Tianjin Travel Guide: Top Cultural Places of Interest
Welcome to Tianjin! The cosmopolitan trading centre, just an hour train ride from capital Beijing, is a stunning port city offering travellers a mix of old-world charm and contemporary entertainment. Heritage lovers can explore ancient buildings from the Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644), or discover how life was like when Tianjin was home to foreign concessions in the late Qing Dynasty (1636 – 1912).
Visiting Tianjin for a few days? The team at Pan Pacific Tianjin recommends fun things to do in Tianjin that includes the city’s top seven cultural and heritage attractions:
- Visit the Garden of Serenity—the last Emperor’s former home
- Step back in time to the grand Shi Family Mansion
- Get a bird’s eye view at Tianjin Eye
- Stroll down the bustling Ancient Cultural Street (Guwenhua Jie)
- Be awed by the Temple of Great Compassion—Tianjin’s oldest and largest temple
- Uncover centuries of Chinese history at Tianjin Museum
- Admire various architecture styles along the Five Great Avenues
(Looking for a place to stay in Tianjin? Pan Pacific Tianjin is a five-star hotel located along the Hai River, offering a wonderful view of the city and the Tianjin Eye. Contact us for more information on our promotions!)
1. Visit the Garden of Serenity, the last Emperor’s former home
Named Jing Yuan or Garden of Serenity by the ill-fated Puyi—the last Emperor of China’s Qing dynasty (1636 – 1912)—this large Spanish brick-wood manor was where he lived with his wife and concubine from 1929 to 1931.
Stroll through the protected compound with impressive courtyards and gardens. As you do so, you can catch a rare glimpse of Emperor Puyi’s daily and political life through photos, literature exhibits, as well as his restored bedroom and reading room.
Get directions to Garden of Serenity
2. Step back in time to the grand Shi Family Mansion
Wonder how the upper echelons of Qing society lived? Visit the Shi Family Mansion. The sprawling edifice was once the residence of the titular family, one of eight prominent families in Tianjin in the 19th century.
Built in 1875, the magnificent mansion has been lovingly restored into the Yangliuqing Museum today. It showcases a large collection of folk art pieces and period furnishings characteristic of the Manchu-reigned Qing dynasty. Take time to walk through the 10,000 square metre-compound of 12 quadrangle courtyards, pavilions, and gardens. Look out for a private theatre reputed to be the oldest in North China.
Get directions to Shi Family Mansion
3. Get a bird’s eye view at Tianjin Eye
If you are looking for a place to take the best photos of Tianjin, look no further than Tianjin Eye, one of the most famous modern landmarks in the city. At its highest point, the Ferris wheel rises 120 metres above ground or the equivalent of a 35-storey building, offering an unparalleled view.
For photos of the Tianjin Eye itself, walk three minutes from Pan Pacific Tianjin to the Jingang Bridge which spans the Hai River.
4. Stroll down the bustling Ancient Cultural Street
Take a fun stroll down the Ancient Cultural Street (or Guwenhua Jie in Mandarin) and soak in the vibrancy of bygone times. The bustling street boasts intricate Qing dynasty replica houses, stalls selling folk handicrafts, and popular local snacks.
At the centre is the Palace of the Queen of Heaven, first built in 1326 as a place of worship to Mazu, deity of seafarers. Today, the building is remodelled into the Tianjin Folklore Museum. The oldest building on the street, however, is Yuhuang Pavilion built in the Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644). Climb to the top of the two-storey building to enjoy a splendid view of the area.
Get directions to Ancient Cultural Street
5. Be awed by Dabei Buddhist Temple, Tianjin’s oldest and largest temple
Covering 42,000 square metres, the revered Temple of Great Compassion (also known as Dabei Buddhist Temple) is the largest, oldest, and best preserved religious building in Tianjin. It consists of two wings—the West temple was built in 1669 while the East temple was only completed in 1942.
Inside the latter, you will be awed by a seven-metre high Ming dynasty statue of Sakyamuni with 9,999 Buddhas carved on the lotus throne. Do also look out for the large collection of Buddha statues carved from various materials like bronze, iron, stone, and wood. Found in the West temple’s Grand Hall, they date back to every Chinese dynasty from the Wei and Jin period (AD 220 - 589).
Get directions to Dabei Buddhist Temple
6. Uncover centuries of Chinese history at Tianjin Museum
Do not be deceived by its modern and angular appearance—the Tianjin Museum is actually 100 years old. The largest museum in the city, the cultural institution is also one of the first in the country.
Delve deep into China’s rich history with close to 200,000 artefacts of historical and cultural significance. They include oracle bone scripts—bones or tortoise shells with inscriptions from the Shang dynasty (1556 BC to 1046 BC)—as well as ancient coins, bronze ware, jade ware, ceramics, paintings, and other relics.
Good news if you do not read Chinese as the exhibits come with English labels and captions.
Get directions to Tianjin Museum
7. Admire various architecture styles along the Five Great Avenues
Imagine the Five Great Avenues as the Tianjin equivalent of California’s Beverly Hills, where the rich, powerful, and famous resided in the early 20th century.
On both sides of the streets are more than 2,000 villas built in the 1920s and 1930s in various Western architecture styles—Classical, Baroque, Gothic, Roman, Renaissance, and a fusion of traditional Chinese and Western.
For added dramatic flair, you can choose to hire a horse-drawn carriage and remain true to the street’s history! Along the way, you can snap a photo of yourself against the backdrop of these extravagant Tianjin dwellings.
Get directions to the Five Great Avenues
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Toll-Free Room Reservation Numbers
No. 1 Zhang Zi Zhong Road,
Hong Qiao District, Tianjin,
China, 300091
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