About Tianjin

Tianjin is the sixth largest city in China, with an urban population of over 8 million. Located on China's northeastern coast and a 30 minute train ride from Beijing, Tianjin has long been one of the nation's most important port cities.

In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Tianjin was home to foreign concessions, each with their own prisons, schools, barracks and hospitals. Today, the European architecture left by British, French, German, Russian and Italian colonialists, remains a major feature of the city.

Geography

Tianjin is one of four direct-controlled municipalities in China, meaning it is equal in status to a province. 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 and Hangu.

Tianjin is at the northern end of the Grand Canal of China, which connects with the Huang He and Yangtze rivers.

Tianjin Municipality is generally flat, and swampy near the coast, but hilly in the far north, where the Yanshan Mountains pass through the tip of northern Tianjin.

Tianjin's climate is a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate characterized by hot, humid summers, due to the monsoon, and dry, cold winters, due to the Siberian anticyclone. Average highs in January and July are 2 °C (36 °F) and 31 °C (87 °F) respectively). Spring is windy but dry, and most of the precipitation takes place in July and August. Tianjin also experiences occasional spring sandstorms which blow in from the Gobi Desert.

Economy

The nominal GDP for Tianjin was 750 billion yuan (US$110 billion) in 2009, a year-on-year increase of 16.5%. The manufacturing sector was the largest and fastest-growing sector of Tianjin's economy.

In 2009, per capita GDP was 62,403 yuan. 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.

Culture

Tianjin cuisine places a heavy focus on seafood, due to Tianjin's proximity to the sea. Prominent menus include the Eight Great Bowls, a combination of eight mainly meat dishes. It can be further classified into several varieties, including the rough, smooth, and high. The Four Great Stews refers actually to a very large number of stews, including chicken, duck, seafood, beef, and mutton.

Tianjin also has several famous snack items. Goubuli is a traditional brand of baozi (steamed buns with filling) that is famous throughout China. Guifaxiang is a traditional brand of mahua (twisted dough sticks). Erduoyan 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.

Transport

Tianjin has an excellent public transport system comprised of bus, metro and tram.

Railways link Tianjin to other major cities including Beijing (30 minutes on the bullet train).

Tianjin also has an international airport with flights to Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul and major Chinese cities.