, 136 imperial concubines, three princes and two princesses.

Emperors entombed at Qingdongling include Shunzhi, the first Manchu emperor to rule all of China, Kangxi, considered one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history who began an age of prosperity, and Qianlong, during whose reign the dynasty reached its golden age.

Among the empresses entombed at the complex is Xiaozhuangwen, who assisted her son and grandson - Emperors Shunzhi and Kangxi - in ruling China.

Empress Cixi, who controlled state affairs from behind a screen and influenced China for nearly half a century as an actual ruler, is also buried at the site.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization listed the tombs as world cultural heritage in 2000.

Great Wall

Tangshan has a 220 km length of the Great Wall that contains the fort at Qingshanguan Pass built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

The stretch includes a gate under water, a fortification with 72 rooms and towers that each hold their own legends.

The pass was listed as a provincial-level protected historical site in 1956.

An ancient town near the pass was built for the army then stationed there and their families and shares the same name as the pass.

The military center and primitive town are now a must-see attraction for tourists.

Summer resorts

Tangshan also has a string of pleasant islands that offer a refuge from the hot summer.

Among them, Yuetuo - or Moon Island - is shaped like a crescent moon. An ancient Chinese legend says a fairy woman lives on the half-square-km island where the scent of fresh flowers and wild fruit is in the air. It is home to hundreds of bird species.

Not far from Yuetuo Island is Qianshuiwan Beach, a State-level AA scenic spot on Dawanggang Island.

The fine sands of its 1,000-m beach can accommodate tens of thousands of nature lovers.

Since a Hong Kong firm invested in developing the beach, local tourism facilities have been significantly improved. More than 30 holiday sites, a public square, shopping streets and other services are operational on the island.

Activities such as water slides, recreational boats, soccer and volleyball have added to the holiday attraction of the beach.

Other islands in Tangshan also offer relaxing holidays.