Tianjin
Tianjin
天津 | |
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Municipality of Tianjin · 天津市 | |
Tianjin's Skyline | |
Country | China |
County-level divisions | 18 |
Township divisions | 240 |
Settled | ca. 340 BC |
Government | |
• CPC Municipal Secretary | Zhang Gaoli |
• Mayor | Huang Xingguo |
Area | |
• Municipality | 11,760 km2 (4,540 sq mi) |
Population (2009) | |
• Municipality | 12,281,600 |
• Density | 1,000/km2 (2,700/sq mi) |
• Ranks in China | Population: 27th; Density:12th |
• Major nationalities | Han - 97% Hui - 2% Manchu - 0.6% |
Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard Time) |
Postal code | 300000 - 301900 |
Area code | 22 |
License plate prefixes | 津A, B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K 津E (taxis) |
ISO 3166-2 | CN-12 |
GDP (2009) | CNY 750.1 billion (22nd) |
- per capita | CNY 62,403 (3rd) |
HDI (2006) | 0.881 (3rd) — high |
City flower | Chinese rose (Rosa chinensis) |
Website | Template:Zh icon www.tj.gov.cn Template:En icon www.tj.gov.cn/english |
Tianjin | |||||||||||||
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Chinese | 天津 | ||||||||||||
Postal | Tientsin | ||||||||||||
Literal meaning | sky ferry | ||||||||||||
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Template:Fixbunching Template:Chinesetext Template:Fixbunching (Chinese: 天津; pinyin: Tiānjīn; Wade–Giles: T'ien-chin; Postal map spelling: Tientsin) is the sixth largest city of the People's Republic of China in terms of urban population. Administratively it is one of the four municipalities that have provincial-level status, reporting directly to the central government. Also, its urban land area is the fifth largest in China, ranked only after Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Tianjin's urban area is located along the Hai He River, which connects to the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers via the Grand Canal in Tianjin. Its ports, some distance away, are located on the Bohai Gulf in the Pacific Ocean. Tianjin was once home to foreign concessions in the late Qing Dynasty and early Kuomintang (KMT) era. The municipality incorporates the coastal region of Tanggu, home to the Binhai New Area and the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA). Tianjin Municipality borders Hebei province to the north, south, and west; the Chinese capital Beijing is to the northwest, and the Bohai Gulf to the east.
History
The land where Tianjin lies today was created in historical times by sedimentation of various rivers entering the sea at Bohai Gulf (渤海湾), including the Yellow River, which entered the sea in this area at one point.
The opening of the Grand Canal of China during the Sui Dynasty prompted the development of Tianjin into a trading center. Until 1404, Tianjin was called "Zhigu" (直沽), or "Straight Port". In that year, the Yongle Emperor renamed the city Tianjin, literally means "the Heavenly Ford", to indicate that the Emperor (son of heaven) forded the river at that point. This is because he had indeed forded the river in Tianjin while on a campaign to scramble for the throne from his nephew. Later on, a fort was established in Tianjin, known as "Tianjin Wei" (天津卫), the Fort of Tianjin.
Tianjin was promoted to a prefecture in 1725. Tianjin County was established under the prefecture in 1731.
In 1856, Chinese soldiers boarded The Arrow, a Chinese-owned ship registered in Hong Kong flying the British flag and suspected of piracy, smuggling and of being engaged in the opium trade. They captured 12 men and imprisoned them. In response, the British and French sent gunboats under the command of Admiral Sir Michael Seymour to capture the Taku forts (大沽砲台) near Tianjin in May 1858. At the end of the first part of the Second Opium War in June of the same year, the Treaties of Tianjin were signed, which opened Tianjin to foreign trade. The treaties were ratified by the Emperor of China in 1860, and Tianjin was formally opened to the outside world. Between 1895 and 1900, Britain and France were joined by Japan, Germany and Russia, and even by countries without other Chinese concessions such as Austria-Hungary, Italy and Belgium, in establishing self-contained concessions in Tianjin, each with its own prisons, schools, barracks and hospitals. These nations left many architectural reminders of their rule, notably churches and thousands of villas. Today those villas provide an exotic flavor to Tianjin.
