I arrived Beijing on Saturday afternoon after an uncomfortable 14-hour flight on American Airlines from Dallas on Friday morning. My actual destination is Tianjin, my first stop in a five-country Southeast Asia travel. One of my goals on this tour is to learn about the impact of European colonial rule on local cultures. Tianjin is about 75 miles from Beijing. It is known for its port which is the largest in Northern China and serves as the maritime gateway to Beijing. There are two ways to get to Tianjin from Beijing Peking Airport. You can go to Beijing South Station and then take a train from there to Tianjin or use a direct bus from the airport to Tianjin. Though the train from Beijing South is faster (only about 45 minutes), I opted for the bus because I found it more convenient. Buses run frequently, and they are comfortable (providing enough legroom – a key thing for me because of my tall legs.) The bus costs ¥80 (about US$12). The bus departed promptly at 4:00PM and arrived Tianjin at exactly 6:30PM.

Unlike Beijing where it is common to find people in information desks who speak and understand \nEnglish, in Tianjin it is a challenge. I relied a lot on Google Translate and Google Maps to find my way around. It is one of those times I wished I could speak Mandarin! Tianjin subway system is a modern system, and it is easy to navigate. It is divided into different lines and announcements are both in Mandarin and English. A single ride costs between ¥2 and ¥5, depending on the distance. The ticket machines are both in English and Mandarin. After paying, you receive a small green plastic token that allows you to pass through the barriers. As in most places in China, you have to go through a security check every time you use the subway.

Tianjin does not have as many tourist attractions as Beijing. I found it a little boring, perhaps it is the time of the year I am here. It is freezing (temperatures are in the 15 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit). Unlike my Central New York temperatures that are low and the weather always gray, it is very sunny in Tianjin most of the day, making the low temperatures more bearable. 

Some of the places I visited in Tianjin are the Joy City mall, the Drum Tower, St. Joseph’s Cathedral (Xikai Church), the Cultural Street, and the Palace of the Queen of Heaven. The Drum Tower subway stop is on Line 2. As you come out of the station, you are greeted with a Starbucks and a 7-Eleven store. These are at the entrance to the Joy City Mall. Even if you do not enjoy shopping, you definitely need to visit for the food. Inside the mall is a large food court that has all kinds of delicacies and the food is not overpriced. There is also a western-style grocery shop that has products from the United States and Europe. Not that I wanted to drink Corona beer in China, but they had it as well as other American IPAs. Groceries here looked fresher but be ready to pay a premium for anything here.

The Drum Tower was built in the Ming Dynasty in the fifteenth year of Hongwu’s rule. It has a rich historical museum with different exhibits. Unfortunately, everything is in Mandarin. Entrance is free, but you need to provide an ID to get a ticket. They accepted my New York State Driver License as a form of identification. On top of the tower is an excellent aerial view of Tianjin City. There is no elevator, and it is not handicap friendly. Also on the last floor of the tower is a bronze bell donated by a Chinese-American businessman, Wang Tong Fa, who is originally from Tianjin.

The Xikai Church is a beautiful Catholic Church built in 1913, long before China became a communist country. It is still a place of worship for many Chinese Catholics. It is the largest Catholic Church in Tianjin and is flooded with many tourists throughout the day. The church is beautiful and has some simplicity to it that I appreciated. During my visit, they were several people praying and many others just taking photos.

The Palace of Queen of Heaven is in the middle of the Tianjin Cultural Street. The cultural street has different shops and is representative of traditional Chinese shopping markets. Shops sell different things from clothing to toys and jewelry. The Palace of Queen of Heaven has several Taoists temples and people burning lots of incense. The people were very devotional and emotional kneeling before the different temples and praying. I was moved with tears just watching them. You can enter into some of the temples. Admission costs ¥10. People still left a lot of money in the different offering boxes at each of the temples. I wondered why there’s an entrance fee given that majority of the people that went in were there to pray and were freely donating money. Perhaps the entrance fee goes to the government, and the donation goes to the religious leaders and toward the upkeep of the temples.

Finding vegan food is not a problem in Tianjin. Most restaurants served different forms of Tofu and vegetable dishes. Food is inexpensive. Dinner with a drink costs an average of ¥40 to ¥50. Restaurant staff are polite, and service is excellent. On my first day, I offered a tip at the restaurant, and the waitress refused it. I stopped tipping, and I continued to have excellent service. I look to the day we will just pay restaurant staff in the US fair living wages and get rid of tipping. I rather get charged more for my meal and not have to pay a tip. I do not buy the argument that this will lead to poor service. Even with tipping, I have gotten a fair share of bad service in the US.

A TIP

If you are planning on traveling to other parts of Southeast Asia, Tianjin Airport (TSN) offers far cheaper flights than the overcrowded Beijing Peking airport. The savings are worth taking a train or bus from Beijing airport to Tianjin. One prominent budget carrier from TSN is Scoot Airlines which is a subsidiary of Singaporean Airline.