Wudadao (Five Great Avenues)
A quarter of celebrity mansions in Tianjin's former concession areas; over 2,000 buildings in British, French, Italian, German and Spanish styles have earned it the title "Exhibition of World Architecture".
Visitor info
- Opening hours
- Open all day (mansions 10:00-17:00)
- Ticket
- Free (horse-carriage tour approx. CNY 80 / some mansions charge admission)
Price is indicative — final quote on inquiry.
A quarter of celebrity mansions in Tianjin's former concession areas; over 2,000 buildings in British, French, Italian, German and Spanish styles have earned it the title "Exhibition of World Architecture". Five parallel avenues — Machang, Munan, Dali, Changde and Chongqing Roads — are lined with famous gardens and old residences; the Prince Qing Mansion retains its grandeur, and Gedalou, its facade encrusted with porcelain shards, is a sight to behold. Minyuan Square, converted from the former British concession sports ground, is now the quarter's living room. Ride a horse-drawn carriage or cycle through the plane-tree-lined lanes, and a century of history behind the saying "to see modern China, look to Tianjin" unfolds between the brick walls and door plaques.
Getting there: Metro Line 1, Xiaobailou Station / Yingkoudao Station
Photos
More in Tianjin
- Tianjin Eye (Yongle Bridge Ferris Wheel)
A giant Ferris wheel mounted on Yongle Bridge over the Hai River, 120 m in diameter; the world's only observation wheel built on a bridge, it stands astride the river as a Tianjin landmark.
- Ancient Culture Street (Gongnan-Gongbei Streets)
An old street of Tianjin folk flavor lined with buildings in Qing-dynasty folk style; beneath the "Jinmen Guli" archway stands Tianhou Palace — imperially commissioned in 1326 during the Yuan dynasty's Taiding reign. As the saying goes, "first there was Tianhou Palace, then Tianjin"; it was the northern center of Mazu worship in the grain-transport era, and its halls still burn incense today.
- Italian Style Town (Former Italian Concession)
Asia's only fully preserved Italian concession (opened in 1902), with Italian villas, columns and round arches forming contiguous streets
- Haihe River Cruise
The classic way to tour the Haihe at night; round trips of about 1h depart from Tianjin Railway Station Pier or Ancient Culture Street Pier, linking landmarks on both banks such as Jiefang Bridge, Jinwan Plaza, the Jinmen and Jinta towers, and Dagu Bridge
- Jinwan Plaza
A French-style architectural complex on a bend of the Haihe River, where red-roofed, cream-walled European buildings enclose a theater-like plaza facing the modern skyline across the water — Tianjin's most photogenic urban pairing
- Century Clock · Tianjin Railway Station
A millennium commemorative clock on the plaza in front of Tianjin Railway Station, completed in 2000; a European-style clock body with gears and zodiac reliefs, its hands turning day and night — a photo landmark by the Haihe River