Tianjin: A day out from Beijing

Tianjin is located some 120 kilometres from Beijing. Until recently that may have taken several hours to get to and made an overnight stop necessary to see anything worthwhile in the city. There is now a high-speed train link and the journey time is just 30 minutes; a day trip is not only viable but perhaps even easier than excursions within Beijing. Below we'll look at what there is to see and do in Tianjin and perhaps you will be tempted to visit Tianjin from Beijing during your time in China.

The high-speed trains to Tianjin leave from the Beijing South station. This is located on the Number 4 metro line. For a taxi you will need the characters - 北京南站 - or be able to pronounce the pinyin - Běijīng Nán Zhàn.

There are three classes of travel, though the number of deluxe seats is very limited and so you may be better trying to buy these through a local travel service if you want this as an experience.

First class seats cost CNY 69 whilst Second Class ones cost CNY 58. Both are comfortable, airline-style seats. The facilities and services are also of a high standard making for a really pleasurable trip.

There are so many services that it is not worth listing them here. During peak hours you may not be able to buy a ticket on the next service, perhaps even the next two or three. This is not usually a hardship but if timings are critical then you may want to buy your tickets in advance - yourself or through a local travel service.

Tianjin is a modern city and, as such, much that is of interest to the visitor is to do with the China of today rather than the ancient China. That said, the city played an important role during the Opium Wars and the history from that era can provide a theme to a visit.

Modern Tianjin has a skline dotted with fantastic buildings to rival those anywhere, except in height. En-masse these buildings create a feast for the eyes, even untrained ones, and there are more going up all the time.

The architectural features that really stand out are the bridges. There are 24 bridges across the Haihe River, each of which has a unique design. There is even a Tianjin Bridge Culture Museum for those who want to know more.

Other sites of particular note are dealt with separately below.

The Municipal Museum is housed in a modern building. The exhibits are well displayed with enough information in English to make a visit worthwhile.

Some of the items on display date back thousands of years but the biggest collections are those relating to more modern events.

Opium Wars

Tianjin played a significant role during the Opium Wars. As Beijing's port, Tianjin was the most suitable landing spot for the foreign invaders arriving by sea.

Tianjin became a treaty port with concession areas for the foreign powers. These became the focus of further strife leading to some inglorious events on both sides.

Declaration of the Founding of the People's Republic of China

Somehow, many items relating to the Declartion of the Founding of the People's Republic of China have found their way here to the Tianjin Municipal Museum. The only explanation I got from the local guide was that the museum's curator had better guangxi (connections) within the government than the one in Beijing - but that still does not really explain how items relating to an event in the capital should find themselves on display in another city.

On display are the original microphone spoken into by Chairman Mao, and the first flag raised above Tiananmen.

China House is a fun site for kids of all ages. Created by a local eccentric at the expense of his fortune (and marriage) this residence has been converted into an original art display without comparison. Almost every square inch has been decorated with the ceramics that we subliminally associate with this country.

The Five Streets area is located where the old concession districts once stood - and permitted foreigners special rights. Many of the buildings that they had constructed have been preserved leaving an open-air museum to European architecture in the orient.

Visiting this area requires no special ticket, though you would be advised to take a guide and driver so as to be able to focus on the most interesting buildings and to learn more about their features and history.