Tianjin Italian Style Town and Five Great Avenues

Historic Italian And British Concession Districts Of Tianjin · Tianjin, Tianjin

Two of the best-preserved foreign concession districts in China, in the port city of Tianjin, just half an hour from Beijing by high-speed train. After the Boxer Rebellion, eight foreign powers carved Tianjin into concessions along the Hai River, and Italy took a small district in 1902 - its only concession anywhere in Asia. Restored as the Italian Style Town, its streets of villas with arcades, balconies and red roofs centre on Marco Polo Square, where a column topped by a bronze Angel of Peace rises above cafés and restaurants; nearby are the former homes of the reformer Liang Qichao, whose Ice-Drinking Studio is now a museum, and of the playwright Cao Yu. Across the river, in the former British concession, the Five Great Avenues are a quiet grid of tree-lined roads with more than two thousand garden villas in English, French, Italian, Spanish and Art Deco styles, built in the 1920s and 1930s for warlords, deposed officials, bankers and film stars. Horse-drawn carriages carry visitors past mansions such as the Qing prince's residence, and Minyuan Stadium has become a public square. The districts are best explored on foot, with evening cruises on the Hai River, the Tianjin Eye Ferris wheel and crosstalk comedy teahouses nearby.

Marco Polo Square, Italian Style Town, Hebei District, Tianjin, Tianjin, China

Streets of both districts open at all hours and free. Jing Yuan Tuesday-Sunday 8:30-11:30 and 13:30-16:30; other museums and residences roughly 9:00-17:00, often closed Mondays (check).

Tianjin Italian Style Town and Five Great Avenues on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos