Tianjin

Tianjin, China

It was from here that Zhu Di, a Ming prince, started his military crusade southwards which later ousted his nephew Emperor Jianwen based in today's Nanjing. Later, he enthroned himself and gave the place a new name “Tianjin”, which in Chinese means “Heaven's Ferry”.

During the Qing period, western powers established self-contained concessions here. Architectural reminders of their presence, including churches and thousands of villas, impart an exotic flavor to the city.

Today, 6-century-old Tianjin is one of the four cities directly supervised by the central government. It's only a 40-minute, 54-yuan ride on China's self-developed 300-kilometer-plus/hour bullet train from Beijing 120 kilometers away.

Getting around

• Tianjin Eye

  The world's only Ferris Wheel on a bridge is allegedly a messenger of happiness. See eye to eye with the “mammoth eye” and your life will be a happy one.

• Wudadao

  Thousands of well-preserved western buildings, especially villas, line dozens of streets, making the neighborhood an outdoor museum of exotic architecture. A stroll around yields interesting experiences of architectural artistry.

• Tianjin Theater

  Theatergoers and opera fiends would love The Met's shows staged every month in the biggest modern cultural venue of the city.

• Chifeng Bridge

  Two 130-meter-long bridge floors are suspended from a 65-meter-high leaning tower. Known as “Tianjin's Boat”, the bridge helps a lot ease the city's traffic pressure.

• Goubuli

  A poor village boy nicknamed Gouzi, or “dog cub”, is so busy selling his immensely popular meat-stuffed, steamed buns (baozi) that he just has to ignore those who want to talk to him. Over time, “Goubuli”, which means “dog ignores”, becomes the name of his baozi. Having been sold for over 160 years, Goubuli Baozi has morphed into myriad yummy guises and is now a true treasure in China's culinary culture.

  
  
  
• Xiangsheng

  Two entertainers talk to each other on stage, ready to raise contagious belly laughs any minute. And Tianjin is often recognized as the hometown of this traditional form of entertainment and has produced some of the country's big-name Xiangsheng masters.