Things to Do in Tianjin

No.1: Huangyaguan Great Wall

Type: Historic Site, Landmarks, Hiking

Recommended Length of Visit: half day

Huangyaguan Great Wall is situated in the mountain area in Jizhou, Tianjin. It was originally built over 1400 years ago in the Northern Qi Dynasty and reinforced with brick walls in the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368 - 1644). The Huangyaguan Great Wall connects the Malanguan Pass in Hebei in the east and the General Pass in Beijing in the west with a total length of 42km. There are 52 watchtowers and 14 beacon towers. From 1984 - 1987, 3025m of the wall and 20 watchtowers were restored, making it the longest part of the Great Wall restoration project in China.

No.2: Five Great Avenues (Wu Da Dao)

Type: Scenic Drives, Architecture

Recommended Length of Visit: 1 hour

The Five Great Avenues is a parallel street from east to west named under five cities of southwest China, namely Chongqing, Chengdu, Dali, Munan, and Machang. This area has a truly unique cityscape in Tianjin city and has earned itself a name of “World Building Exposition”. There are over 230 buildings in all kinds of style like British, French, Italian, German and Spainish, as well as over 50 houses lived by celebrities such as General Zhang Xueliang, educator Zhang Boling, previous US President Hoover... You could either take a horse-drawn carriage or walk down the avenues to appreciate the architecture and experience the local life.

No.3: Tianjin Ancient Culture Street

Type: Landmarks/ Points of Interest, Malls

Recommended Length of Visit: 1-2 hours

Ancient Culture Street is a place you shouldn’t miss. It is lined with many little stores and street shops selling everything typical Chinese from modern to traditional. It is a great place to look around and buy something that you wouldn’t see anywhere else. Among them the painted clay sculptures of Clay Figure Zhang, calligraphy and painting brushes of Four Treasures, double-sided embroidery, jade carvings, art ceramics etc. are famous. All goods are genuine and affordable with good quality.

Tianhou Palace, originally built in A.D. 1326, is situated at the middle section of the Ancient Culture Street. In the past, Tianhou Palace is the place where people pray for navigation safety. Now, it is the Folk-custom Museum of Tianjin and displays many folk crafts and relics of ancient times.

No.4: Jingyuan Garden

Type: Garden, Former Residence

Recommended Length of Visit: 1-2 hours

Built in 1921, Jingyuan, is the former residence of Puyi, the last emperor of Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1644 - 1912). Jing means serenity in Chinese, showing that the emperor tried to strengthen himself with noble spirit by living in a peaceful environment. Jingyuan is indeed a quiet little courtyard with lush flowers, mazy corridor, rugged rocks and clear spring, just like an untouched paradise on earth. The main building is a two-storey architecture in Spainish and Japanese style with dining hall, reception room, study, bedrooms, servants’ chamber, kitchen, exhibition hall, etc.

No.5: Shi Family Courtyard

Type: Landmarks, Courtyard

Recommended Length of Visit: 1 - 2 hours

Shi Family Courtyard is located in the Yangliuqing town, which is the former residence of Shi Yuanshi (Shi Family was one of the Eight Wealthy Families in Tianjin at that time). First built in A.D. 1875, it covers an area of over 6000㎡ and has 500 houses. It is made up of 12 ancient-style quadrangle courtyards on both sides of a 60-meter-long road and a few additional elegant pavilions, pools and gardens. The architectural style and all the decorations fully represent the folk culture and custom of the late Qing Dynasty and show the 200-year-long history of the Shi Family in Yangliuqing.

Now it serves as the folk custom museum in Yangliuqing which has a large collection of folk art pieces like Yangliuqing New Year pcitures and brick sculptures.

No.6: St Joseph Cathedral

Type: Sights & Landmarks, Religious Sites

Recommended Length of Visit: 1 - 2 hours

St Joseph Cathedral, also called Xikai Church, is located in Dushan Road, Heping District, Tianjin. It is the largest Roman-style building in Tianjin and was built in A.D. 1916 by Paul-Marie Dumond, a French missionary. It covers an area of 1891.95 square meters and can accommodate 1500 people at the same time. St Joseph Cathedral has three huge domes up to 45 meters, whose surface is covered by green copper plates. The huge domes are supported by wooden structures and there is a bronze cross on each of them. There is daily Mass at 6:00am and 07:30am and are religious activities on Sunday and Catholic festivals.

