Tianjin - the 4th most populated city in China

Tianjin is a metropolitan port city in northern China. Tianjin is the fourth largest in China in population, after Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou.  It  is only  30  minutes  away from  Beijing by the high speed  train.

Tianjin, referred to as "Jin" for short, is one of the four municipalities directly under the Central Government of China. Not only is it an international harbor and economic center in the north of China,but it is also well-known for its profound historical and cultural heritage.

It took a long time for the city to come into being. In ancient times, sea water receded from what is Tianjin now. For three times, the Yellow River, with the highest content of sand in the world, flowed through this place into the sea, thus forming Tianjin Plain. Even today, a few seashell dikes of ancient times can still be found in such places as Shanggulin in Tianjin.According to research findings, these dikes are the remains ofthe ancient coastal lines.

The name of "Tianjin", meaning "a port for the emperor", was first adopted in the first year of Yongle Reign in Ming Dynasty. In the second year of Yongle Reign (1404), Tianjin became a walled garrison. In 1860 Tianjin was opened as a trading port. In the 1930s, Tianjin became the largest industrial and commercial cityand financial center in the north of China.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Tianjin became a municipality directly under the central government. In1978, with the adoption of the policy to reform and open up tothe outside world, Tianjin became one of the first coastal cities in China to open up.

In the Outline of the 11th Five-Year Plan for the Development of National Economy and Society in the People's Republic of China,which was approved of in 2006, it is pointed out that the development and opening of Tianjin Binhai New Area is part ofthe overall national development strategy of China. In the future,efforts will be made to build Tianjin into an international harbor city, economic center in the north of China, and an ecological city. This positioning of the city provides Tianjin with a broadstage for Tianjin to seek further development.

Located at latitude 38°34'N-40°15'N and longitude 116°43'E-118°04'E,Tianjin lies in the northeast of the North China Plain, west of the Pacific Ocean, at the lower reaches of Haihe River valley, with Bohai Sea on its eastand Yanshan Mountain on its north.It is only 137 kilometers southeastof Beijing, the capital of China.Tianjin belongs to the 8th eastern international time zone.