Tianjin is one of the four municipalities in China. Its name means 'the place where the emperor crossed the river'. To the east of Tianjin is the Bohai Sea and not far to the west is Beijing. It covers an area of 11,300 square kilometers and there are 13 districts and five counties under its jurisdiction. The total population is 9.52 million. The average salary of Tianjin citizen is 1946 yuan.

Location and Climate

Tianjin lies in the northeast of the North China Plain, west of the Pacific Ocean, at the lower reaches of Haihe River valley, with Bohai Sea on its east and Yan shan Mountain on its north. It is only 137 kilometers southeast of Beijing. 

Located in the warm temperate zone, Tianjin has a sub-humid continental monsoon climate. The average temperature in a year is 11.1–12.0°C. The coldest month is January, with an average temperature of less than -4°C; the hottest month is July, with an average temperature of about 26°C. The annual precipitation is between 550 and 680 mm, 75% of which occurs in June, July and August.

Transportation

Getting in and out of the city is convenient because of the well-planned transportation system. If you want to come by water, there are a series of international and domestic sea routes in the port of Tianjin, which is the biggest man-made port in China. If you plan to arrive by air, Tianjin Binhai International Airport offers excellent service. Of course, arriving in Tianjin by land is another option, while trains or long-distance buses are yet another alternative.

Economy

Tianjin is the birthplace of modern machinery industry andtextile industry in China. At the beginning of the 20th century,Tianjin was the second largest industrial city in China. Since theadoption of the policy to reform and open up in 1978, Tianjin has become even more vigorous, and it is now on its way tobecoming an economic center with advanced technology,favorable environment, great strength in science andtechnology, and a rich supply of human resources.

Between 1993 and 2006, with its double-digit growth of grossproduction value every year, Tianjin became one of the areasthat developed rapidly in China.

Since the adoption of the policy to reform and open up, Tianjinhas opened wide to fuse itself into the global trend of economicdevelopment. In addition, the investment environment hasbeen improved steadily. Tianjin enjoys a lot of advantages in itsinvestment environment: its convenient port transportation,open market, excellent logistic services, attractive investmentpolicies, highly efficient government services, and its transactionenvironment characterized by honesty and cooperation. Sofar, Tianjin has attractedinvestment from over 110countries and regions, andnearly 18,000 foreign-fundedenterprises have establishedtheir branches in Tianjin,bringing along investmentmore than US $55 billion. Of the top 500 enterprises in theworld, more then 110 have invested in Tianjin.

In the Outline of the 11th Five-Year Plan for the Development ofNational Economy and Society in the People’s Republic of China,which was approved of in 2006, it is pointed out that thedevelopment and opening of Tianjin Binhai New Area is partof the overall national development strategy of China. Thisimportant decision will surely provide great momentum andfavorable conditions to boost the development of Tianjin.

History

Tianjin became a city centered on trade with docks and land transportation and important coastal defenses during the Ming and Qing dynasties. After the end of the Second Opium War in 1860, Tianjin became a trading port and nine countries, one after the other, established concessions in the city. After China implemented its reforms and open policies, Tianjin became one of the first coastal cities to open to the outside world. Since then it has developed rapidly and become a bright pearl by the Bohai Sea.

Culture

As a famous city of historic and cultural significance in China, Tianjin is a birth place of culture and arts in the north of China. It enjoys a reputation of a “cradle of operas” and “motherland of quyi”. The professional performance troupes of Tianjin deal with a wide range of arts, including Peking opera, pingju opera, Hebeibangzi, quyi, drama, singing and dancing, symphony, etc. The local folk arts of Tianjin are varied and interesting. The colorful Yangliuqing NewYear Paintings, vivid colored sculptures of Clay Figurine Zhang, impressive well-designed kites of the Weis, and exquisite carved bricks of the Lius are outstanding representatives of the folk arts of Tianjin.

Food

Tianjin has also a variety of traditional style foods , in which ,“Three Unique Foods of Tianjin” are comprised of Goubuli's Stuffed Buns, Guifaxiang Fried Dough Twists and Ear-Hole Fried Cake. Other special foods include: Zhang's Peanut K e r n e l , Cao's Donkey Meat, Lu's Fried Cake, Bai's Dumplings, Zhilanzhai Sweetened Rice Flour, Dafulai's crispy rice with vegetables and Stone Doorsill Steamed Stuffed Buns.

Tourism

Tianjin has a variety of places to interest tourists . In the city itself is the the beautiful Haihe River area, Tianjin Broadcasting and Television Tower, the well-known Ancient Cultural Street, Food Street, the Memorial Hall of Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao, the Memorial Hall of the Beiping (Beijing)-Tianjin Campaign, Tianjin Science and Technology Museum and the Museums of Nature, History, Art, Opera and Folk Customs. In Tanggu there is the Seaside Villa famous for its thermal springs and the world renowned Dagu Fort. In Jixian County there is the Huangya Pass of the Great Wall, a section famous for its wonderful scenery. Jixian County also contains the state tourist area of Panshan Mountain and Dule Monastery. 

Science, Technology and Education

Tianjin is the birth place of the first institution of higher learningin modern China. In 1895, Sheng Xuanhuai, an official of theQing dynasty, established the first modern university in China—Tianjin Beiyang University of Western Studies, the predecessorof the present Tianjin University. Nankai University, PremierZhou Enlai's alma mater, is as famous as Tianjin University. Alltogether, there are over 40 institutes of higher learning in Tianjin,with a total of approximately 300,000 registered students.Tianjin is among the earliest regions in China to provide 9-yearcompulsory education; and it is among the top three in Chinain terms of regional education capability. In Tianjin, there arenearly 1,000 scientific and technological research institutes,over 600,000 technicians, and a large number of experts andscholars famous at home and abroad. The overall scientific andtechnological strength of Tianjin is among the best in China.Tianjin Hi-Tech Industrial Park, founded in 1988, is one of the first national new and high-tech industrial development zonesestablished with approval from the State Council of China. Thepark has become a symbol for scientific and technologicalprogress in Tianjin.

Universities in Tianjin:

• Tianjin University 
• Tianjin University of Technology 
• Tianjin University of Science & Technology 
• Nankai University 
• Tianjin University of Finance and Economics 
• Tianjin University of Commerce 
• Tianjin Normal University 
• Tianjin Agriculture University 
• Hebei University of Technology 
• Civil Aviation University of China 
• Tianjin Institute of Urban Construction 
• Tianjin University of Technology and Education 
• Tianjin Foreign Studies University 
• Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts 
• Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 
• Tianjin Medical University 
• Tianjin Conservatory of Music