Tianjin

Geography and Climate

Ocean-side Tianjin is the sixth largest city of China and is one of the municipalities. Located on the Bohai Gulf just north of the Grand Canal, Tianjin boasts beautiful seascape and riverside views. The Hai He River forms within Tianjin at the confluence of the Ziva River, Daging River, Yongding River, North Grand Canal, and South Grand Canal; and enters the Pacific Ocean at the city as well. Tianjin Municipality located in Hebei province and borders the Bohai Gulf to its east while Beijing is not far away to its northwest; the latest high-speed train has make the journey between Tianjin and Beijing less than half an hour. The administration area of Tianjin is generally flat while it is swampy near the coast and hilly in the far north where situated the Yanshan Mountain. Tianjin’s urban area is the third largest in the country covering 11,917 square kilometers and the city has a population of more than 11.7 million. Besides the main urban district, the municipality now also incorporates the coastal region of Tanggu, home to the Binhai and the Technology and Economic Developing Area.

Because of its location in the temperate zone and bordering the Bohai Gulf, the city has a monsoon-influenced temperate climate. The climate features distinct seasons with hot, humid summer and cold, dry winter. Spring in Tianjin is windy but dry and most of the precipitation takes place in July and August. The annual average temperature is 12.9 centi-degree with the even precipitation accounts for 520-660 mm.

Economy

Tianjin is one of the most important industrial bases in Northern China and it has developed an industrial system with complete range. The major industries in Tianjin are steel industry, chemical, automobile etc. Recent years, Tianjin bureau has optimized its industrial structure when the high and new technology industry has contributed more to its economy. In 2009, the GDP for Tianjin was around 910.8 billion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 17.4%. The local financial income accounted for more than 106.8 billion RMB, jumped by 30% from the year of 2008.

After the open up and reform, Tianjin has made continuous efforts to improve the investment environment and hence the openness of its economy. Therefore, nowadays Tianjin has boasted a large portion of oversea trading and foreign investment in its dynamic economy. More than 125 companies of the world top 500 has invested and based their subsidiaries in Tianjin, and Tianjin is renowned for its high rate of return. Thanks to the establishment of the Technology and Economic Developing Area, we can see a bright future of Tianjin’s development.

Culture and Tourism

Despite its proximity to the national capital, Tianjin dialect is a distinct offshoot of Beijing dialect. Anyone who has learned standard Mandarin will have no trouble understanding the softer sibilance. Tianjin cuisine is renowned for its focus on seafood, for its location closing to the sea. Numerous fresh water and saltwater goodies as fish, shrimp, scallops, mussels, and turtle has made Tianjin’s cuisine extraordinarily tasty. Tianjin also has various snack items which enjoy national reputation. The Goubuli baozi is a kind of steamed buns with various fillings which is famous throughout the country.

Tianjin is rich in cultural and historical heritages, which also make it an attractive destination for tourists. Famous attractions in Tianjin include the Tianhougong (ancient temple), Historical Culture Street, Wen temple and other exotic churches etc.

Education

There are numerous reputed universities in Tianjin raging from comprehensive universities to various professional technology colleges. Nankai University is the most renowned one in the region.