In the afternoon, Five Great Avenues.
Sunlight filters through plane tree leaves, dappled shadows falling on those century-old Western-style houses. A horse-drawn carriage slowly passes by, hooves clopping. In the café on the street corner, someone holds a book, someone spaces out—time slows down here.
This is Tianjin’s most pleasant corner.
Tianjin is a city that makes you relax.
Province Profile#
- Location: Northern China, lower reaches of Haihe River
- Best Travel Season: April-May, September-October
- Highlights: Western-style charm, crosstalk art, Tianjin cuisine, port city
Must-Visit Attractions#
Five Great Avenues: Exposition of World Architecture#
Five Great Avenues is Tianjin’s most romantic place, with 22 streets and over 2,000 garden-style Western houses.
These Western houses were mostly built during the Republic of China era, with British, French, German, Italian, and Spanish styles… various styles gathered here, called the “Exposition of World Architecture.”
Minyuan Plaza is the center of Five Great Avenues, with European-style buildings surrounding it, green lawns—a great place for Tianjin people to relax. Prince Qing’s Mansion is the residence of Zaizhen, the last Prince Qing, blending Chinese and Western styles, magnificent and stately.
Best Experience: Rent a horse-drawn carriage, or ride a shared bicycle, slowly wander, and see those beautiful buildings hidden on street corners.
Italian Style Town: Little Italy of the East#
Italian Style Town is Asia’s only well-preserved Italian-style architectural complex.
Marco Polo Square has a Peace Goddess sculpture in the center, surrounded by Italian-style buildings—red brick and white walls, arched doorways and colonnades. In the evening, restaurants on the square begin to open, with people drinking beer and chatting at outdoor tables, like being in a European town.
Best Experience: Come here in the evening, find a restaurant, sit at an outdoor table, and feel the exotic atmosphere.
Ancient Culture Street: Tianjin’s Time-Honored Brands#
Ancient Culture Street is where Tianjin’s traditional culture gathers.
Tianhou Palace is one of Tianjin’s oldest buildings, dedicated to Mazu. Clay Figure Zhang, Yangliuqing New Year Pictures, Kite Wei and other time-honored shops line the street—you can buy some handicrafts as souvenirs.
Best Experience: Listen to a crosstalk performance in a teahouse, laugh until your stomach hurts, and feel Tianjin people’s humor.
Haihe River Night Tour#
Haihe River is Tianjin’s mother river, with beautiful scenery on both banks.
Tianjin Eye is the world’s only Ferris wheel built on a bridge, 120 meters high, taking 30 minutes for one rotation. Sitting in the cabin, overlooking Tianjin’s night scenery—romantic beyond words.
Jiefang Bridge is Tianjin’s landmark, all-steel structure, can be opened. Century Clock is Tianjin’s symbol, a giant clock standing in the square.
Best Experience: Take a cruise in the evening, from Tianjin Eye to Jiefang Bridge, watch the lights on both banks, feel Haihe River’s night scenery.
Special Experiences#
Listening to Crosstalk#
Tianjin is the hometown of crosstalk, with performances in teahouses every day.
Mingliu Teahouse and Qianxiangyi are Tianjin’s most famous crosstalk teahouses. Spend a few dozen yuan, buy a pot of tea, listen to two hours of crosstalk, laugh until your stomach hurts. This is Tianjin people’s favorite pastime.
Porcelain House#
Porcelain House is a French-style small building decorated with ancient porcelain pieces, using over 700 million ancient porcelain pieces and over 13,000 ancient porcelain vessels.
The entire house is covered inside and out with porcelain pieces—walls, ceilings, stairs, furniture… colorful and bizarre, Tianjin’s most unique attraction.
Tianjin Cuisine#
Tianjin cuisine is mainly snacks. Goubuli Baozi is Tianjin’s calling card, with thin skin and big filling, full of juice. Jianbing Guozi is Tianjin people’s breakfast, mung bean batter spread into a thin pancake, with egg, crispy wafer, and sauce—crispy and delicious. Shibajie Mahua is a Tianjin specialty, crispy and sweet.
Erduoyan Zhagao, Guobacai, Shuligao… Tianjin’s snacks are enough for you to eat for several days.
Travel Tips#
- Transportation: Tianjin has an airport and multiple high-speed rail stations; from Beijing, it takes only 30 minutes by high-speed rail. The city’s subway and bus are very convenient.
- Accommodation: Recommend staying in Heping District or Nankai District, close to Five Great Avenues and Ancient Culture Street.
- Note: Reserve seats in advance for crosstalk—it’s crowded on weekends. For jianbing guozi, find a shop with a queue—that’s where the authentic taste is.
Tianjin’s charm lies in its relaxed feeling.
Without Beijing’s tension, without Shanghai’s fast pace, Tianjin people know how to enjoy life. Drinking tea, listening to crosstalk, wandering Western-style houses, eating snacks… here, time seems to pass especially slowly.
Come to Tianjin and learn to slow down.
Tomorrow, we head to Hebei to see the Imperial Summer Resort in Chengde and the seaside scenery of Qinhuangdao.