Tianjin Travel Guide

Tianjin, meaning Port to Heavenly Capital. Tianjin is 130 kilometers southeast of Beijing, serving as Beijing's gateway to the Bohai Sea. People started to settle in Tianjin in the Song Dynasty (960-1279A.D. By the 15th century it had become a garrison town enclosed by walls. However, Tianjin suffered a lot during the Boxing Revolution in 1900 when the walls were torn down to make sure that Tianjin could never again be used as a sanctuary. During those chaotic years, Tianjin was one of the first Chinese cities to set up a modern industry. After several decades of development, Tianjin is now one of China's leading manufacturing and commercial centers.

Turn west at Jingang Bridge and amble one block to Ancient Culture Street . Wooden shops fronted with prominent balconies and red and green painted columns canyon the street, creating a replicated 19th century market setting. Trinkets, carved jade figurines, calligraphy, teapots, and fine handmade porcelain pack the stores. Judicial souvenir seekers can also snare famous Yangliuqing New Year's prints at the Tianjin Yangliuqing Gallery and authentic clay figurines at Nirenzhang Clay Figurine Store . Shopping, however, does not need to be the main motivation for entering for this is one of Tianjin's "Do Not Miss" attractions. While there be sure to visit the Tianhuo Temple . Built in 1326 it stands as Tianjin's oldest building. After countless renovations, it now serves as a museum displaying ancient artwork from the Ming and Yuan dynasties.

From here drift one more block west to the Confucian Temple . It, obviously by virtue of its name, is dedicated to the life of Confucius, one of China's greatest sages. Pagodas frame a goldfish pond blanketed with water lilies creating the quintessential Chinese setting usually found in travel brochures and complimentary airline magazines.

Further south sits the locally revered Zhou Enai and Deng Yingchao Memorial Hall . This husband and wife team played major roles in forming the Chinese Communist Party while displaying uncanny loyalty to Mao Zedong. The museum borders Shuishang Park , Tianjin's largest. Ambling past its endless ponds all colored with weeping willows and water lilies is akin to stepping inside a still wet Monet painting.

Tianjin Attractions - Huangyaguan Great Wall

The Huangyaguan Great Wall, located in the northern end of Jixian County, was built in Northern Qi (550-577) and rebuilt in a large scale in the Ming Dynasty. This 3,025-meter-long great wall, built on the steep mountain ridge, is equipped with such defense facilities as battle platforms and watch towers, border blockhouses, water gates and smoke mounds, ancient barracks and the Eight-diagram pass city. The Forest of Calligraphy of 100 Noted Generals, Min glian Hall, the Great Wall Museum and aquatic amusement park have also been built there. The newly opened Wangmaoding Scenic Spot with pleasant scenery and 306 stone steps is organically combined with the ancient Great Wall.

Tianjin Attractions - Garden of Tranquility (Ningyuan)

Tianjin Attractions - Solitary Joy Temple (Dulesi)

This temple, also called Great Buddha Temple (Dafosi), is situated inside the western gate of Jixian County. It was fist built in the Tang Dynasty. Its main building, the Goddess of Mercy Pavilion (Guanyinge), was rebuilt in A.D. 984 during the Liao Dynasty. The two-storied wooden pavilion is twenty-three meters high, and so well designed that it has withstood the test of several earthquakes and remains intact to this day. It is one of the oldest and best-preserved tall wooden structures in China. The pavilion contains a standing statue of the Guanyin Bodhisattva with the heads of ten small Buddhas above it. The sixteen-meter-high statue is known as the "Eleven-face Guanyin," one of the largest painted clay sculptures in China. Flanking it are two ferocious and gigantic guardians, which, together with the heavenly guardians inside the gate, are masterpieces of Liao Dynasty sculpture.