Tianjin Attractions

Walking down the Fifth Avenue or Chifeng Lu is like strolling down an old black andwhite movie. There are more than 230 buildings of English, French and Italianstyles on Fifth Avenue alone. French buildings stand out among the crowd, especially on Chifeng Lu, which was the heart of the French zone. From Central Park, which used to be a French garden, six lanes branch out into downtown shopping areas.

Fifth Avenue was once a seedy den of traitors and intrigue. Before 1949, the street was known as the Governors' Street due to the number of warlords and politicians who made this street their refuge after being disposed or run out of office in the mercurial world of Chinese politics. Many Chinese celebrities also made their home in this stylish area in an effort to escape the chaos of the era.

From high treason to high fashion, Chifeng Lu now forms the core of Tianjin's fashion scene. The street, home to rows of hip clothing shops with funky names like Bomb Plastic, Bubbly Disco and Rome Holiday, the young and fashionable swarm to this area for the latest in haute couture.

Not only did the foreign residents build charming homes, they also left many places of worship in the city. Among them, the Wanghai Lou Cathedral has experienced dramatic ups and downs, emblematic of China's turbulent past with the west. The cathedral, located by the Shizi Lin Bridge, north of the Haihe River, was first built in 1869 by French Catholics and over the years was destroyed and rebuilt several times over and is now once again an active place of worship.

Unlike the many Chinese cities, Buddhist temples don't dominate the places of worship in Tianjin. The largest and best maintained temple is the Grand Mercy Temple beside the Jingang Bridge in the Hebei District. More than 300 years old, it's been home to some outstanding bronze, stone and wooden statues dating back several hundred years.

The streets in Tianjin tend to be twisty mazes. Once you step off the main boulevard, it's easy to get lost in the labyrinth of old concession era and Chinese style buildings. The small streets are great for those looking for a cozy adventure through the narrow alleyways. A great way to get about the city's narrow streets is to rent a bike for the day.

Although Tianjin has over a century of western influence, the city has produced some of China's best folk artists. The Old Culture Street, areconstructed antique marketplace in theNankai District, is a good place to scour fortraditional Chinese art and souvenirs. Mostof the items here, knick-knacks likemeditation balls, stone seals and jade (orfaux-jade) jewelry are aimed directly fortourists. There's also a marvelous array ofless common items such as traditional kitesand clay figurines of mythological figuresand opera characters available at manyshops. These figurines arefamous in Tianjin, especially those made bythe Zhang family. Unlike the colorful clayfigures from other parts ofChina, the works by theZhangs are a reflection onlife, the eyes of thesesmall mud men figurines express sorrow,happiness, joy andfrustration. The Zhang'sand other shops sellingthese figurines can befound on the Old CultureStreet.

During the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), the marketplace isclogged with vendorsselling paintings andcalligraphy that are hungon doorways andwindows for good luck inthe New Year. A handfulof shops sell thesedecorations all yeararound and they make forinteresting gifts. DuringSpring Festival, the wholecity is kitted out in red,whole windows areplastered with red papercuttings offlowers and good luck symbols. The normalgrey drab of northern Chinese citiessuddenly turns scarlet red as any availablepiece of frontage is pasted with these festivedecorations.