Just the ticket to Tianjin
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China Daily, August 4, 2011
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Ultra-modern high-rises and the giant Ferris wheel, modeled after the London Eye, dot Tianjin's twinkling skyline at night. [Source: China Daily] |
The giant Ferris wheel on Yongle Bridge is modeled after the London Eye, and was set up in 2009. The Global Financial Center, Tianjin's tallest building at above 300 meters, has a futuristic feel, although the exterior design is borrowed from traditional Chinese paper-folding art.
For long the commercial gateway to northern China and a significant treaty port since the conclusion of the Second Opium War in 1860, Tianjin today is a curious amalgam of architectural styles. From Ming dynasty (1368-1644) courtyard houses, constructed on the lines of Chinese theory to classic Victorian and baroque in the concession areas to Chinese-Western hybrid styles - villas with octagonal doorways but domed roofs - the city has it all.
The Italian concession area, to which the Austro-Hungarian occupied area was added after World War I, doubling its size, is probably the most spectacular and lively among the erstwhile legation quarters.
Cafeterias spill out on the cobblestone roads, fountains spray the passer-by with mild jets of water, while bronze and marble sculptures of lovers and musicians compete for attention with their real-life counterparts.
Once the home of Chinese ideologue Liang Qichao and playwright Cao Yu, the Italian concession area today serves as a permanent stage for impromptu performances by rock groups, buskers, fashionistas sporting blue wigs and gothic make-up and couples in bridal gowns and tuxedoes, posing for a photo shoot.
We had a lavish lunch at Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Hotel, hosted by Tianjin municipal information office, between lessons in the art of wielding a polo mallet. Derek Reid, former Australian national polo team captain, had sold his horse to the Metropolitan's Polo Club and then followed her to China. He now leads the team of professionals at the club.
The facilities are as big as they are luxurious, spread out over 898,000 square meters in Tianjin's Binhai Hi-Tech Park. The club also holds the distinction of organizing Asia's first snow polo tournament, but we didn't get to see much on-field action, in the height of summer.
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