The Tangshan mine disaster in 1920 was the most serious coal mine gas explosion in modern China. It not only caused heavy casualties and property losses, but also triggered a strong response from the public. As an influential public safety incident, the occurrence and resolution of the accident was not purely technical problems; it was closely related to the management system of the mining bureau, the government's attitude towards mining labor and the supervision of public opinion. The research can reveal the difficult position of modern north China miners, and provide a new perpective for the study of modern workers' movement.