Tianjin is one of China's four municipalities under the direct jurisdiction of the Central Government and the fourth largest city in China. Tianjin is skirted by the Bohai Sea to the east and bounded by the Yanshan Mountains to the north. It lies 120 kilometres to the southeast of Beijing. Tianjin is an important industrial base and an economic centre with the largest artificial seaport for foreign trade and cruise ships in North China.

Tianjin is a famous city with a long history and abundant resources. With the policy of reform and opening-up to the outside world great achievements have been made on the urban construction and tourism. Tianjin has formed a scenery layout with the city proper as the centre, Jixian County, and Tanggu District as the wings. Tianjin's urban area has been expanded with Wuqing, a former county of the municipality, included to be one of the city's districts. The adj ustment , approved by the State Council· in June 2000, was made in order to promote further development of Tianjin. Located between Tianjin and Beijing, W uqing encompasses 1,570 square kilometres and has a population of 820,000. The port of Tianjin is Beijing's gateway to the sea.

Tianjin is also noted for its points of interest. In the suburban Jixian County is found the Temple of Solitary Joy. First built during the Tang Dynasty (618907), the temple is famous for its superb wooden structure, its gigantic clay figure of Buddha and its coloured frescoes. To the northwest of the county seat lies Mount Pan, a favourite mountain resort for many emperors over the ages. Mount Pan ranks with Mount Tai and Mount Lu among the fifteen mountains in China illustrious for their scenic beauty. Within the city itself the Water Park with its three lakes and nine islands, is a pretty scenic spot. The Garden of Tranquillity, studded with pavilions and terraces and threaded with the Long Corridor, excels in its Chinese-style garden layout. The modern-style zoo houses rare birds and animals of various kinds. There are four famous handicrafts in Tianjin, such as Tianjin Carpet, Yangliuqing New Year Pictures, Clay Figurine Zhang, and Wei Kite.

Residents in Tianjin began to drink clean water diverted from the Yellow River on November 1, 2000. The water was diverted at Weishan Gate in Dong'e County, in East China's Shandong Province, and flowed into Tianjin from a distance of 580 kilometres.

The Museum of Tianjin History

With a history of600 years, Tainjin is a stage displaying different architectural styles-the epitome of modern Chinese society. Around 854 buildings are regarded as historically significant, covering an overall area of 141 square kilometres. And 85 per cent of them belong to foreign architectural styles, including British, French, German, Italian, Belgium, Russian, American and Japanese.

Opened on December 23, 2004, the 600th anniversary of the city's founding, the exhibition is a regular feature. With a large amount of cultural relics, historical documents and photographs, the exhibition highlights the importance of Tianjin in the modern history of China, and displays the collision and fusion of Chinese and Western civilizations.

On December 23, 1404, the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) set up the military organization Tianjin Garrison (tianjinwei). (Inscriptional record on the Repair of the Sanguanmiao Temple, "engraved in 1550, and displayed at the exhibition, explains that Tianjin means" the ferry-place where the heavenly son passed by. "Emperor Yongle (1403-1424) of the Ming Dynasty gave the name, after he crossed the river in Tianjin to seize power. With the development of water transport of grain to the capital from the south, the salt industry and commodity circulation, up to about 1850, Tianjin grew from a garrison town to the second largest city in North China, next only to the capital Beijing. After the Second Opium War (1856-1860), Tianjin became the centre of the Qing Dynasty " Westernization Movement (yangwu yundong ) in northern China. It was in Tianjin that China's first telegraph and telephone lines were put up, that China's first set of stamps was released, and that China's first land force military school was established. An early telephone, a rifle made by Tianjin Machinery Factory, and a model of "Rocket of China," the first Chinese-made locomotive show the crucial place of Tianjin in China's modernization. After Tianjin was forced to become a treaty port in 1860, altogether nine countries set up concessions in Tianjin. Colonial rule also brought foreign culture, including Western architecture and music. At the same time, native culture like Peking Opera, and quyi (various forms of folk performing arts) thrived in Tianjin. At the exhibition, people can sit in a model of an old tram a!).d listen to Peking Opera, experiencing the co-existence of Western and Chinese cultures. The exhibition also records the wars that happened in Tianjin, from the invasion of the Eight-Power Allied Forces (1900), the War of Resistance Against Japan (1937-1945) to China's War of Liberation (1945-1949).