The presence of foreign influence in Tianjin was not always peaceful; one of the most serious violent incidents to take place was the Tianjin Church Incident (天津教案). In June 1870, Wanghailou Church (望海楼教堂) in Tianjin, built by French Roman Catholic missionaries, was accused of the kidnapping and brainwash of Chinese children. The rumour was that nuns were preserving children's eyes (it seems that the confusion came from the jars of pickle with small onions in the kitchen). On June 21, the magistrate of Tianjin County initiated a showdown at the church that developed into violent clashes between the church's Christian supporters and non-Christian Tianjin residents. The furious protestors eventually burned down Wanghailou Church and the nearby French consulate. France and six other Western nations complained to the Qing government, which was forced to pay compensation for the incident.
In June 1900, the Boxers were able to seize control of much of Tianjin. On June 26, belligerent European forces heading towards Beijing were stopped by Boxers at nearby Langfang, and were defeated and forced to turn back to Tianjin. The foreign concessions also came under siege for several weeks.
In July 1900, the Eight-Nation Alliance attacked and occupied Tianjin. They soon established the Tianjin Provisional Government, composed of representatives from each of the occupying forces (Russian, British, Japanese, German, French, American, Austro-Hungarian, and Italian). Tianjin was governed by this council until August 15, 1902 when the city was returned to Qing control. Eminent Qing General Yuan Shikai headed efforts to remake Tianjin into a modern city, establishing the first modern Chinese police force here. In 1907, Yuan supervised China's first modern democratic elections for a county council.
Tianjin was established as a municipality of China (直辖市) in 1927.
Western nations were permitted to garrison the area to ensure open access to Peking. The British maintained a brigade of two battalions there, and the Italians, French, Japanese, Germans, Russians, and Austro-Hungarians maintained understrength regiments; the United States did not initially participate. During World War I, the German and Austro-Hungarian garrisons were captured and held as Prisoners of War by Allied Forces while the Bolshevik government withdrew the Russian garrison in 1918. In 1920, the remaining participating nations asked the United States to join them, and the US then sent the 15th Infantry Regiment, less one battalion, to Tientsin from the Philippines.
Garrison duty was highly regarded by the troops. General George C Marshall, the "architect of victory" in World War II when he was the United States Army Chief of Staff, served at Tientsin in the 1920s as Executive Officer of the 15th Infantry. The US withdrew this unit in 1938 and a US presence was maintained only by the dispatch of a small US Marine Corps contingent from the Embassy Guard at Peking.
On July 30, 1937, Tianjin fell to Japan, as part of the Second Sino-Japanese War, but was not entirely occupied, as the Japanese for the most part respected foreign concessions until 1941, when the American and British concessions were occupied. In the summer of 1939, there occurred a major crisis in Anglo-Japanese relations with the Tientsin Incident. On June 14, 1939, the Imperial Japanese Army surrounded and blockaded the British concession over the refusal of the British authorities to hand over to the Japanese six Chinese who had assassinated a locally prominent Japanese collaborator, and had taken refuge in the British concession. For a time, the 1939 crisis appeared likely to cause an Anglo-Japanese war, especially when reports of the maltreatment by the Japanese Army of British subjects wishing to leave or enter the concession appeared in the British press. The crisis ended when the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was advised by the Royal Navy and the Foreign Office that the only way to force the Japanese to lift the blockade was to send the main British battle fleet to Far Eastern waters, and that given the current crisis in Europe that it would be inappropriate to send the British fleet out of European waters, thus leading the British to finally turn over the six Chinese, who were then executed by the Japanese. During the Japanese occupation, Tianjin was ruled by the North China Executive Committee, a puppet state based in Beijing.
On August 9, 1940, all of the British troops in Tianjin were ordered to withdraw. On November 14, 1941 the American Marine unit stationed in Tianjin was ordered to leave, but before this could be accomplished, the Japanese attacked the United States. The small 47 man American Marine detachment surrendered to the Japanese on December 8, 1941. Only the Italian and French concessions (the local French officials were loyal to Vichy) were allowed to continue by the Japanese. Japanese occupation lasted until August 15, 1945, the surrender of Japan marking the end of World War II.
Geography
Tianjin is at the northern end of the Grand Canal of China(大运河), which connects with the Yellow River (黃河) and Yangtze River (长江).
Tianjin Municipality is generally flat, and swampy near the coast, but hilly in the far north, where the Yanshan Mountains (燕山) pass through the tip of northern Tianjin. The highest point in Tianjin is Jiushanding Peak on the northern border with Hebei, at an altitude of 1078 m.
