Tourism

Five Great Avenues Historical and Cultural Block

Located in the south of downtown Tianjin, wudadao, named the Five Great Avenues by local people, is actually a block consisting of five parallel streets running from east to west and named for five cities of southwest China, namely Changde, Chongqing, Dali, Munan and Machang.

The wudadao area covers a land area of more than 600,000 square meters and has a total area of over one million square meters.

The building complex has over 2,000 houses in various architectural styles of the 1920s and 1930s from western countries such as Britain, France, Italy, Germany and Spain, of which more than 300 have been lived by celebrities. They are recognized as a unique "world architecture exhibition" in Tianjin.

The wudadao area was designated as the British Concession after the United Kingdom opened its concession in Tianjin on Dec 17, 1860.

At the start of the 20th century after the Revolution of 1911, imperial family members of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and some ousted politicians left Beijing to Tianjin and build their residences here.

In addition, many prominent tycoons, wealthy businessmen, celebrities from all walks of life, and high officials serving the Beiyang Government (1912-28) during the period of the Republic of China (1912-49) also lived on the Five Great Avenues.

Hundreds of Chinese and foreign dignitaries and celebrities dwelt here including the 31st President of the United States (1929-33) Herbert Clark Hoover (1874-1964) and former US Secretary of State (1950-51) George Catlett Marshall (1880-1959).

Main attractions:

Xiannong Courtyard, Minyuan Square, Minyuan Xili, Machang Avenue, Former Residence of Feng Guozhang (1859-1919), Former Residence of Nathan

Feng Guozhang, the leader of Chinese warlords in Hebei province under the Beiyang Government, who also served as the vice-president and acting president of the Republic of China.

Edward George Nathan was once the chairman of the board of directors and manager of the Kailuan Mining Bureau, China's biggest cleaned coal production base, which opened in 1878.

Haihe River Tour

The 72-kilometer-long Haihe River winds its way through the city and flows into the Bohai Sea, instilling vitality to the entire city.

Attractions along the river

Xiaobailou: Used to be a residential area for expatriates, the area absorbs various cultures and thus has a western style of architecture of which Tianjin Concert Hall has been the landmark of the area. Today Xiaobailou is a high-end business zone.

Jie Fang Bei Road: Located close to Haihe River between Jie Fang Bridge and Jie Fang South Road, the Financial Street used to be the major area for numerous foreign banks and was thus titled the “Wall Street in the East”. Currently it still functions as a base of various financial institutions in Tianjin. The majority of the architecture on the street has a history of over a hundred years. Walking along the street people can feel the great development of China’s financial industry in modern history.

Jin Men and Jin Ta: Tianjin World Financial Center comprises of Jin Men and Jin Ta which include a super five-star hotel—St. Regis Hotel, and a 336.9 meters office building respectively. The hotel is a door-shape building, which sheds light on the name of Jin Men (Men stands for door in Chinese) and in the meantime represents Tianjin opening up for people from other places.

The Astor Hotel: Built in 1863, The Astor Hotel is the oldest hotel in Tianjin and the first large foreign invested hotel. In 1996, it became the only hotel in China that was titled the national key cultural relics protection unit.

Italian-Style Tourist Area

Tianjin's Italian Style Area, with a history of 119 years and more than 100 Italian-style villas, has become the epitome of history and culture protection by Haihe River, as well as a bridge for economic and cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries. 

As the largest cultural cooperation project between China and Italy, it is also the only area with Italian-style buildings and Italian cultural elements in Asia. With presenting European elements as its theme, this area is becoming comprehensive international region with tourism, business, leisure, entertainment and culture. 

In the tourist area, there are buildings of different styles from Italy, including more than 30 former residences of celebrities in history. As witnesses of the ups and downs of modern China, the houses and streets there have countless stories to tell. 

Liang Qichao, a renowned Chinese scholar in modern politics, wrote his Methodology for History Research and other masterpieces here. The playwright Cao Yu, author of Thunderstorm, spent his childhood and youth here.

In 2015, the National Tourism Administration released the first list of "Trustworthy Tourist Areas in China", on which were 55 A-class tourist areas in Tianjin, including Italian-style Tourist Area, among 1,801 tourist areas throughout China. 

With advantageous geographic location, profound cultural heritage, and tempting investment opportunities, Italian-style Tourist Area has attracted increasing attention from both home and abroad. Receiving over 5,000 visitors each day, Italian-style Tourist Area has become a new namecard of the tourism industry of Tianjin.

Tianjin Eye Ferris Wheel

It is the only Ferris wheel in the world that is built on a bridge. With a diameter of 110 meters and 48 cabins, the Ferris wheel can accommodate 384 people at the same time. At its highest point, which is equivalent to the height of 35 floors, the tourists can enjoy scenery around 40 kilometers, hence the name "Tianjin Eye".

Panshan Mountain

Endowed with natural beauty and historical heritage, Mount Panshan is known as 'The First Mountain East of Beijing'. Its famous jade pine trees, strange and astonishing peaks, clear waters, grotesquely shaped rocks and clusters of ancient temples won admiration from many emperors in ancient China. 

Being a national 5A scenic spot in the northwest of Jizhou district, it is a National Demonstration Area of Ecological Tourism. It is known for the pines in the upper part, stones in the middle part, and water in the lower part.