No.7: Dule Temple (Temple of Solitary Joy)

Type: Religious Sites

Recommended Length of Visit: 1 hour

Dule Temple, also called Temple of Solitary Joy, can date back to the early Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618 - 907). It is a Buddhist temple located in the town of Jixian, Tianjin. The temple is of historical as well as architectural significance. Its oldest surviving buildings are two timber-frame structures, the front gate and the central hall that houses a colossal clay statue of the Goddess Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara). Both structures date back to the Liao Dynasty (A.D. 916 - 1125) and are among the oldest surviving wooden buildings in China. It is good to take a short visit there after your Huangyaguan Great Wall trip in Jixian County, Tianjin.

No.8: Ferris Wheel, Eye of Tianjin

Type: Landmarks/ Points of Interest

Recommended Length of Visit: half an hour

Tianjin Eye, a Tianjin icon, is a 120-meter tall giant Ferris wheel built above the Yongle Bridge, over the Haihe River in Tianjin. It is the only Ferris wheel constructed over a bridge.

The ferris wheel is a pleasure to eye both in the evening and on a clear day. And when you are atop the wheel, you will get great views of the spiraling metropolis of Tianjin and capture fantastic view of Haihe River. It will be a relaxing 30 minutes’ trip.

No.9: Porcelain House

Type: Architectural Buildings

Recommended Length of Visit: 1 hour

Porcelain House, also known as “China House”, is a historic house-turned museum. Decorated and refurnished by antique collector Zhang Lianzhi, it is a true gem among the flashy billboard ads and touristy food street in downtown Tianjin. The pieces of porcelain span from Tang to Qing Dynasty. About 80 percent of the materials used in the house come from damaged antiques. The exterior of the porcelain house is lined with porcelain vases, while the interior exhibits various wooden antiques, as well as porcelain mosaic art.

The museum’s uniqueness has earned it the reputation as one of the world’s 15 most stunning museums. Now the Porcelain House is the most eye-catching building in Tianjin, and one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions.

No.10: Italian Style Street

Type: Scenic Drives

Recommended Length of Visit: 1-2 hours

Tianjin Italian Style Street, the former Italian Concession, is located in Hebei District of Tianjin City. It is a square area surrounded by four roads, namely, Wujing Road, Boai Road, Shengli Road and Jianguo Road. At present, there are more than 200 European buildings preserved intact. With strong Italian style, this street is built into a comprehensive multi-functional area integrating tourism, commerce, leisure, entertainment, and culture, which makes you feel as if you are in the old town of Marco Polo's hometown. In fact, the name of the circular square in the center of the block is exactly Marco Polo. It is a great place to take pictures.

No.11: Water Park

Type: Parks, Amusement/ Theme Parks

Recommended Length of Visit: half day

Tianjin Water Park is the largest urban park and recreation area in Tianjin. It consists of nine islands (Islands 1-9) and three lakes (East Lake, West Lake and South Lake). Surrounding the waterways are pathways, pagodas and gardens. The gardens showcase both Chinese and foreign architectural styles.

It is a good place to take your children to with a wide range of recreation facilities such as ferris wheels, trains, space ships, and water boats. It is also a refreshment for both adults and kids on hot summer days.

No.12: Panshan Mountain Scenic Area

Type: Mountains

Recommended Length of Visit: half day

Mount Pan is 110km away from Tianjin and 88km away from Beijing. Endowed with natural beauty and as a historical heritage, Panshan Mountain is known as “the First Mountain East of Beijing” and is listed as one the top fifteen mountains in China. In Ming (A.D. 1368-1644) and Qing (A.D. 1644 - 1912) Dnasties, 72 temples, 13 pagodas and numerous Xanadus and towers were built on the Mountain. Qianlong, a famous and wise Qing Dynasty emperor was so impressed that he made thirty or so visits and wrote 1336 poems to express his admiration of the area. Since it is not far from Tianjin or Beijing, it is good to spend half day in Mount Pan.