Tianjin

When the Anglo-French invaders negotiated the Treaty of Peking to end the Second Opium War, they insisted that Tianjin be opened up as a treaty port. It was home to some of China’s first museums, art galleries, nightclubs and cinemas. Tianjin also had a strong cultural identity thanks to residents like the future Premier Zhou Enlai, who helped establish the New Culture Movement. Intellectual life was supported by the founding of both the oldest newspaper and the first modern university in China. Tianjin’s fame reached an apogee during this jazz age, when it was home to 20 foreign embassies and, after he was expelled from the Forbidden City, China’s last emperor, Henry Pu Yi (whose former home still stands). Today, Tianjin is the biggest trading port of northern China. Though the city has always resided in the shadows of its neighbor Beijing in terms of technological advancement, it has recently undergone a major facelift. Known to be friendlier and more patient than Beijingers, Tianjin residents are helpful to foreigners. No visit is complete without sampling Tianjin’s three culinary specialties: baozi (steamed dumplings), mahuan’r (fried dough twists) and erduoyan zhagao (deep fried dough cakes filled with red bean paste). Seafood is popular as well. 天津市
Train: New high-speed bullet trains from Beijing South Railway Station make the trip to Tianjin in about 30 minutes. At its fastest, it reaches 350km per hour. Tickets cost RMB 58-69 and can generally be purchased on the day of travel. Trains depart every 15-30min 6.15am-10.10pm. If you can stand the slower journey of 90min, regular trains also depart from Beijing Station (tickets RMB 30-35).
Car: Tianjin is 140km away from Beijing – 101km on the highway – but the journey can take 90-180 minutes
depending on traffic. Take the Southeast Third or Fourth Ring roads to the Jingjintang Expressway and follow signs to Tianjin. Tolls run around RMB 35. The new Jingjin Expressway, also known as the No. 2 Jingjintang Expressway, is already in operation. From the Huagong Qiao (化工桥) toll gate on the Southeast Fifth Ring Road, the journey is 147km and takes less than one hour to downtown Tianjin, and about 90 minutes to the terminal Beitang, which is a well-known seaside town popular with Beijingers seeking fresh seafood. The highway toll to Beitang is RMB 76 for sedans.