Tianjin

Tianjin (天津 in Chinese) is a large city of 11 million inhabitants in China located along the Hai river, 110km southeast of Beijing, 50km from the Yellow Sea. It is directly administrated by the central government in Beijing. Towards the end of the 19th century western powers set up concessions in Tianjin, self-contained areas, one for each western country, used for trade and business. For this reason Tianjin has remnants of colonial architecture, mixed with modern architecture and traditional Chinese architecture. The centre of Tianjin is a beautiful area with a pleasant riverfront, colonial era architecture and a business district. Tianjin can be reached from Beijing in half an hour by train.