The Hai He River (海河) forms within Tianjin Municipality at the confluence of the Ziya River(子牙河), Daqing River(大清河), Yongding River(永定河), North Grand Canal, and South Grand Canal; and enters the Pacific Ocean at Tianjin Municipality as well, in Tanggu District. Major reservoirs include the Beidagang Reservoir in the extreme south (in Dagang District) and the Yuqiao Reservoir in the extreme north (in Ji County).
The urban area of Tianjin is found in the south-central part of the Municipality. In addition to the main urban area of Tianjin proper, the coast along the Bohai is lined with a series of port towns, including Tanggu (塘沽) and Hangu(汉沽).
Climate
Tianjin's features a monsoon-influenced climate that actually lies in a transition zone between three different climates under the Koppen climate classification; a humid subtropical climate (Cwa), a humid continental climate (Dwa) and a semiarid climate (Bsk). Tianjin is characterized by hot, humid summers, due to the monsoon, and dry, cold winters, due to the Siberian anticyclone. Spring in the city is windy but dry. Occasionally during the spring, Tianjin experiences sandstorms which blow in from the Gobi Desert. These sandstorms can last for several days. Tianjin's annual precipitation is just above 544 mm per year, most of which occurs during the summer months of July and August. That, combined with its average annual mean temperature of 13.2 °C (55.8 °F), places Tianjin on the border of a semiarid climate. Since Tianjin’s coldest monthly average hovers around −3 °C (27 °F) while its warmest monthly average is above 22 °C (72 °F), the city also transitions between a humid subtropical climate and a humid continental climate. Average high/low in January and July are 1.8 °C (35.2 °F)/−7.5 °C (18.5 °F) and 31.0 °C (87.8 °F)/22.7 °C (72.9 °F) respectively.
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Climate data for Tianjin | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Source 1: 中国气象局 国家气象信息中心 | |||||||||||||
Source 2: World Meteorological Organisation (UN)[1] |
Administrative divisions
Tianjin is divided into 16 county-level divisions, including 13 districts and 3 counties.
Tianjin Proper:
District | Population (2006 census) | Area (km²) | Density (per km²) |
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Heping District (和平区: Hépíng Qū) | 470,000 | 9.97 | |
Hexi District (河西区: Héxī Qū) | 740,000 | 37 | |
Hebei District (河北区: Héběi Qū) | 620,000 | 27 | |
Nankai District (南开区: Nánkāi Qū) | 790,000 | 40.64 | |
Hedong District (河东区: Hédōng Qū) | 680,000 | 39 | |
Hongqiao District (红桥区: Hōngqiáo Qū) | 620,000 | 21.3 |
Binhai:
District | Population (2008 census) | Area (km²) | Density (per km²) |
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Binhai New Area (滨海新区: Bīnhǎi Xīn Qū) | 1,000,000 | 2660 |
Tianjin Suburbs:
District | Population (2008 census) | Area (km²) | Density (per km²) |
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Jinnan District (津南区: Jīnnán Qū) | 380,000 | 401 | |
Dongli District (东丽区: Dōnglì Qū) | 320,000 | 460 | |
Xiqing District (西青区: Xīqīng Qū) | 330,000 | 545 | |
Beichen District (北辰区: Běichén Qū) | 320,000 | 478 |
Tianjin Rural:
District | Population (2008 census) | Area (km²) | Density (per km²) |
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Baodi District (宝坻区: Bǎodǐ Qū) | 650,000 | 1,523 | |
Wuqing District (武清区: Wǔqīng Qū) | 840,000 | 1,570 | |
Ji County (蓟县: Jì Xiàn) | 810,000 | 1,590 | |
Jinghai County (静海县: Jìnghǎi Xiàn) | 520,000 | 1,476 | |
Ninghe County (宁河县: Nínghé Xiàn) | 360,000 | 1,414 |
In addition, the Tianjin Economic and Technological Development Area (TEDA) is not a formal level of administration, but nevertheless enjoys rights similar to a regular district.
These districts and counties are further subdivided, as of December 31, 2004, into 240 township-level divisions, including 120 towns, 18 townships, 2 ethnic townships and 100 subdistricts.
Politics
The politics of Tianjin is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in the mainland China.
The Mayor of Tianjin is the highest ranking official in the People's Government of Tianjin. Since Tianjin is a municipality, the Communist Party of China Municipal Committee Secretary is colloquially termed the "Tianjin CPC Party chief".