Located at the intersection of Youyi Road and Pingjiang Road, the Tianjin Museum provides a comprehensive collection of history and arts. With some 200, 000 exhibits, it presents a rich world of culture through its various exhibitions.

A doggerel which introduces Tianjin's old famous brands like this:

"Laomeihua's shoes, Darentang's medicine, Zhengxingde's tea (which roughly means' upright, prosperous and moral') and Shengxifu's hats. "

Construction of the Beijing-Tianjin-Tanggu freeway has begun and is expected to open to traffic before the 2008 Olympic Games. The intercity railway between Beijing and Tianjin will also open soon, shortening the commute between the cities to merely 30 minutes. Moreover, the expansion of Binhai International airport and the deep-water channel of Tianjin port will largely strengthen communication between Tianjin and other cities, paving the way for the sound development of the region's economy.

The Yangliuqing New Year Pictures

Yangliuqing is a small to\vn in the western suburbs of Tianjin. New year pictures workshops appeared there at the end of the Ming Dynasty (13681644), employing people to paint, cut wood, print and mount pictures. During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), "Yangliuqing" became the country's most famous kind of woodblock picture. At its heyday, most people living in the town and in the surrounding 32 villages were engaged in the business. They produced more than 20 million pieces a year. As well as maintaining the sincerity of traditional folk paintings, the Yangliuqing pictures also absorbed the characteristics of traditional Chinese "realistic" painting and paid close attention to the details of the figures. The colouring used the different effects of "soft colours (gentle, clear and sometimes pinkish)" and "hard colours (strong, deep and pure) . " Y angliuqing pictures use both process printing and hand drawing for colour. The themes range from the dignified door-god (whose pictures were often pasted on the front door of a house as a talisman in old China), chubby children and elegant ladies, to scenes from ancient novels and folk tales. The images are vivid and colourful. Larger sized woodblock pictures are a specialty of the Yangliuqing pictures.

TV Tower Town

The TV Tower Town is situated between the highest tower in Asia, which is the Tianjin Radio and TV Tower and the largest part, which is called Water Park. It encompasses 200,000 square metres. It is adjacent to the sport and recreation centre, universities and the advanced and new technology industry area. It has geographical advantages, convenient traffic and graceful environment.

Solitary Joy Temple

Located in Jixian County, 113 kilometres from Tianjin city, the Solitary Joy (dule) Temple, also known as the Big Buddha Temple, was first constructed in the Tang Dynasty and rebuilt in 984 in the Liao Dynasty. Dule means exclusive happiness. Legend has it that when An Lushan (? -757, a general of the Tang Dynasty) rebelled against the emperor, he held a meeting here at the temple before going to war and he gave the temple its present name because he wanted happiness exclusively for himself instead of sharing it with the people. The temple consists of an entrance gate, the 23-metre-high Guanyin (Avalokitesvara or Goddess of Mercy) Pavilion and the chambers on the east and west sides. The gate, the roof of which has five ridges and four slopes, is China's extant oldest. The pavilion, built in 24 different systems of brackets inserted between the top of a column and a crossbeam, is the cream of China's extant high-rise pavilions of wooden structure. On top of all this, it stands formidable despite 28 major earthquakes. Inside the pavilion is a 16metre-high clay statue of Avalokitesvara, or the Goddess of Mercy, beautiful in shape and enchanting in mien, a rare treasure among clay sculptures following the style of the Liao Dynasty (907-1125).

