Tianjin---Travel In China

Tianjin (天津; pinyin: tian jin, Postal System Pinyin: Tientsin) is a harbour municipality in China on the Hai He River (from Beijing) and Bohai Gulf of the Yellow Sea (Pacific Ocean). The placename literally means "the Heavenly Port".

Tianjin is one of four independent municipalities in the People's Republic of China with provincial-level status. Historically, the city was, for a time, the capital of Hebei Province.

History
The city was first settled in 1404 AD during Ming Dynasty as a fort, named Tianjin Wei (Fort Tianjin).

Tianjin County was established in 1731.

The city was opened to foreign trade in June 1858, at the end of the first part of the Second Opium War, when the Treaties of Tianjin were signed.

It has been municipality in 1927, except from 1958 to 1967, when it was reduced to a provincial city and capital of Hebei.

Geography
Tianjin is at the northern end of the Grand Canal of China, which connects with the Huang He and Chang Jiang rivers. Tianjin borders Hebei province, the municipality of Beijing and the Bohai Gulf of the Yellow Sea.

Economy
The GDP per capita was ¥20443 (ca. US$2470) in 2003, ranked no. 56 among 659 Chinese cities.

Political divisions
Tianjin is divided into fifteen districts and three counties The six districts close to the "urban region" ( Shì Qu) are
Heping District (Hèpíng Qu)
Hexi District (Héxi Qu)
Hebei District (Hébei Qu)
Nankai District (Nánkai Qu)
Hedong District (Hédong Qu)
Hongqiao District (Hongqiáo Qu)

The outer districts and counties:The "Seaside region" ( Bin Hai Qu):
Tanggu District (Tánggu Qu)
Hangu District (Hàngu Qu)
Dagang District (Dàgang Qu)

The "region around city" (Huán Chéng Qu) are:
Jinnan District (Jinnán Qu)
Dongli District (Donglí Qu)
Xiqing District (Xiqing Qu)
Baodi District (Baodi Qu, Baodi County before 2001)
Beichen District (Beichén Qu)
Wuqing District (Wuqing Qu, Wuqing County before 2000)

The counties:

Ji County (Jì Xiàn)

Jinghai County (Jìnghai Xiàn)

Ninghe County (Nínghé Xiàn)

Tianjin is one of the four municipalities in China. Its name means 'the place where the emperor crossed the river'. Facing the Bohai Sea, Tianjin, the one time imperial port, serves as Beijing's vital gateway to the sea. In recent years Tianjin receives more and more attention from tourists due to its illustrious historical heritage and other travel resources.


It is no exaggeration to say that Tianjin bears a splendid historical background. However, it was desecrated by foreign invaders long before the foundation of People's Republic of China. Tianjin was shared by nine countries: Italy, Germany, France, Russia, Great Britain, Austria, Japan and Belgium. This marked an extremely hard period for Tianjin and her people because those imperialist countries left permanent marks in her body, most notable of which were thousands of villas. Today those villas provide an exotic flavor to Tianjin, enhancing the beauty of the entire city.


Ni Ren Zhang Painted Clay FigurinesBlessed with variety of tourist attractions, Tianjin is a good place to explore. The top ten  attractions in Tianjin, known as Jinmen Shijing, are Gu Wenhua Jie, Dagu Emplacement, Huangyaguan Great Wall, Dule Temple, Haihe River, Water Park, Panshan Mountain, Hotel Street and Food Street, Tianjin TV & Radio Tower and Zhonghuan Cailian. There are also many natural scenes of beauty as well as great historical events.
Getting in and out of the city is convenient because of the well-planned transportation system. If you want to come by water, there are a series of international and domestic sea routes in the port of Tianjin, which is the biggest man-made port in China. If you plan to  arrive by air, Tianjin Binhai International


Tianjin Old Culture StreetAirport offers excellent service. Planes have routes that reach most of the major cities in China and also cities in Europe and America. Of course, arriving in Tianjin by land is another option, while trains or long-distance buses are yet another alternative.
Various hotels, guesthouses and hostels can also meet your different needs. In addition, there are all types of entertainment available to relax both your body and mind.