Economy
The nominal GDP for Tianjin was 750 billion yuan (US$110 billion) in 2009, a year-on-year increase of 16.5%.[2]
In 2009, per capita GDP was 62,403 yuan (US$9,136). The manufacturing sector was the largest (54.8%) and fastest-growing (18.2%) sector of Tianjin's economy. Urban disposable income per capita was 21,430 yuan, a real increase of 10.3% from the previous year. Rural pure income per capita was 10,675 yuan, a real increase of 10.4% from the previous year.
Farmland takes up about 40% of Tianjin Municipality's total area. Wheat, rice, and maize are the most important crops. Fishing is important along the coast. Tianjin is also an important industrial base. Major industries include petrochemical industries, textiles, car manufacturing, mechanical industries, and metalworking.
Tianjin Municipality also has deposits of about 1 billion tonnes of petroleum, with Dagang District containing important oilfields. Salt production is also important, with Changlu Yanqu being one of China's most important salt production areas. Geothermal energy is another resource of Tianjin. Deposits of manganese and boron under Tianjin were the first to be found in China.
EADS Airbus has already opened an assembly plant for its A320 series airliners, operational since 2009. AVIC I and AVIC II will be EADS' local partners for the site, to which subassemblies will be sent from plants around the world.[3]
Economic and Technological Development Zones
- Tianjin Baodi Economic and Technological Development Area
- Tianjin Economic & Technological Development Area (Also mentioned as TEDA)
- Tianjin High-tech Industry Park
- Tianjin Export Processing Zone
- Huayuan Industrial Development Park
- Tianjin Airport Industrial Park
- Wuqing Development Area
Demographics
At the end of 2009, the population of Tianjin Municipality was 12.28 million, of which 9.8 million were residential holders of Tianjin hukou (permanent residence). Among Tianjin permanent residents, 5.99 million were urban, and 3.81 million were rural. The population will grow to 14 million (out of which 11,5 million will be urban population [4]
The majority of Tianjin residents are Han Chinese. There are also 51 out of the 55 minor Chinese ethnic groups living in Tianjin. Major minorities include Hui, Koreans, Manchus, and Mongols.
Ethnic groups in Tianjin, 2000 census | ||
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Ethnicity | Population | Percentage |
Han | 9,581,775 | 97.29% |
Hui | 172,357 | 1.75% |
Manchu | 56,548 | 0.57% |
Mongol | 11,331 | 0.12% |
Korean | 11,041 | 0.11% |
Zhuang | 4055 | 0.041% |
Tujia | 3677 | 0.037% |
Excludes members of the People's Liberation Army in active service.
Source: Department of Population, Social, Science and Technology Statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics of China (國家統計局人口和社會科技統計司) and Department of Economic Development of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission of China (國家民族事務委員會經濟發展司), eds. Tabulation on Nationalities of 2000 Population Census of China (《2000年人口普查中國民族人口資料》). 2 vols. Beijing: Nationalities Publishing House (民族出版社), 2003. (ISBN )
Media
Tianjin People's Broadcasting Station is the major radio station in Tianjin. Broadcasting in nine channels, it serves most of North China, part of East and Northeast China, reaching an audience of over 100 million.[5] Template:Zh icon Tianjin Television, the local television station, broadcasts in nine channels. It also boasts a paid digital channel, featuring home improvement programs.[6] Template:Zh icon Both the radio and television stations are now branches of the Tianjin Film, Radio and Television Group, established in October 2002.[7] Template:Zh icon
Major local newspapers include the Tianjin Daily and Jin Wan Bao (literally, tonight newspaper), which are the flagship papers of Tianjin Daily Newspaper Group and Jinwan Mass Media Group, respectively.
Culture
People from urban Tianjin speak Tianjin dialect, which comes under the Mandarin subdivision of spoken Chinese. Despite its proximity to Beijing, Tianjin dialect sounds quite different from Beijing dialect, which provides the basis for Putonghua, official spoken language of the People's Republic of China.
Tianjin cuisine places a heavy focus on seafood, due to Tianjin's proximity to the sea. Prominent menus include the Eight Great Bowls (八大碗), a combination of eight mainly meat dishes. It can be further classified into several varieties, including the rough (粗), smooth (S: 细 / T: 細), and high (高). The Four Great Stews (四大扒) refers actually to a very large number of stews, including chicken, duck, seafood, beef, and mutton.
