| The formation
of Tianjin has undergone a long period of time in
the history. The name of Tianjin, first emerged
during the early period of Emperor Yongle of China's
Ming Dynasty, means a ferry crossing where the Son
of Heaven has passed. In the second year of Emperor
Yongle of the Ming Dynasty (1404), Tianjin started
building fortifications and defenses as a strategic
military place. In 1860 Tianjin was turned into
an open port. For years its industrial production
and port trade volume were only second to Shanghai,
becoming the second largest commercial city in China
and the biggest financial and trading center in
north China. After the founding of the People's
Republic of China Tianjin was turned into a municipality
directly under the central authorities.
Tianjing Antique market (guwan shichang) is one
of the China’s most impressive markets.
Just the sheer size and variety makes it fascinating
to stroll around, especially on Sunday mornings.
The Ancient Culture street (gu wenhua jie) of
Tianjing is an attempt to recreate the appearance
of an ancient Chinese city. On certain public
holidays streets operas are staged here. It is
claimed that the Temple of Tianhou (tian hou gong)
located here was built in 1326. Among the other
temples the most famous located in Tianjing are
Confucius Temple (wen miao), Great Mosque (qingzhen
si), Dabeiyuan Monastery (dabeiyuan), and the
Catholic Church (xikai jiaotong).
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