Tianjin is just a hop and a throw from Beijing, China’s rock n’ roll capital and home to an ever-increasing number of live music venues and music bars. Although Tianjin does have a live music scene of its own (albeit a very small one), overall the scene ... Read More>>

Tianjin may be a mere thirty minutes from Beijing by bullet train, but it sometimes feels half a world away. Choices for the ex-pat are inevitably sparse, even in such a big city. The book-thirsty Tianjiner can find innumerable shops selling Chinese ... Read More>>

For foreigners living in Tianjin, TEDA is a little mysterious. TEDA, though considered part of Tianjin, is forty kilometres away, or forty minutes by light rail, and has numerous distinct characteristics. Read More>>

In our last visit to Tianjin, we looked at some of the city's most interesting non-Chinese options. This time, we are back with a few local flavors to tempt your palate. Read More>>

In a recent article, I discussed some of the shopping alternatives on offer in the Pearl of the Bohai. The majority of these were major department stores and large scale malls situated around Nanjing Lu and Binjiang Dao, the city’s main shopping area. This ... Read More>>

Binhai is an industrial city and falls well behind Beijing in terms of history and culture, but it does have some good places to visit, such as the Water Park, Ancient Culture Street and the TV Tower. Binhai Aircraft Carrier Theme Park is a remarkable and ... Read More>>

Indian restaurants in Tianjin remain something of a niche attraction. For those with a hunger for genuine Indian cuisine, it can be hard to find. Only two somewhat under-appreciated restaurants serve a city of ten million people. Cooking Indian food at home ... Read More>>

Shoes are a basic necessity in modern, daily life. Perhaps taken for granted, many of us think of shoes merely as a means of protecting the feet, keeping out the cold or as an aesthetics aid etc. However, shoes are more than that. They also carry with them ... Read More>>

In order to satisfy consumer demand and improve the commercial viability of Tianjin, the city will construct a total of ten new and unique commercial streets, each one with its own distinctiveness and special focus. Among the plans, is an alteration of one ... Read More>>

I will pre-cursor this article by explaining that for much of my research I used my Italian friends in Tianjin as something of a pizza-based barometer. What better way to judge typically Italian cuisine, I mused, than with actual Italians? Their elevated ... Read More>>

One of the most common refrains from my friends in Beijing is that they have, “always meant” to make the journey to Tianjin, but have somehow, “never got around to it”. In northern China, Tianjin is something of the forgotten sibling, overshadowed by ... Read More>>

In various articles and travel programs, you may hear the label 'The City of Bridges'. Pittsburgh and Florence are just two cities that have been granted this moniker. However, with thirteen bridges spanning the Haihe and its tributaries, Tianjin also has a ... Read More>>

For most shopaholics in Tianjin, the destination of choice is usually the same. They will tend to head for the areas surrounding the junction of Nanjing Lu and Binjiang Dao. It is here they are likely to find everything from high-end department stores to ... Read More>>

I arrived in Tianjin in 2006 before any of the modernization that accompanied the city's involvement in the Olympics had really begun to kick in. At that time, the roads were badly surfaced and dusty, the transport system inefficient and dirty, and the ... Read More>>

In cities like Beijing and Shanghai, the volume and variety of bars is such that it is easy to divide them into endless sub-categories. 'Bars to eat', 'bars for live music', 'bars to hook-up', the list can go on and on. In Tianjin, the lack of choice ... Read More>>

Over the past decade, Tianjin has developed at pace to become one of China's most vibrant and prominent cities. This can easily be seen in the redevelopment of the city's old concession areas and the beautifying of the Haihe riverfront, as well as through ... Read More>>

In recent years a number of new attractions have opened in Tianjin seeking to give a flavor of old town life. Places like the Ancient Culture Street and the Tianjin Museum may be relatively newly built, but they nevertheless offer fascinating insights into ... Read More>>