The biggest open city in the coastal area of North China, Tianjin wins itself the name of the Pearl of the Bohai Sea.
Tianjin is in a temperate, continental monsoonal climate zone with four clearly demarcated seasons. The average annual temperature is 12.2oC with the lowest in January of -4oC and the highest in July of 8oC. The average annual rainfall is 559.1mm.
The best seasons for tourists are spring and autumn. Tianjin is a complex community with the Han, Hui, Manchu, Korean and the Mongolian nationalities.
The seat of Tianjin was originally a sea area. Now remains of the sea animals such as the whales and the dolphins and various shells can be found under the ground. The formation of this area triggered by the building of the Grand Canal in the Sui Dynasty (581-618). After the mid-Tang Dynasty (618-907), Tianjin became the port for rice and silk from south to north. Tianjin had been a militarily strategic city and a transportation center of China until the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). In the 2nd year (1404) of the Yongle reign in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Tianjin was built to be a guardian city. Since the 17th century, the scale of the city has been expanded. Tianjin became the 2nd largest industrial and commercial city after Shanghai and the biggest financial center of North China when it was claimed as a commercial port for foreign trade in 1860. In the mid 1930s, Tianjin had altogether 10 Chinese-invested banks, 16 foreign invested banks and 17,000 stores, and its exports made up 25% of China’s total.
Being the biggest port city in the Bohai Sea area, Tianjin has a coastal line of 152.8 kilometers and a land boundary line of over 700 kilometers. 120 kilometers far from Beijing, Tianjin Port is the largest comprehensive port in North China, which has established trade ties with more than 300 ports in 170 countries and regions. At present, Tianjin has formed a modern transportation network with the port as its center and the combination of transport means of sea, land and air. The coastal area of Tianjin is rich in fishery, mineral, seawater and tourism resources.
There are many ways to savor the flavor of Tianjin. Swimming, climbing the mountains, and wandering in the downtown area can all bring you unexpected enjoyment.
(Source: chinaculture.org)
