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Places in China: Tianjin Municipality

This municipality is China's third largest city and the largest open seaport in North China. It is around the fifteenth largest on the list of the world's largest cities. Its population is 9.5 million and occupies 11,300 square kilometres of land area.

There is not a lot to see in this large city since it is more business-oriented than tourist-oriented. There are shops selling souvenirs and momentos of Chairman Mao, but the visitor attractions are few and far between.

Tianjin is neither a province nor even within a province. It is one of only four Chinese cities classified as municipalities which are under the direct control of the Chinese central government. The other three such municipalities are Shanghai, Beijing and Chongqing.

Because of its location on the Bohai Gulf on the western shores of the Pacific Ocean, Tianjin is most important as a port city. In the 12th century, the city served as a distribution centre and storage area for agricultural products. During the Ming Dynasty, Tianjin became an important port city for China. Foreign countries manipulated the Chinese government and acquired rights to open settlements for their countries within Tianjin under the Treaty of Tianjin in 1856.

Tianjin is now the second most important international trading port in the country. Shanghai has first place. The municipality faces North and South Korea as well as Japan. It is now the major industrial and commercial area in North China.

The nation's capital of Beijing is 137 kilometres to the northwest of Tianjin. Thus, this city is a natural exportation port for businesses in the Beijing area.

The Grand Canal of China flows through Tianjin which helped to make the metropolis important in the past. The southern parts of the country had to send grain as a tribute to the Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty. They largely used the Grand Canal as their transportation so the grain passed through Tianjin.