The Northern Financial Center of Modern China: Tianjin's Modern Architecture (Part 5)

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 documented.
The Prince Qing Mansion was built in the 11th year of the Republic of China (1922) and served as the residence of Prince Qing, Aisin-Gioro Zaizhen, in Tianjin. The house was constructed and designed by Xiaodezhang, the chief eunuch of the late Qing Dynasty, who was also an architecture enthusiast and had designed many Western-style buildings.
The Tianjin Old City Museum was originally the former residence of Xu Pu’an, a comprador for the British-owned Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China in Tianjin. Despite working closely with foreigners daily, this businessman lived in a traditional Chinese courtyard house.
The Tianhou Palace was first built during the Yuan Dynasty and is one of the oldest existing Mazu temples in China. Originating from Fujian, such temples are rare in the northern regions.
Let’s take a look at modern Tianjin together.