The Northern Financial Center of Modern China: Tianjin's Modern Architecture (Part 3)

After the signing of the Treaty of Peking in 1860, Tianjin was opened as a commercial port, becoming the first treaty port in North China. By the 1930s, Tianjin reached its peak period. Its population exceeded 1.5 million, making it China's third largest city after Shanghai and Beijing; its financial sector was second only to Shanghai, establishing itself as the financial center of the North; the total area of concessions from nine countries reached 24.5 square kilometers, eight times larger than Tianjin's old city. To this day, Tianjin still preserves a large number of churches, former residences of famous figures, and public buildings, silently bearing witness to its former prosperity and glory.
This time, three of them were also documented. The Cao Yu Residence was the former home of China's renowned playwright Cao Yu. He spent his teenage years here and wrote the play Thunderstorm at the age of 23, which later became one of China's most famous theatrical works. The Liang Qichao Residence was the home of modern Chinese thinker Liang Qichao in his later years. He played a pivotal role in enlightening China during its modern transformation. The Li Shutong Residence was where the famous modern Chinese musician, calligrapher, and theater activist Li Shutong spent his childhood. In middle age, he became a monk and emerged as a leading figure in modern Chinese Vinaya Buddhism—Master Hongyi. Let’s take a look at modern Tianjin together.

Timeline：
0:00 Cao Yu's Former Residence (Cao Yu was a renowned Chinese playwright, known as the "Shakespeare of China.")
9:14 Liang Qichao's Former Residence (Liang Qichao was a prominent scholar and reformist in late Qing/early Republican China.)
25:10 Tianjin Industrial Exhibition Hall (pretty underwhelming/low-quality)
27:44 Li Shutong's Former Residence (Li Shutong was a famous artist, musician, and Buddhist monk, also known as Hongyi Master.)