Tianjin also has several famous snack items. Goubuli (狗不理包子) is a traditional brand of baozi (包子) (steamed buns with filling) that is famous throughout China. Guifaxiang (桂发祥麻花) is a traditional brand of mahua (麻花) (twisted dough sticks). Erduoyan (耳朵眼炸糕) is a traditional brand of fried rice cakes.
Tianjin is a respected home base of Beijing opera, one of the most prestigious forms of Chinese opera.
Tianjin is famous for its stand up [comedy] and comedians including Guo Degang and Ma Sanli. Ma Sanli (马三立) (1914 - 2003), an ethnic Hui and longtime resident of Tianjin, is paramountly respected in China for his xiangsheng (相声), a hugely popular form of Chinese entertainment similar to stand-up comedy. Ma Sanli delivered some of his xiangsheng in the Tianjin dialect (天津话).
Yangliuqing (Green Willows), a town about 15 km west of Tianjin's urban area and the seat of Tianjin's Xiqing District, is famous for its popular Chinese New Year-themed, traditional-style, colourful wash paintings (杨柳青年画). Tianjin is also famous for Zhang's clay figurines (泥人张) which are a type of colourful figurine depicting a variety of vivid characters, and Tianjin's Wei's kites (风筝魏), which can be folded to a fraction of their full sizes, are noted for portability.
Stereotypes and native performance art
People from Tianjin are stereotyped to be talkative, eloquent, humorous, open, and unfettered.[citation needed] There is a term for the stereotype of the always-eloquent and sometimes-humorous Tianjin native: wèizuǐzi (卫嘴子), which translates roughly as "the Tianjin mouth". Tianjin is famous for its native talking art - Xiangsheng, sometimes translated as crosstalk, is a traditional Chinese comedy duo performance in the form of a dialogue, rich in puns and allusions, is used in a rapid, bantering style. Xiangsheng is one of China's foremost performing arts. Canadian xiangsheng comedian Dashan (Mark Rowswell) says the closest equivalent in English would be Abbott and Costello's "Who's on First?" sketch.[8]
Transportation
Public transit
The Tianjin tram network was awarded to a Belgian company in 1904 and opened in 1906. It was the first city-wide tramway system in China. There were 402 bus lines in the city as of 2004.[9]
Construction work on the Tianjin Metro started on July 4, 1970. It was the second metro to be built in China and commenced service in 1984. The total length of track is 7.4 kilometers. The metro service was suspended on October 9, 2001 for recontruction. This new metro is now called Line 1. It was re-opened to the public in June 2006. The track was extended to 26.188 kilometers and there will be a total of 22 stations. Previously, there were 8 stations. Several new metro lines are planned. Construction work on Line 2 and Line 3 are ongoing.
There is also a light railway line in the city, the Binhai Mass Transit line. The line runs between downtown Tianjin and TEDA (Tianjin Economic Development Area) in the seaside region. The eastern part of the line began service on March 28, 2004. The western part of the line is scheduled to be completed in 2006.
There is also a guided rail tram system in TEDA, called TEDA Modern Guided Rail Tram.
Subway
The Tianjin Subway consist of two rapid transit system: Tianjin Metro and Binhai Mass Transit is currently under heavy expansion from 3 lines to 9 lines. 4 lines are currently operating both in the City and the Binhai area.
As of October 2009, the entire network of Tianjin Metro and Binhai Mass Transit has 50 stations and 4 lines.
There are two primary subway operators in Tianjin:
- Tianjin Metro. Presently operating 26 stations and two lines.
Number & Name | Terminals | Interchange | Opening Year | |
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1 | Line 1 | Shuanglin - Liuyuan | - | 1970 |
9 | Line 9 | Zhongshanmen - Xinlizhen | B1 | 2004 |
- Binhai Mass Transit (BMT). Currently operates 24 stations in two lines.
Number & Name | Terminals | Interchange | Opening Year | |
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B1 | Line B1 | Xinlizhen - Donghai Lu | 9, T | 2004 |
T | TEDA MGRT | TEDA - North of College District | B1 | 2007 |
Current map of Tianjin Subway
Rail
There are several railway stations in the city, Tianjin Railway Station being the principal one. It was built in 1888, initially, the station was located at Wangdaozhuang (S: 旺道庄 / T: 旺道莊). The station was later moved to Laolongtou (S: 老龙头 / T: 老龍頭) on the banks of the Hai He River in 1892, so the station was renamed Laolongtou Railway Station. The station was rebuilt from scratch in 1988. The rebuilding work began on April 15, 1987 and was finished on October 1, 1988. The Tianjin Railway Station is also locally called the 'East Station', due to its geographical position. In January 2007 the station began another long-term restructuring project to modernize the facility and as part of the larger Tianjin transportation hub project involving Tianjin Metro lines 2, 3, and 9 as well as the Tianjin-Beijing High-speed rail.
