概况：唐山抗震纪念碑建在市中心新华道以南（建设路和文化路之间）纪念碑广场内。广场东西长 320米，南北宽 170米，占地 5.44公顷。广场东部是抗震纪念碑； 西部是抗震纪念馆。两个主要建筑坐落在东西向同一个轴线上，纪念碑和纪念馆之间设有一座大型水池，并通过红色地砖铺砌的地面使两座建筑相连。
纪念碑由主碑和副碑组成。主碑碑座高 3米，碑身高 30米，由 4根相互独立的梯形变截面钢筋混凝土碑柱组成，主体上端造型有四个收缩口，犹如伸向天际的巨手，象征人定胜天。碑身四周高 1.5米处，为 8 幅花岗岩浮雕，象征着全国四面八方的支援。浮雕记述了地震灾害和唐山人民在全国支援下抗震救灾、重建家园的英雄业绩。在碑身高 8.5米处镶有一块长 3.86米、宽 1.6米的不锈钢匾额，上刻原中共中央总书记胡耀邦题写的“唐山抗震纪念碑”七个大字。
副碑位于主碑北侧 33.5米处，碑宽 9.5米，高 2.96米，用花岗岩石块以废墟形式砌成，表现唐山地震的历史事件。碑身长 4.3米，高 1.6米，正面为磨光青花岗石镶嵌，上面镌刻碑文，记载地震时间、灾害以及抢险救灾，建设新唐山等内容，由中国书协常务理事夏湘平书写。背面为磨光青花岗岩镶嵌，上镌刻英文碑文。
主碑和副碑建在一个大型台基座上，台基四面有四组台阶，踏步均为4段，每段 7步，共 28步，象征“七·二八”这一难忘的时刻。
碑文：唐山乃冀东一工业重镇，不幸于一九七六年七月二十八日凌晨三时四十二分发生强烈地震。震中东经一百一十八度十一分，北纬三十九度三十八分，震级七点八级，震中烈度十一度，震源深度十一公里。是时，人正酣睡万籁俱寂。突然，地光闪射，地声轰鸣，房倒屋塌，地裂山崩，数秒之内，百年城市建设夷为虚土，二十四万城乡居民殁于瓦砾，十六万多人顿成伤残，七千多家庭断门决烟。此难使京津披创，全国震惊，盖有史以来为害最烈者。然唐山不失为华夏之灵土，民众无愧于幽燕之英杰，随遭此灭顶之灾，终未渝回天之志。主震方止，余震频仍，幸存者即奋挣扎之力，移伤残之躯，匍匐互救，以沫相濡，谱成一章风雨同舟、生死与共、先人后己、公而忘私之共产主义壮曲悲歌。 地震之后，党中央、国务院急电全国火速救援。十余万解放军星夜驰奔，首抵市区，舍死忘生，排险救人，清虚建房，功高盖世。五万名医护人员及干部民工运送物资，解民倒悬，救死扶伤，恩重如山。四面八方捐物赠款，数十万吨物资运达灾区，唐山人民安然度过缺粮断水之绝境。与此同时，中央慰问团亲临视察，省市党政领导现场指挥，诸如外转伤员、清尸防疫、通水供电、发放救济等迅即展开，步步奏捷。震后十天，铁路通车；未及一月，学校相继开学，工厂先后复产，商店次第开业；冬前，百余万间简易住房起于废墟，所有灾民无一冻馁；灾后，疾病减少，瘟疫未萌，堪称救灾史上之奇迹。 自一九七九年，唐山重建全面展开。国家拨款五十多亿元，集设计施工队伍达十余万人，中央领导也多次亲临指导。经七年奋战，市区建成一千二百万平方米居民住宅，六百万平方米厂房及公用设施。震后新城，高楼林立，通衢如织，翠荫夹道，春光融融。广大农村也瓦舍清新，五谷丰登，山海辟利，百业俱兴。今日唐山，如劫后再生之凤凰，奋翅于冀东之沃野。 抚今追昔，攸忽十年。此间一砖一石一草一木都宣示着如斯真理：中国共产党英明伟大，社会主义制度无比优越，人民解放军忠贞可靠，自主命运之人民不可折服。爰立此碑，以告慰震亡亲人，旌表献身英烈，鼓舞当代人民，教育后世子孙。特制此文，镌以永志。
唐山市人民政府
一九八六年七月
Tangshan is indeed that earthquake happened in one industry place of strategic importance , misfortune in east Hebei on 03:42 in the small hours of July 28 , 1976. Epicenter 118 degrees 11 minutes east longitude, 38 mark of latitude 39 degrees N , earthquake magnitude grade-7.8 , 11 degree of epicentral intensity , centre are deep 11 kilometres. That time , person are fast asleep , all sounds utensil is quiet. Earthquake light lightning shoots a house on , field sound rolling , the house pour abruptly, to collapse, the field cracks landslide. The city construction foreign country is country fair soil within several seconds, for a century, 240,000 urban and rural residents Yus rubble, more than 160,000 people becomes disability. More than 7,000 family cut off door-exhausted cigarette. This Tianjin difficult to use Beijing drapes a wound , the whole nation shakes, cover is to do harm to the most upright person since the beginning of history.
Tangshan can yet be regarded as but China Xia Zhi Ling soil , the public feels no shame to outstanding figures of swallow deep and quiet , meets with this disaster , aspiration of not having changed to save a desperate situation eventually. The host earthquake stops method , the aftershock is frequent, the survivor is that force of struggling with force and spirit , the body of changing disability, crawl saving mutually , help each other in straits with feeble strength , fair amount of confidence Cheng Yi Zhang communism of helping each other in distress , going through thick and thin together , putting other people before oneself , forgotting selfishness in the interest of the public strengthens the bend elegy.
