Located in the north of China, about 2 hours' drive from Beijing, Tianjin is one of China's four semi-autonomous city Municipalities, along with Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing. It rests against the Yanshan Mountains, borders Bohai Bay and is traversed by the Haihe River. Because of its history as a foreign concession after the Opium Wars, Tianjin is often nicknamed ''the Shanghai of the North.''
Today, Tianjin is a major industrial base and a transportation hub serving Hebei Province and the nearby municipality of Beijing. Its favorable geographical location on Bohai Bay makes it one of the most important ports in the northeast. Due to its close proximity to the capital, the city has always been strategically important. It thus has a long and colorful history.
Travelers quickly fall in love with Tianjin for its panoramic views, fascinating buildings, laid-back lifestyle and tasty seafood. Its streets are lined with European-style buildings, as well as the Qing Dynasty-style structures of Guwenhua Jieand Tianhou Gong. The latter is a temple that also serves as the place to worship Mazu, Goddess of the Sea. Other interesting temples in the city include a Confucius Temple, Wen Miao; the Buddhist Dabeichanyuan Monasteryand Dulesi, the Temple of Unique Joy.
The areas around the outskirts also boast some wonderful historic sites and natural scenery. Fort Dagukouwas once one of the strongest forts in the Bohai area, while the serene Mount Panshan is today a playground for residents of Tianjin and Beijing who wish to escape the city for the weekend. And history and nature come together in the form of the Great Wall at the Huangya Pass.
Other worthwhile sites include the Tianjin Museum of Science and Technology, which boasts one of the greatest planetariums in China, or the Tianjin Natural History Museum. The city is also home to the Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao Memorial Hall.
Though the city's nightlife is quieter than that of Beijing or Shanghai, there are plenty of bars and restaurantsto satisfy the hungry, thirsty traveler. There are also plenty of stalls selling local snacks like Shiba Jie Mahua(fried dough twist), Goubuli Baozi(steamed stuffed bun) and Erduoyan Zhagao (Chinese doughnut).

Tianjin is located between 38.57°-40.25° N Latitude and 116.71°-118.67° E Longitude. It sits at an elevation of 2.2 to 50 meters above sea level. Tianjin is located on the eastern part of the North China Plain, by the Bohai Bay. Tianjin lies in a temperate zone and it enjoys four distinct seasons. The average annual temperature is 13°C, with average summer maximums of 32C (90F) and January lows going down to -7C (19F). It gets annual precipitation of 550 to 680 mm a year. Spring and autumn are the recommended periods to travel.

The jurisdiction area of Tianjin is 11,305 square kilometers. As of 2006 the city's urban population reached 6.97 million (Han 97%, Hui 1.75% and Manchu 0.57%).

History

Tianjin was first put on the map as Zhigu (Straight Port) during the Sui Dynasty, when the Grand Canal was constructed. It was named Tianjin (Heavenly Ford) in 1404. By this time the city officials had added city walls to protect it from pirates. It was established as a prefecture in 1725 during the Qing Dynasty, and as a county six years later. When in 1858 the Treaty of Tianjin was signed after the Opium Wars, the city was divided up and conceded to a number of foreign powers. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Tianjin fell to the Japanese and was ruled by the puppet state of Manchukuo. It was later turned into an American base, but was finally returned to Chinese hands in 1947. Since the beginning of Reform and Opening Up in the 1970s, the city has experienced rapid economic development. Today, with the construction of the Tianjin Binhai New Area the city's economic momentum is swinging upwards.