Tianjin

Tianjin (Chinese: 天津; Hanyu pinyin: Tiānjīn; Wade-Giles: Tientsin) is a major port city and municipality of northern China; it is the port for Beijing. The population of the municipality is 15.1681 million.^[1] Tianjin is a direct-controlled municipality, therefore the Chinese Central Government directly governs it.

History[edit]

Before 1949[edit]

Tianjin was founded during the Sui Dynasty at the northern end of the Grand Canal and became a major trading center. The Treaty of Tianjin at the conclusion of the Second Opium War in 1858 opened the city to foreign trade and residence, and a number of quasi-colonial foreign concessions were established by the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria-Hungary, the United States, Russia and Japan. In 1870 rumors that French missionaries were kidnapping and killing Chinese orphans led to the Tianjin Massacre, in which the main Catholic church and monastery were destroyed and priests, nuns and converts killed. Tianjin was occupied by Boxer forces during the 1900 Boxer Rebellion and suffered great destruction. It was occupied by Japan between 1937 and 1945, and in 1949 was occupied by the Communist-led Chinese People's Liberation Army.

After 1949[edit]

There was a massive explosion at the Tianjin port in Mid-August 2015. It claimed the lives of over 100 people and was thought to be caused by inadequate Chinese safety standards, relating to the safe storage of hazardous materials. Chinese authorities have confirmed that sodium cyanide, a deadly chemical, has been detected near the explosion site.^[2]

Geography[edit]

Tianjin is surrounded by the Chinese province of Hebei, is bordered with Beijing on parts of its northwest quadrant, and is bordered with the Gulf of Zhili on its southeast quadrant.

Demographics[edit]

As of 2014, the city has 15.1681 million residents, of which 4.7618 million come from outside the city.^[1]

Cuisine[edit]

Tianjin is known for goubuli baozi, which are stuffed steam buns that are usually filled with pork.^[3]

References[edit]