Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street is located in the Nankai
District of the Tianjin Municipality and was formally opened in
1986. It is located on the west bank of the Haihe River, with
Tianhou Palace as its geographical center.
Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street begins at Gongbei Avenue in the
north, and ends at Gongnan Avenue in the south, being 0.36 miles
long and 16 feet wide. Although essentially a business street,
Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street attracts tourists who come to see
its special architectural styles, admire its classic cultural
features, buy various folk crafts, and sample the delicious local
Tianjin snacks.
Above all, as visitors walk along the street, they will be
particularly impressed by the splendid replica classical
architecture in the folk style of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
Standing at the center of Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street,
Tianhou Palace, originally built in 1326, is one of only three Mazu
Temples in the world (the other two are Fujian Mazu Temple and
Beigang Chaotian Temple on Taiwan Island).
Tianhou Palace is now the Folk-custom Museum of Tianjin and
displays many folk crafts and cultural relics of ancient times.
Yuhuang Cabinet (Yuhuang Ge) is the only building that was built
during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in Tianjin, and is the oldest
structure in the street.
From the top of the two-floor Cabinet, visitors have a
bird's-eye view of the whole street. Another building, Tong Qingli
(ancient residential houses), built in 1913 and lying to the east
of the cultural street, is the largest architectural edifice that
combines both eastern and western architectural elements.
Looking closely, visitors will note that buildings along the
street are all built with 'blue bricks', and that the doors and
windows have colorful paintings drawn upon them. These paintings
range from stories of legendary and historical figures to flowers
and birds.
Some retell stories contained in Chinese classical novels, such
as The Dream of a Red Mansion (one the four Chinese classical
novels) and Song of Eternal Sorrow, which is a story about the
Empress Yang Kwei Fei in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
Visitors who are interested in Chinese traditional handicrafts
will also appreciate another Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street
attraction - the hundreds of stores selling a wide variety of folk
handicrafts. These include the famous Yang Liuqing New Year
Paintings and Niren Zhang Painted Sculptures.
Visitors who are fond of Chinese curios, such as jade items,
cloisonné and potteries, will also be able to find many examples of
these for sale here. The street is also a favorite place to sample
the delicious Tianjin local snacks. The local delicacies include
Goubuli Steamed Dumplings, Erduoyan (the Ear-hole Lane) Fried
Glutinous Cakes and tea soup.
Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street is designed as a place for
tourists to experience Chinese folk custom, and as such, contains
examples of nearly all the Tianjin local culture in one place. For
an added experience, when visiting the street on March 23rd (lunar
calendar), visitors will be lucky enough to find the Huanghui Fair,
which is held annually on this date. During the Fair you will see
performances of stilt walking, dragon lantern, land boat and lion
dances.
Travel tips:
Admission fee: Free of charge; 3 yuan for Tianhou Palace.
Bus route: 1, 4, 12, 15, 611, 612, 619, 624, 824
(travelchinaguide.com July 25, 2007)