The Panshan Mountain

The Panshan Mountain is located 12 kilometres to the northwest of the Jixian County seat. It is renowned for its beautiful landscape in China. The mountain is an extension of Yanshan Mountain with an average elevation of 500 metres. Its peak towers nearly 1,000 metres, Historically, it was reputed as "No 1 Mountain in East Beijing." According to historical records, from the 2nd century onwards, many celebrated emperors of China such as Li Shimin ( 599-649; reigned 626-649) of the second Tang Emperor, Kangxi and Qianlong of the Qing emperors paid visits to this mountain and there are still preserved here many inscriptions by illustrious figures in Chinese history. The scenery of the Panshan Motmtain is always beautiful throughout the year because apart from the elegant mountains and cliffs, it is covered with deep foliage. The mountain has five peaks, such as Guayuefeng , Zigaifeng , Zilaifeng , Jiuhuafeng and Wujianfeng ; eight rocks such as Hanging or Suspending (Xuankong) Rock , Shaking (Yaodong) Rock , Sun (Liangjia) Rock , General (Jiangjun) Rock , Wood-Clamping (Jiamu) Rock , Skylight (Tianjing) Rock , Frog (Hama) Rock , and Python ( Mang) Rock.m 1:1; There are 72 monasteries and Taoist temples and 13 exquisite pagodas and pavilions, terraces, buildings and towers. They are comparable to the Wutai Mountain in Shanxi Province, which also has five peaks. Therefore, it is also known as the East Wutai Mountain. The best scenery of the Panshan Mountain is the pine forests at the top , the strange rocks at the middle and the streams at the foot of the mountain . The mountain is some fifty kilometres in circumference. The visitor can find an attraction at almost every step and a lot of the attractions have delightful legends about them. It has been opened to the public since 1979.

Yangcun Mini World

Situated in the west of Yangcun Township of Wuqing District, Tianjin, the Yangcun Mini World is 80 kilometres from Beijing to the north and each 30 kilometres apart from Tianjin to the south and Langfang to the west.

The Yangcun Mini World boosts the world famous and typical scenery, historic spots, architecture and art of different countries, according to a certain proportion to miniature within one garden. The garden is a large-scale comprehensive amusement park with its appropriate cultural recreational activities and service trades.

It encompasses 32 hectares of land. The entire garden constitutes according to the natural terrain of the earth with sceneries scattered reasonably, strewn orderly mountains alternating with rivers, and combining movement with quietude. The 113 scenes of more than 80 countries are miniature within one garden according to 1 : 1 and 1 : 50 relative proportion. A part of the water region of over 13.33 hectares (32.93 acres) is reserved for growing lotus and fish raising. In water the visitor can cruise round "the world" on the yacht of Columbus. The visitor can also row boat in "the Atlantic" and go angling in "the Indian Ocean." The world famous bridges reflecting amid the lakes and mountains connect the five continents and four oceans in the garden as a whole. The narrow paths are full of twists and turns between the scenes with shades of green trees. All these fully realize the organic combination of the garden being of the East and West. The 113 points of interest in the garden can be summed up into the following categories:

(1) The historic spots of ancient culture-the Great Wall of China, the Pyramid of Egypt, etc.

(2) The example of modern architecture-The Eiffel Tower of France, the Sydney Opera House of Australia, etc.

(3) The essence of world sculpture-the lOO-metre sculptured corridors, etc.

( 4) Religious temples and churches-Cathedral of St. Basil Blazhenny of Russia, the Great Golden Pagoda of Rangoon, and Myanmar, etc.

(5) The famous natural scenes-Mount Fuji of Japan, Mount Rushmore National Memorial of the USA, the scenes of Latin America, etc.

(6) The scientific scenes of the world-the Greenwich Clock of the U. K. , and the Monument of Equator, etc.

(7) Folk custom and folkways of different countries-Windmill of Holland, the native dwelling houses of New Zealand, etc.

In the garden, the visitor can not only review the human history and learn the modern culture but also amuse oneself and mould one's temperament. The recreational spots with the attractions of foreign countries and region such as Hampton Forest Labyrinth, the Doll Museum of Finland, the Mini Golf of Germany, the Amusement Town of Lisbon of Macao and the Children's World, the Future World, the Lucky Cave, the Water Paradise, the Pavilion of Magic, etc. will bring you boundless joy .