Tianjin West Railway Station and Tianjin North Railway Station are also major railway stations in Tianjin. There is also Tanggu Railway Station is located in the important port area of Tanggu District, and TEDA Railway Station located in TEDA, to the north of Tanggu. There are several other railway stations in the city that do not handle passenger traffic.
Construction on a Beijing-Tianjin high-speed rail began on July 4, 2005 and was completed by August 2008.
The following rail lines go through Tianjin:
- Jingshan Railway, from Beijing to Shanhai Pass
- Jinpu Railway, from Tianjin to Pukou District, Nanjing
- Jinji Railway, from Tianjin urban area to Ji County, Tianjin
- Jinba Railway, from Tianjin to Bazhou, Hebei
Starting from Aug. 1, 2008, all trains stopping at the previous Tianjin Temporary Passenger Station will now instead use the newly completed Tianjin Railway Station.
Also, the inter-city trains between Beijing and Tianjin will adopt a new numbering system: Cxxxx (C stands for City in Chinese). The train numbers range between C2001~C2298:
- C2001~C2198: From Beijing South Station to Tianjin, non-stop.
- C2201~C2268: From Beijing South Station to Tianjin, with stops at Wuqing Station (武清站) or Yizhuang Station (亦庄站);
- C2271~C2298: From Beijing South Station to Tanggu Station of Tianjin.
The new C trains take only 30 min between Beijing and Tianjin, cutting the previous D train time by more than a half. The ticket price as of Aug. 15, 08 is 69 RMB for the first-class seat and 58 RMB for the second-class seat.
Roads and expressways
Some spots in Tianjin, including roads and bridges, have names from Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's Three Principles of the People (for example, Minquan Gate on Zhonghuan Road). Names harkening back to the era of the Republic of China on the mainland also appear (e.g. Beiyang Road). Many roads in Tianjin are named after a Chinese province or city. Also, Tianjin is unlike Beijing, in that very few roads run parallel to the major four compass directions.
Tianjin has three ring roads. Unlike Beijing, the Inner and Middle Ring Roads are not closed, traffic-controlled roadways and some often have traffic light intersections. The Outer Ring Road is the closest thing to a highway-level ring road, although traffic is often chaotic and sometimes more than chaotic.
Tianjin's roads often finish in dao (道 avenue), xian (S: 线 / T: 線) line, more used for highways and through routes) and lu (路 road). Jie (街 street) is rare. As Tianjin's roads are rarely in a cardinal compass direction, jing (S: 经 / T: 經) roads and wei (S: 纬 / T: 緯) roads often appear, which attempt to run more directly north-south and east-west, respectively.
The following seven expressways of China run in or through Tianjin:
- Jingjintang Expressway, from Beijing, through Tianjin's urban area, to Tanggu District / TEDA
- Jinghu Expressway, from Jinjing Gonglu Bridge to Shanghai (together with Jingjintang Expressway, this is the expressway from Beijing to Shanghai)
- Jingshen Expressway, through Baodi District on its way from Beijing to Shenyang
- Tangjin Expressway, from Tanggu District, Tianjin, to Tangshan, Hebei -- known in Tianjin as the Jintang Expressway
- Baojin Expressway, from Beichen District, Tianjin, to Baoding, Hebei -- known in Tianjin as the Jinbao Expressway
- Jinbin Expressway, from Zhangguizhuang Bridge to Hujiayuan Bridge, both within Tianjin
- Jinji Expressway, from central Tianjin to Jixian County
The following six China National Highways pass through Tianjin:
- China National Highway 102, through Ji County, Tianjin on its way from Beijing to Harbin
- China National Highway 103, from Beijing, through Tianjin's urban area, to Tanggu District
- China National Highway 104, from Beijing, through Tianjin Municipality, to Fuzhou
- China National Highway 105, from Beijing, through Tianjin Municipality, to Macau
- China National Highway 112, circular highway around Beijing, passes through Tianjin Municipality
- China National Highway 205, from Shanhaiguan, Hebei, through Tianjin Municipality, to Guangzhou
The expressways are sometimes closed due to dense fog particularly in the Autumn and Spring.