After the earthquake, the Central Committee of the Party , State Council urgent telegram whole nation rescue at top speed. More than 100,000 Chinese People's Liberation Army gallops in starry night to run , the arrive at downtown area , disregard one's own safety , almost rescue people row , clear country fair makes house great contribution, highly matchless. 50,000 famous doctors protect the personnel and the cadre civilian worker shipping goods and materials , relieve the people's distress , heal the wounded and rescue the dying, a great debt of gratitude. All directions donates thing contribution , several hundreds of thousand tons of goods and materials Yun Da disaster area , Tangshan the people Enron spend Serbonian bog of lacking for grain lacking for water. Meanwhile, central authority group sent to convey greetings and appreciation faces inspection in person , the province city party and government leads a scene to command , such as, the outside rotates a wounded personnel , eliminates corpse epidemic prevention , exchanges water prompt development such as supplying electricity , giving out to relieve , proves effective at every step. The earthquake queen ten day , the railroad are open to traffic; Have not reached January, school consecutively, the factory successively restores a product , shop order starts business at the beginning of the term,; More than 1,000,000 simple housings get up in the winter front, in the ruin , none freezes all victims of a natural calamity; The disaster queen , the disease fall off , the pestilence has not sprouted, can be rated as the history miracle of going ahead relieving the victims of a disaster.
Since 1979, Tangshan builds all-round development. The country appropriates funds gathering the people who designs that the team who is under construction amounts to more than 100,000 more than 5,000,000,000 yuan, leading comrades of the central authorities comes personally to give guidance also many times. As a result of fighting bravely for 7 years, downtown area establishes 12 million square metres resident dwelling house, 6 million square metres workshop building and public facilities. Xin Cheng town , the high building stand in great numbers , weave with ease , emerald green brings the narrow lane , spring fills the air with warmth under patronage behind the earthquake. Extensive rural area also, Washe is fresh , a bumper grain harvest , mountain Haibili , all professions all are popular. Phoenix of regenerating today if Tangshan , plundering the day afer tomorrow, with force and spirit fertile land of wing and east Hebei.
Contemplate the present and recall the past emotionally, swiftly 10. Here one brick one stone every blade of grass and every tree be declaring that like this truth: Communist Party of China is wise great, socialist system nothing here is advantageous , People's Liberation Army is loyal and steadfast reliable, the people of destiny is not allowed to bring into submission autonomously. Love relative of erecting this tablet , to let an earthquake know and feel comfort dying, Jin expresses hero and martyr of dedicating self to , inspires the present age people's education, posterity. Specially order this language , engrave with Yong aspiration.
碑文创作过程：
它并不是某一个人的作品，而是全市广大干部群众的集体创作，是六百万唐山人民的共同心声。1983年唐山地市合并后，市委市政府作出在地震10 周年时举行大型纪念活动并建立抗震纪念碑的决定，同时把碑文起草工作交给了市委办公厅。为了完成这一神圣使命，办公厅在全市进行了广泛发动和文稿征集工作，并且得到社会各界的普遍支持，很快收到了一大批稿件。这些稿件有的来自离退休老干部，有的来自大专院校的教授和讲师，有的来自工矿企业，有的来自农村街道。办公厅组织专人在对这些来稿进行综合吸纳的基础上形成一个初稿，并将其印发全市各基层单位反复征求修改意见。同时，分别召开一些有各界人士参加的座谈会，当面听取意见。最后还将初稿分别送给省委、省政府有关领导，特别是曾在抗震前线指挥过战斗的老同志，以及在全国很有名望的作家、教授，如魏巍、姚雪垠、孙犁、吴祖湘、王力、启功等，请他们从不同角度帮助斟酌指正。像以上这种征稿和修改工作在全市上下反复进行了多次，时间持续了一年以上，仅市委常委会讨论就不下五六次。
正是因为集中了全市人民的集体智慧，所以从碑文的整体构思到结构布局、从史料选材到遣词造句都有其鲜明特色。从文体上看，它没有拘泥于传统的八股模式，而是从实际需要出发采取了半文半白、碑诔相兼的体式，既照顾到有相当文化水平的知识阶层，又照顾到广大工人、农民和中小学生，真正做到了雅俗共赏。从结构布局上看，层次清楚、环环紧扣。全文共分5个段落，一是地震灾情，二是唐山人的自救互救，三是中国人民解放军和全国人民的救援，四是新唐山建设，五是历史的结论和建碑的目的。从史料选材上看做到了取舍有度、详略适当。从遣词造句上看，基本做到了史料性和文学性的有机结合，既避免了干巴巴的数字罗列，也避免了华而不实的辞藻堆砌，从而使整个文章显得既庄重、严肃，又生动、活泼，读了以后确实能够令人振奋、耐人回味，真正起到了“告慰震亡亲人，旌表献身英烈，鼓舞当代人民，教育后世子孙”的历史作用。
当然，文章可以集体创作，而书法却只能由个人完成。那么，碑文的书法者选谁更合适呢？经过中国书协的推荐和唐山市领导的研究，决定邀请中国人民解放军总政治部文化部的夏湘平同志来完成这一重任。理由很简单，因为在唐山抗震救灾这一伟大斗争中，中国人民解放军可以说是功高盖世，没有解放军就没有唐山的今天，最后这个“句号”当然应该由中国人民解放军来画，而且这也是全市600万人民的共同心愿。
