Tianjin - Fun Facts - Exploring Tianjin – a popular city in China

While Beijing and Shanghai are known to be the two largest cities in China not many people are aware that Tianjin is the third-largest city in China. Tianjin which is home to more than 12 million people, is becoming a popular tourist destination as it has different attractions to what Beijing and Shanghai have to offer visitors. While it might not be as developed as the more popular cities it is still a multicultural city that is thriving and developing.

The city was initially named Zhigu which means Straight Trade and in 1404 the name was changed to Tianjin by the third emperor. Tianjin means Heavenly Ford which made more sense as the city was thriving after building the Grand Canal of China. Pan Pacific Tianjin and most other hotels and resorts located within the main city allow those who stay at these places to roam about and explore the city and the canal with ease. There are some sources that state that poet Qu Yuan was the first to refer to Tianjin as a heavenly ford which inspired the emperor to change the name.

The port in Tianjin, known as Taku Forts played a major role in developing trading with other countries as it was in 1858 that a treaty was signed between China, France, and Britain in order to allow the latter countries to trade with China. While only these two countries were allowed to enter China initially later on Germany, Russia, Belgium, and several other countries were also allowed trading with China.

The City Center is the perfect place to visit in Tianjin to explore and understand the merging of the Old and New. Some buildings are marked World Heritage buildings and they cannot be changed or altered due to any reason but the interior is decorated for the modern traveler's taste.

Tianjin has a trace of some of the European countries from the good old days. There are hints of Italy, France, and Britain significantly seen from the architecture, interior, and decorations in these buildings. If you head to Minyuan Square located not too far from many a Tianjin hotel you will be able to see the first building the British occupied and several streets that were transformed to their liking and interests.

The Old Town of Tianjin used to be part of northern Japan and the west of Austro-Hungarian concessions and most of the old houses that traced back to the golden era were demolished in the early 2000s in order to make way for the modern buildings and times. To date, there are some old structures such as the Temple of the Queen and the Ancient Culture Street that speak for the Chinese Heritage.

Some of the most celebrated modern architects have made a mark in Tianjin with their projects and some of the architects include Kohn Pedersen Fox, MVRDV, and Bernard Tschumi. If you would like to explore the modern architecture in Tianjin then you should head to Binhai where the best buildings are located.