Holiday in Tianjin

About Tianjin

Tianjin is China's best-kept secret — an 11-million-inhabitant metropolis located just 30 minutes by high-speed train from Beijing, yet completely overlooked by most travelers. The port city on the Bohai Sea offers one of the most fascinating blends of European colonial architecture and Chinese tradition in the entire country. Tianjin's historic center is an architectural open-air museum: In the 19th and early 20th centuries, nine nations maintained concessions here — Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Russia, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, and the USA. The result is a cityscape where Victorian villas stand next to French châteaux, Italian piazzas border German Art Nouveau, and Russian Orthodox churches rise beside Japanese residences. The Italian Concession (Italian Style Town) with its restored palazzo facades, piazzas, and cafés is now a popular nightlife district. However, Tianjin is not a museum city: The Ancient Culture Street around the Tianhou Temple is a vibrant market for calligraphy, clay figures, paper-cutting, and traditional crafts. The Tianjin Eye — a 120-meter-high Ferris wheel located directly on a bridge over the Haihe River — is unique in the world and offers a magical panoramic view in the evening when the waterfront promenades are illuminated. The Wudadao (Five Great Avenues) in the former British concession area is Tianjin's most atmospheric corner: Over 200 well-preserved villas and mansions from the 1920s to 1940s, lined with old trees, create a neighborhood that resembles London or Paris more than China — perfect for strolling, photographing, and realizing that Tianjin unjustly stands in the shadow of Beijing.