Airport
Tianjin Binhai International Airport (ZBTJ) is located in the east of the urban area, in Dongli District.
Tourism
Sights and landmarks within the Tianjin urban area include:
- Luzutang (Boxer Rebellion Museum)
- Guwan Shichang 古玩市场 (Antique Market)
- Guwenhua Jie 古文化街 (Ancient Culture Street)
- Wen Miao 文庙 (An important Temple of Confucius)
- Yuhuangge Taoist Temple 玉皇阁
- Temple of Great Compassion 大悲禅院 (A Zen Buddhist Temple)
- Tianhou Palace 天后宫 (Mazu Temple in Tianjin, the biggest one in the entire Northern China region)
- Our Lady of Victory Church (Wanghailou Church) 望海楼教堂
- St. Joseph’s Cathedral (Laoxikai Church) 西开天主教堂
- Tianjin Jewish Synagogue 天津犹太教堂
- Former Concessions in Tianjin 天津老租界
- Tianjin Radio and Television Tower 天津电视塔
- Tianjin Eye 天津之眼 (The world's only and tallest built ferris wheel over a bridge, 6th tallest in height)
- The Tianjin Tower 津塔 (Open in 2010, 336.9 meters)
- Tianjin International Trade Centre 天津国贸中心大厦 (Open in 2012, 300 meters)
- Tianjin Water Park 天津水上公园
- Tianjin Zoo 天津动物园
- Tianjin Museum 天津博物馆
- Hai River Park 海河公园
- Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium, also known as "The Water Drop" 天津奥体中心(水滴)
- Wu Da Dao 五大道 (Five Main Avenues)
- Italian Town 意式风情区
- Shijia Dayuan 杨柳青:石家大院 (Shi Family Residence)
- Memorial to Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao 周恩来邓颖超纪念馆
- Astor Hotel 利顺德大酒店
- The Century Clock of Tianjin 天津世纪钟 (Tianjin Shijizhong)
Sights outside the Tianjin urban area, but within the municipality, including Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area:
- Soviet aircraft carrier Kiev Theme Park 前苏联航空母舰主题公园
- TEDA Football Stadium 泰达足球场 (Home stadium of Tianjin Teda F.C. in the Chinese Super League)
- Tianjin Binhai International Airport 天津滨海国际机场
- Taku Forts 大沽口炮台 (Cannon battlement Platform in Qing Dynasty)
- Huangyaguan Great Wall 黄崖关长城 (A famous fort on the Great Wall)
- Mount Panshan 盘山
- Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city 中新天津生态城
Sports teams
Sports teams based in Tianjin include:
- Tianjin Teda F.C. (天津泰达俱乐部)
Education
Colleges and universities
Under the National Ministry of Education:
- Nankai University (南开大学) (founded 1919)
- Tianjin University (天津大学) (founded 1895, first university in China)
Under the national Civil Aviation Authority:
- Civil Aviation University of China (中国民航大学)
Under the government of Hebei Province:
- Hebei University of Technology (河北工业大学) (founded 1903, the earliest institute of technology in China)
Under the municipal government:
- Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts (天津美术学院)
- Tianjin Agricultural College (天津农学院)
- Tianjin Conservatory of Music (天津音乐学院)
- Tianjin Foreign Studies University (天津外国语大学)
- Tianjin Institute of Physical Education (天津体育学院)
- Tianjin Medical University (天津医科大学)
- Tianjin Normal University (天津师范大学)
- Tianjin Polytechnic University (天津工业大学)
- Tianjin University of Commerce (天津商业大学)
- Tianjin University of Finance & Economics (天津财经大学)
- Tianjin University of Science & Technology (天津科技大学)
- Tianjin University of Technology (天津理工大学)
- Tianjin University of Technology and Education (天津职业技术师范学院)
- Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (天津中医药大学)
- Tianjin Urban Construction Institute (天津城市建设学院)
Foreign institutions:
- The Florida International University Tianjin Center, opened in 2006 as a cooperative venture between the municipal government and the Miami-based university.
Note: Institutions without full-time bachelor programs are not listed.
