Tianjin: First Impressions

Although it's already been over two months since I moved to China, my first impressions of Tianjin were pretty spot on and my opinions of this city have changed very little since my full first weekend here.

The morning we all departed from Beijing, I was incredibly glad that the train journey was only 40 minutes long. It meant that I would arrive in Tianjin by lunch time and have some time to adjust. I could even fit in some time to unpack - no more living out of a suitcase!

I was met at the train station by my 'mentor' Irwin, quickly ushered into a car and driven to the school I would be teaching and living at for the next year. I had a fair bit of contact with Irwin via email so it was nice to finally put a name to the face. One thing that he told me the first time we met was that Tianjin was well known for being a very "liveable city", and so far, I've found Irwin's words to ring true.

Unlike Beijing, Tianjin is far less intense as a city. It has a good city buzz without being overwhelming. One of the things that was most noticeable on the drive to the school was that there was less traffic, and a little less horn honking. Although this sounds like a minor issue, being driven around in China seriously feels like a life-threatening experience, but more on that another time.

One of the most distinctive things about Tianjin is its strange blend of Europeaness and Chineseness. During my first full weekend, I was determined not to let any form of homesickness get to me. The only way to ward it off was to keep myself busy, so I met up with Tom to explore Tianjin's Italian Style Town.

Truth be told, the place didn't seem very Italian, but it certainly had a European vibe. The streets are lined with European restaurants with  a range of cuisines - French, German and Italian, you name it. You can even buy Venetian masks in some of the souvenir shops. Essentially, places like the Italian Style Town exemplify the feeling of east meets west I feel in Tianjin. It feels quite trippy sometimes to think you're walking around in a European city, but knowing you're in China.

Tom and I walked along the river too. Tianjin all lit up at night is truly beautiful. There was something really comforting in it and I remember thinking in my tired, overwhelmed and borderline homesick state that living here would be A-okay.

In some ways, Tianjin kind of reminds me of London. The Haihe River runs through the middle of the city, much like the River Thames. There are lots of bridges, each with their own character and style. There's even the Tianjin Eye (Tianjin's version of the London eye) not too far from my school. 

The photo above is the view I get from the bridge I have to cross to get to my closest subway station. I'm always quite bowled over by how pretty it looks on a clear day or at sunset.

I try to make an effort to explore new areas of the city and try new places to eat. Sometimes it feels as though I've already exhausted the best that Tianjin has to offer, but every so often, I find myself pleasantly surprised. The one thing I need to keep in mind whilst I'm here is that Tianjin is a pretty big city and I hope that as I get better at speaking Chinese, I'll be able to make the most of what this city has to offer. 

More on my adventures in Tianjin so far to come!