Tianjin
Tianjin is the third largest city in China and one of the four Chinese municipalities directly governed by the China central government. Its location is near Beijing (130km) and the coast (40km). The urban population is about 6 million people. Cruise boats with tourists for Beijing embark in Tianjin cruise port.
Airport
Binhai International Airport has flights to Japan and Korea. At the airport is China’s largest air cargo terminal. Binhai airport is 13km away from Tianjin city center. Binhai Airport provides a bus service to Beijing Airport and shuttle buses to the city centre and Tianjin Railway Station. (high-speed train). Fare is about 16 Yuan.
Train
– Tianjin Railway Station (main station)
– Tianjin West Station
– Tianjin South Train Station
– Tianjin North Train Station
– Tanggu Railway Station (in Tanggu District)
About 75 trains run every day between Tianjin and Beijing. The distance between both cities is 115km. The majority of the trains to Beijing are high-speed trains leaving from Tianjin Railway Station and arriving at Beijing South Railway Station. Their speed is 350km/h. Travel time is only 30 minutes. From Beijing South Station depart the highspeed trains to Tanggu Station where the cruise boats embark. At Tanggu Station you catch a bus or taxi to the cruise terminal.
Metro
At this moment are 5 metro lines operational and 1 line under construction. Chinese website of the metro is tjdt.cn
Hotels Tianjin city centre
– Tian Cheng Hotel Tianjin (5 stars, 437 reviews, 8.1)
– Ibis Tianjin Railway Station (3 stars, 213 reviews, 7.6)
– Tangla Hotel (5 stars, 197 reviews, 8.3)
– The St. Regis (5 stars, 133 reviews, 8.7)
Hotels TEDA Economic Zone / cruise port
– Crowne Plaza Tianjin Binhai (75 reviews, 8.5)
– Holiday Inn Binhai Tianjin (38 reviews, 8.5)
Attractions
– Dabeiyuan Monastery: largest Buddhist monastery in Tianjin
– Confucius Temple
– Ancient Culture Street: near Confucius Temple
– Shenyang Road Antique Market: hundreds of stands and shops
– Art Museum
– Great Mosque: important Islamic Mosque Qing Dynasty
– Great Wall at Huangya Pass: 120 km from Tianjin
– Mount Panshan
Light rail
The light rail is 45km long and the longest in China. The line is connecting Tianjin downtown, Hedong District, Dongli District, Tanggu District, TEDA and Tianjin Free Trade Zone. The train operates from 06.00 to 21.00. The route is: Zhongshanmen – Yihaoqiao – Erhaoqiao – Xinli -Dongli Economic Development Area – Xiaodongzhuang – Junliangcheng – Tianjin Pipe Corporations – Hujiayuan – Tanggu – TEDA – Citizen Plaza – Binhai International Convention and Exhibition Center – Donghai Road.
TEDA
The TEDA stands for Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area. It is an area of 27 square kilometers with enterprises, port and residential areas. It was one of earliest approved development zones in China. Many foreign multinationals have invested in TEDA. To name a few: Toyota, Motorola, Samsung, Honeywell, Akzo Nobel, Exxon, Volkswagen and Nestle.
TEDA has several sub-zones:
– TEDA (the first park: established in 1984)
– TEDA MIP (Xiqing): Micro Electronics Industry Park (1996)
– TEDA YSP: Yat-sen Scientific Industry Park (1996)
– TEPZ: Tianjin Export Processing Zone (established in 2000 in the TEDA)
– TEDA West: expansion of TEDA (2003)
– TEDA MIP (Jinnan): Micro Electronics Industry Park (2003)
– Nangang Industrial Zone (2009)
Distance to downtown Tianjin is 40km, to the airport is 38km and to Beijing is 130km. Inside the TEDA are expressways and an extensive transportation network. Official English website is http://en.investteda.org
Binhai New Area (TBNA)
Binhai New Area is a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) located on the Eastern coast. It includes Tanggu District, Hangu District, Dagang district and 8 industry functional zones. It will be developed in a shipping center and an international logistic hub (port and airport of Tianjin are both in Binhai). The resident population of Binhai is planned to be 1.4 million people. With the Tianjin-Beijing highspeed train it takes 50 minutes to Beijing. Official website of Binhai is: http://en.bh.gov.cn
Tianjin port
Tianjin port is located in the Binhai New Area, 5km from TEDA. It is the largest cargo port in North China. In the Tanggu District is the Tianjin cruise terminal. Five highspeed trains are running every day from Beijing to Tanggu Railway Station. Travel time is 54minutes. Official website of Tianjin port is www.ptacn.com (in Chinese)