Tours and holidays with added interest
Tianjin
- Name in Chinese characters: 天津
- Name in Pinyin: Tiānjīn
- Status: Municipality
-
Location within China
General Overview
Tianjin is Beijing's port even though it lies on the coast some 120 kilometres away. The two are connected by a high speed train service which takes only 30 minutes, amazing that crossing Beijing itself takes much longer than that. Actually, Tianjin itself lies inland, on the Hai He River - part of the Grand Canal waterway; but the municipality now incorporates new areas stretching all the way to the sea including Binhai and TEDA.
As a convenient gateway to Beijing for any foreign powers approaching by sea Tianjin has played an important role in much of China's modern history. The Eight Nation Alliance came this way during the Second Opium War as did the Japanese in 1937.
In settlement of the Second Opium War, Tianjin was opened to foreign trade and concessions awarded to each of the allies. Such moves were only accepted by the failing Qing Dynasty as a matter of expediency - but the local population strongly resented the insult leading to the incident mentioned below and, 30 years later, giving much fuel to the Boxer Rebellion movement which even took control in Tianjin for a while, placing the concessions under siege.
Zhou Enlai studied in Tianjin and was one of the early Communists activists there. They finally took over control of Tianjin in the early part of 1949 after a lengthy battle.
Attractions For Visitors
Much of Tianjin is anything but attractive. The focus has been almost exclusively on economic development although, thankfully, key historic sites have at least been left alone.
The Five Roads area in Heping District is named after the east-west avenues that once belonged to the British Concession and still contains a high density of European style mansions and villas. Anyone interested in architecture will find these fascinating.
Wanghailou Church was called 'Our Lady of Victory Church' during the concession era; a name that obviously had to go. The church was the first Catholic church in the area and the locals did not understand the activities of the nuns. When children were taken into the orphanage vicious rumours began to circulate about dark practices within. A dispute between the French consul and the local magistrate resulted in a riot in which the consul and many other foreigners were killed and the Consulate and this church were set on fire. The church was burned again by the Boxers. The church that you see now is the repaired version from 1904.
One unusual site is China House which is just that - a house 'made' of China. Well - not so much made of China as totally covered with broken bits of ceramic. Apparently there are some 400 million pieces acquired at a cost of 65 million dollars. You need not ask why; this is eccentricty at its very best.
Perhaps one feature of the development that offers some form of redemption is the series of bridges that now cross the Hai He River. These are all quite distinctive and show a level of artistic creativity only matched by the local hotel architects, and they have a much more commercial reason for standing out in the crowd.
-
-
Please rate this place.
Would you want to visit?
Please rate our write-up.
Was this interesting?
-
Get Recommendations
- Now showing:
- Our Best-sellers
- The Meridian Line
We head from the seat of power in the north, Beijing, to the very different south. We see a mix of urban and rural life giving us a glimpse at the changes that are taking place in this fascinating country.From £ 1,950 - Yunnan And Yangtse
This journey combines the excitement of discovery in remote Yunnan with a comfortable Yangtse Cruise and a comprehensive look at the most popular sites.From £ 3,290 - Red Star Express
This quick journey is for those who have only one week and want to see the highlights. We visit the three most popular cities: Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai.From £ 1,250 - Ancient Capitals
We use the 6 ancient capitals as an excuse to explore the country. Each capital has developed differently and the contrasts help us to understand something of the real China.From £ 1,925
- Browse our complete range of tours
24/7 Sales Support:
UK +44 (0)844 567 0953
USA +1-877-526-3979
Top Routes in
Tianjin
- No relevant items. Please check the general list from the link below.
More
key routes
© Copyright China Journeys Limited
Registered in England and Wales No. 07014791
Registered Office: 2nd Floor, Newby House, 309 Chase Road, London, N14 6JS
24/7 Sales support telephone: +44 (0)844 567 0953
Your Financial Protection
The air holiday packages and flights shown are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 10236. Please see our booking conditions for more information.
ATOL Protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services on this website. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking.
Current Comments
2 comments so far (post your own)Hi Dunfor
We think you would enjoy our Brave New China package. This includes Tianjin and also many other destinations with interesting contemporary architecture.
Posted by China Journeys on Fri 10 Feb, 2012
Architecture has formed part of my studies and I wish to broaden my knowledge whilst in China. Do you have a Journey visiting Tianjin ?
Posted by Dunfor on Fri 10 Feb, 2012