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Tianjin

The formation of Tianjin has undergone a long period of time. The name of Tianjin, first emerged during the early period of Emperor Yongle of China's Ming Dynasty, means a ferry crossing where the Son of Heaven has passed. In the second year of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty (1404), Tianjin started building fortifications and defenses as a strategic military place. In 1860 Tianjin was turned into an open port. For years its industrial production and port trade volume were only second to Shanghai, becoming the second largest commercial city in China and the biggest financial and trading center in north China. After the founding of the People's Republic of China Tianjin was turned into a municipality directly under the central authorities.

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Shopping and Food

Shopping

• Shenyang Road Second-hand Goods and Antique Market
  Shenyang Road Second-hand Goods and antique Market was originally an old commodity exchange market, and later developed into an antique market. Now it has become one of China's biggest antique distributing center. Inside the market, there are over 300 stalls and booths. All of the shops are decorated in an ancient style, classic and elegant with all sorts of commodities. The antique market is not only favorably received by the collectors and fans, but also attracts many travelling merchants from all over China, Hongkong, Macao, Taiwan, Japan and Korea.

• Tianjin Quanyechang Department Store
  Tianjin Quanyechang Department Store is situated at the conjunction of the Binjiang Road and the Heping Road. Set up in 1928, it is a famous commercial building. The market building has 7 floors, and covers an area of 24,000 square meters. The founder was Gao Xing Qiao. At that time, four banners written with "Advising Our People to Flourish, The Successful Business Is Based on Hardworking, Advanced Business and Add New Scenes to the Market" were set up to tell the aim of the market. Since 1990's, the market has become a stock enterprise group. In 1994, a large-scale expansion construction was completed, On the basis of the traditional style, with modern international advanced design and technology, the market has become a business and entertainment center at the end of this century. There is a running area of 36,000 square meters inside the market. It has one floor underground, and 9 floors above the ground. It is equipped with 2 sightseeing lifts and 16 auto staircases. Focused on the public and based on middle class commodities, the market also develops high-class commodities and in an appropriate way adds some advanced consuming goods. The market also has a large electronic screen sound controlled music fountain and a television monitor system. It has 200,000 guests everyday and nearly 300,000 during holidays, and has around 130 million yuan of total sales every month.

• Binjiang Road Business Street
  Binjiang Road Business Street is located on the west of Haihe River and is the busiest commercial district of Tianjin. Along the road, there are not only such large department stores with a long history as Quanyechang Department Store, Hualian Shopping Center and the Department Store, but also some old shops like Tianjin Shoe Store, Hengdeli Clock Store, Guanshengyuan Food Store, and Shengxifu Hat Store as well as some newly built shopping centers and special stores such as Binjiang Commercial Building, Isetan shopping Center and International Market. Especially, on the small commodity market from the Shandong Road to the Nanjing Road of the Binjiang Road Business Street, gather sorts of booths and stalls, with flowing travelers. After day off , the colorful lights flare and some snack booths with Tianjin flavors come to the street one by one, which has become one scene of Tianjin night market.

• Strolling Through Ancient Culture Street
  For anyone who is in Tianjin for the first time and wishes to see its old cultural traditions and customs, the best place to go is Ancient Culture Street. Ancient Culture Street, in the northeastern part of Lanjie, extends to the north and south of the Mazu Palace. The square in front the palace is big enough to hold a thousand people. Built around the square are atres and ballad halls, where fine performances are given on almost all festival days. A spectacular "Imperial Festival" is held in and around the square every year on the 23rd day of the third lunar month. A giant archway inscribed with the words "An Old Neighbour-hood of Tianjin" stands at the entrance to the street, and behind the archway is a street of 600 metres long lined with buildings in the Qing-dynasty architectural style. There are so many different buildings that the eye cannot take them in all at once. Walking by these buildings with grey walls and decorated with colourful streamers is like walking into the past. Past. The most note-worthy things are the boards inscribed with the names of shops and with couplets at the shop fronts, which are written by famous calligraphers. Walking through the archway, the first shop that comes in sight is the shop of Zhang, the Sculptor of Clay Figurines. There is also a special shop selling the famous New Year pictures of Yangliuqing. Studio of Living Stone is the name of another eye-catching shop because it is decorated with a long string of multiple national flags and advertisements written in both Chinese and English. Most of the things sold in the shop are curios, including portraits of emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Next to the studio is a stall selling chatang, a soup made with millet flour and brown sugar. To attract patrons, the stall keeper demonstrates his skill of holding four bowls in one hand while pouring boiling water into them from a huge pot with a dragon-shaped spout.

• List of Tourist Designated Stores in Tianjin

Note : Web Site of Wing On Emporium is http://www.tianjin.gov.cn\wing-on\.
 

