General Introduction
One
of China's four municipalities directly under
the State Council, Tianjin is a major international
harbour on the western shore of the Pacific
and the northern extremity of the Bohai Bay,
and a gateway to Beijing 120km away. The name
'Tianjin', meaning the 'harbour the Son of Heaven
has visited', first appeared in the 1st year
of the Yongle reign of the Ming (1368-1644).
In 1405, or the 3rd year of the Yongle reign
of the Ming, Tianjin came under construction
as an urban settlement because of its strategic
importance, and was known as 'Tianjin Garrison'.
After the Opium War of 1840 nine Western powers
had 'leased' concessions in the city. Tianjin's
important position in modern Chinese history
is testified by the presence of so many former
residences and memorial sites for famed personages.
Tianjin is not only a venerated settlement but
also a thriving modern cultural city. The Haihe
River flows across the city, where the average
annual temperature is 12.3ˊ degrees Celsius.
Under the jurisdiction of Tianjin Municipality
are 13 districts and 5 counties. Jixian County,
known formerly as Yuyang, was designated by
the State Council in 1986 as a national famous
cultural and historical city.
Climate
Tianjin has a temperate continental monsoonal
climate. The city areas have a mean annual temperature
of 12.3℃., and a mean annual precipitation of
550 mm. which occurs mostly in July and August.
Topography
Tianjin is a typical estuary alluvial plain,
which is part of the North China Plain. With
a gentle terrain studded with lakes and ponds,
most of it is three meters above sea level.
The
Haihe, formed by the confluence of the Yongding,
Daqing and Ziya rivers and the South and North
canals, flows through the city and heads southeast
towards Dagukou, where it empties into the Bohai
Sea. The efforts to control this unruly river
in the past decades have basically ridded Tianjin
of the menace of floods.
SCENES
& SIGHTS
Ancient
Cultural Street
The
580-metre-long Ancient Cultural Street is a
major tourist destination where Tianjin's old
traditions remain largely intact. Imitation
Qing buildings, which house nearly 100 shops
are scattered along the street with the Tianhou
Temple in the center. Built in 1320 during the
Yuan, the Tianhou (Heavenly Queen) Temple, also
known as Temple of the Patron Goddess, is one
of many temples established in China's coastal
areas in honour of the mythological angel known
more popularly as Mazu. Grand sacrificial ceremonies
were held in the temple on Mazu's birthday,
which fell on the 23rd day of the 3rd lunar
month. Today the temple has been converted into
the Tianjin Folklore Museum.
Guangdong
Cuild Hall
The
Guangdong Gild Hall in Nanmennei Street was
built by Guangdong natives in 1907 so that they
could have a place to get together. It is a
unique structure built in the style of an ancient-looking
quadrangle. Today it is the Tianjin theatre
Museum.
Martial
Artist's Tomb
Huo
Yuanjia, a celebrated master of traditional
Chinese martial arts is a household name in
China for his superb mastery of martial arts
and patriotic, chivalrous deeds. His former
residence and tomb, now open to the public,
are in Xiqing District of Tianjin.
Zhou & Deng Memorial
The
memorial hall dedicated to Zhou Enlai and Deng
Yingchao is a 6-hectare affair to the north
of the Park-on-the-Lake. Its buildings, with
a total floor space of 7, 150 square metres,
include a prelude hall, exhibition of the couple's
lives, movie house, assembly hall, reception
room, research center, warehouse, and a plane
that Zhou used during his lifetime.
Tianjin
Beach Resort
The
beach resort by the Bohai Sea lies 4.5km to
the southeast of Tianjin. With convenient transportation,
a serene and secluded environment, an bathing
ground, and a good assortment of water sports
and recreational facilities, the beach is an
ideal destination for sightseeing, holiday making,
and recuperating purposes. Accommodations run
the gamut from star=rated hotels to guestrooms-on-the-sea,
compact villas, and tents pitched right on the
beach. Seafood is available in local restaurants.
Haihe
River Cruise
The
Haihe River meanders its way through the city
of Tianjin. The renowned cruise on the river
features the Haihe Park, the Fountain Amusement
Park, magnificent waterfront homes, and green
parklands, and gives a comprehensive view of
what the landscape of Tianjin is all about.
Park-on-the-Lake
Isles
jutting out of a vast expanse of water are a
salient feature of the famed Park-on-the-Lake
in Nankai District. The park is close to the
Tianjin Zoo, home to giant pandas, golden-haired
monkeys and other endangered species.
Dule
Temple
Situated
at the Western Gate of Jixian County, the Dule
(Solitary Happiness) Temple is a typical ancient
wood structure dating back to the Tang. A frontal
archway and the Guanyin Pavilion, both of which
are a legacy of the Liao, are what have remained
of this temple. The Guanyin Pavilion is the
shrine of a fine example of Liao sculpture-a
16-metre clay statue of the Goddess of Mercy,
known as "Guanyin with Eleven Heads"
because the unknown sculptor has erected 10
miniature replicas of the head of the goddess
on her temple.
Great
Wall at Huangya Pass
This
refers to a famous section of the Great Wall
built in 556 AD north of Jixian County. Here
the Great Wall looks at once majestic, awesome,
exotic and elegant as it stretches heroically
for 3,025 metres along mountain ridges and across
rivers.
Panshan
Scenic Resort
The
Panshan Mountain, found north west of the seat
of Jixian County, is extolled as "No.1
Mountain East of the Chinese Capital".
The beauty about this scenic resort lies in
the pine trees that from an overhead canopy
over the mountaintop, the statuesque rock formations
midway on its slope, and the streams and rivulets
that skirt the foothills. The Shiqu (Interesting
Stone) Garden, a new tourist attraction south
of the main peak, is known for a vast assemblage
of rocks in life-like shapes and images.
Educational
Tour
Tainjin
is a major center for tourists who come to China
for educational purposes. Many schools in the
city have fostered enduring exchange relations
with Japan and some other countries. Visitors
taking part in this tour program are organized
to visit families and schools for people-to-people
exchanges, go sightseeing in the around the
city, and experience the delights of "being
a Tianjin citizen for a single day".
Great
Wall International Marathon
The
Huangyaguan section of the Great Wall in Jixian
County, is the venue of an international marathon
that runs across rivers and farm fields along
a 42.5km route which the International Track
and Field Association has designated as a standard
international cross-the-country marathon route.
This event, which takes place in May every year,
has drawn warm response from the world market
for its combination of a Western sporting program
with the ancient Great Wall as a symbol of Oriental
culture. Every year the event is joined by more
than 1,000 athletes, many of them from the United
States, Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany and
Ice land and the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region.
|
Booking
Now