- Nankai High School (南开中学) City's Best, one of the most prestigious in China
- No. 1 High School (第一中学) City's Top 5
- Tianjin No. 3 Middle School (天津市第三中学)
- Shiyan High School (实验中学) City's Top 5
- Xinhua High School (新华中学) City's Top 5
- Yaohua High School (耀华中学) City's Top 5
- Second Nankai High School (天津市第二南开中学)
- No 43 High School (43中学)
- No 42 High School (42中学)
- No 41 High School (41中学)
- No 4 High School (4中学)
- Haihe High School (海河中学)
- No 55 High School (55中学)
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Tianjin is twinned with:
City | Country | Sister city since: |
---|---|---|
Kobe | Japan | June 24, 1973 |
Fitchburg | United States | |
Philadelphia | United States | February 10, 1980 |
Dallas | United States | |
Greenville | United States | |
Rishon LeZion | Israel | |
Melbourne | Australia | May 5, 1980 |
Yokkaichi | Japan | October 28, 1980 |
Sarajevo | Bosnia and Herzegovina | May 28, 1981 |
Nord-Pas de Calais | France | October 10, 1984 |
Milan | Italy | May 9, 1985 |
Groningen | Netherlands | September 12, 1985 |
Chiba | Japan | May 7, 1986 |
Kutaisi | Georgia | |
Plovdiv Region | Bulgaria | October 15, 1989 |
İzmir | Turkey | September 23, 1991 |
Abidjan | Côte d'Ivoire | September 26, 1992 |
Ulan Bator | Mongolia | September 27, 1992 |
Kharkiv | Ukraine | June 14, 1993 |
Jönköping | Sweden | September 23, 1993 |
Incheon | South Korea | December 7, 1993 |
Łódź | Poland | October 1, 1994 |
Rio de Janeiro (state) | Brazil | April 18, 1995 |
Amazonas State | Brazil | October 20, 1997 |
Haiphong | Vietnam | January 8, 1999 |
Turku | Finland | August 17, 2000 |
Clarence | United States | November 10, 2001 |
Thessaloniki | Greece | March 4, 2002 |
Nampo | North Korea | August 11, 2002 |
Astronomical phenomena
At 39°07.5′N 117°11.7′E / 39.1250°N 117.1950°E, the previous total solar eclipse was the solar eclipse of October 28, 1277, the next total solar eclipse will be on July 6, 2187.
Total solar eclipses from 1001 to 3000 are:
- 1277-Oct-28 13:21 CST
- 2187-Jul-06 17:13 CST
- 2415-Apr-10 10:49 CST
- 2636-May-27 05:09 CST
- 2762-Aug-12 09:43 CST
Annular solar eclipses from 1001 to 3000 are:
- 1189-Feb-17 11:37 CST
- 1292-Jan-21 13:30 CST
- 1665-Jan-16 16:42 CST
- 1802-Aug-28 15:48 CST
- 2118-Mar-22 15:33 CST
- 2439-Jun-12 07:52 CST
- 2686-Sep-10 07:12 CST
- 2739-Apr-30 08:41 CST
- 2894-Dec-18 14:38 CST
Wikisource has an article about solar eclipses as seen from Tianjin from 2001 to 3000.
See also
- 天津 ("Heaven's port") is also the name of an asterism in the Chinese constellation of Girl Mansion (女宿)
- Gao Lingwen, founder of Tianjin's first public school
- List of cities in the People's Republic of China by population
- American, British, French, Italian, Belgian, Russian and Japanese Concessions in Tianjin
References
- ^ "World Weather Information Service - Tianjin".
- ^ Tianjin's GDP hits 16.5 percent
- ^ "Airbus signs framework agreement with Chinese consortium on A320 Final Assembly Line in China." EADS Airbus official press release. October 26, 2006.
- ^ http://www.stats.gov.cn/was40/gjtjj_detail.jsp?channelid=4362&record=6
- ^ http://www.radiotj.com/dtjj/index.htm
- ^ http://tjtv.enorth.com.cn/system/2003/10/27/.shtml
- ^ http://news.enorth.com.cn/system/2002/10/28/.shtml
- ^ "Dashan: Xiangsheng". Dashan Online. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
- ^ [1] Tianjin Bus Company official website.Template:Zh icon
- ^ New Beijing-Tianjin intercity train numbering system
Further reading
- Ruth Rogaski. Hygienic Modernity: Meanings of Health and Disease in Treaty-Port China. University of California Press, 2004.
- Economic data
External links
- Tianjin Government website
- Official Tianjing Media Gateway
- Tianjin Taoist Association
- Tianjin Travel Blog
- Template:Wikitravel
Media related to Tianjin at Wikimedia Commons
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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