Restaurants

• Goubuli Stuffed Bun
  It is a pity for the visitors who come to Tianjin without eating Goubuli Stuffed Bun. The hot steamed stuffed bun is very pleasant to the eyes. If the visitor has a taste of it, he would surely find it is so delicious, yet not very greasy. The key to its excellent flavor lies in its ingredient choosing, mixing, as well as dough making. They are all of special skills, especially the symmetrical wrinkles of the stuffed bun, with over 15 on each of the steamed stuffed bun. "Goubuli Stuffed Bun" Restaurant was first called "Dejiuhao", and had a history of over 100 years. At that time, the manager's name is Gao Guiyou, "Gouzi (In Chinese, it means Dog.)" is his nickname. His stuffed buns are much loved by the customers. The restaurant becomes co prosperous that "Gouzi" is too busy selling his stuffed buns to have time to talk with customers. And people play joke at him, "Gouzi " is selling his stuffed buns, and has no time to talk to the customers (In Chinese, it means the dog doesn't respond.). With the pass of time, people are used to calling the name, "Goubuli". With his stuffed bun becomes famous, the name of Gao Guiyou comes to be forgotten. "Goubuli" Stuffed Buns were very much appreciated by the Dowager Cixi in Qing Dynasty, and now they have won the masses' and foreigner's praises. Today, "Goubuli" Stuffed Bun has been introduced to many countries.

• Food Street
  Located in Nanshi of Tianjing, the Food Street looks just like a solid ancient city. Inside the city is a cross pattern street and at the crossing, there is a music fountain. The whole building has 3 floors, and the city has glass roof. It has 4 gates: "the zhenyu Gate ", "the Xingge Gate", "the Zhongsheng Gate", and "the Huayu Gate". Covering an area of 40,000 square meters, the street has over 100 eating houses, all of which have their characteristic food with strong local features. The Chinese food includes Chuan food, Lu food, Cantonese food, Su food, Zhe food, Xiang food, Jin food and Tianjin food and foreign food includes Japanese food, Russian food, Italian food, French food and German food.

• Muslim Restaurant
  Tianjin Hongqishun Food & Beverage Co.Ltd. is an old Muslim restaurant with the original name Hongqishun Restaurant. It was first built in 1936, and had a history of over 60 years. Now 16 chain restaurants have been set up in the whole city. With the operation principle of "masses oriented and Inexpensive", it offers series of Muslim dishes, seasonal dishes of various classes, opens various rooms, individual seats, small or big dining rooms and so on, which are suitable for the masses and groups to hold wedding or birthday banquets. 8 grand chefs, together with 10 grand waiters and banquet-designers, over 60 other famous chefs, waiters, can offer you the best service. In 1994,5 chefs of the restaurant took part in the national Muslim style cooking competition. They made great achievements by taking 7 golds and one silver for their 8 masterpiece dishes, including Peony Shrimp, Dragon Litchi and Summer Fruits. In 1996, the hotel sent one chef to participate in a world cooking competition. He won the silver for his outstanding dishes, Dragon's Bolstering Fish, Two Butterfly Flowers. Since the reform and opening up, the Hongqishun Restaurant has hosted a lot of foreign friends from Muslim countries for dinner. In 1995, during the 43rd World Pingpong Championship, the restaurant had won great praises from officials and game players of Muslim countries. It was even honored as an example unit for its excellent reception work during the competition. In addition, the Chief of Singapore Commercial Commission (Hui Nationality), the Turkey Ambassador to China, the xinjiang Minority Delegation and Mr. Ma Jian, the vice Chairman of the Nationality Commission have all been guests here.

• Western Style Restaurant-Tianjin Qishilin Restaurant
  First built in 1901, the Tianjin Qishilin Restaurant is a comprehensive medium-sized restaurant. It was established by Qishilin, who came from West Germany, and featured with western-style meal, western-style cakes, bread, candies and coffee Right now, the fixed assets of Qishilin Restaurant amount to 50 million yuan, with 550 staffs (among them, 220 have gained above third-class title for technical, 18 have gained grand titles.) The restaurant now possesses a production & working area of 20600 square meters, 24 net-work stations, 60 chain stores. The annual sales income is 30 million yuan, and the profit & tax 2 million yuan. Now Qishilin Restaurant provides customers with Russian, German, English, French, Ltalian-styled dishes, together with Wuxi-styled Chinese food. Among them, various traditional dishes are served here, for example, milk shrimp, milk erabshell, Jewish beef, German sour fish, Russian soup, French seafood, oysters, butter fried chickens, English apple pie, chocolate Sand, Cream Musi, ice-cream, coffee, and milk shake, together with western style cakes, cool or hot beverage, candies, coffee, bread, biscuit, seasonal mooncake, and sweet dumpling. The Qishilin Restaurant is a comprehensive one, which takes food and beverage, food processing, sale and services in one. After liberation in 1949, Qiashilin Restaurant has hosted many guests in fields, from over 100 countries. Bush, the former President of the U.S, had been here 6 times. Wudan, ex-Secretary General of the UN has been here. During the 1950's, the respected senior state leaders, Deng Xiaoping, Chen Yi, He Long had also visited Qishilin Restaurant.

• List of Tianjin Designated Tourist Restaurants

List of Tianjin Designated Tourist Restaurants