Get to know Binhai New Area
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- Administrative area
- District · 市辖区
- Part of
- Tianjin
- Chinese name
- 滨海新区
- Local areas
- District guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 2,270.00 km²
- Population · 2009
- 1,185,700
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
The land is mostly plain and low-lying ground at the mouth of the Hai River system, with more than 700 square kilometres of water and wetland and a coastline of 153 kilometres that is still growing through land reclamation. It borders Dongli District (东丽区) of Tianjin to the west and Hebei's Huanghua (黄骅) to the south. The Changlu (长芦) saltworks, which Chinese Wikipedia describes as China's oldest and largest, lie within the district.
History
Between the early and mid-19th century, under the Jiaqing (嘉庆), Daoguang (道光) and Xianfeng (咸丰) emperors, the Qing built groups of forts at Dagukou (大沽口) and the Beitang (北塘) river mouth to guard the sea approach to Beijing and Tianjin. The Taku Forts fell during the Second Opium War of 1858–1860, opening the way for British and French troops to reach Beijing, and after the 1901 Boxer Protocol the forts at Dagukou and Beitang had to be dismantled. In the late 19th century the Beiyang Fleet's Dagu Dockyard (北洋水师大沽船坞) and the Jingu railway (津沽铁路) were built, and the industrialist Fan Xudong (范旭东) later founded the Jiuda salt refinery (久大精盐厂) and the Yongli alkali works (永利制碱公司) here. The present district was created in November 2009 by merging Tanggu (塘沽), Hangu (汉沽) and Dagang (大港) districts, and the China (Tianjin) Pilot Free Trade Zone was set up in December 2014.
What to see
The Taku Forts (大沽口炮台) site, the Beiyang Fleet Dagu Dockyard site, Tanggu South Station (塘沽南站) and the former Huanghai Chemical Industry Research Society (黄海化学工业研究社) are all national key cultural relics protection units. The National Maritime Museum of China (国家海洋博物馆), in the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City (中新天津生态城), began trial operation in 2019 in a building shaped like a flying fish. The Binhai Aircraft Carrier Theme Park (滨海航母主题公园), built around the aircraft carrier Kiev (基辅号), opened in 2005 and was rated a national 4A scenic area in 2010. The Binhai Library (滨海图书馆) at the Binhai Cultural Center drew attention for its design. The district also has Tianjin Polar Ocean Park (天津极地海洋公园), the Dongjiang Port beach (东疆港海滨浴场) and the Beitang seafood street (北塘海鲜街).
Highlights
- Taku Forts 大沽口炮台: Qing coastal forts at Dagukou; the site is a national key cultural relics protection unit.
- National Maritime Museum of China 国家海洋博物馆: Flying-fish-shaped museum in the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City, in trial operation from 2019.
- Binhai Aircraft Carrier Theme Park 滨海航母主题公园: Built around the carrier Kiev; open since 2005, 4A scenic area since 2010.
- Binhai Library 滨海图书馆: Part of the Binhai Cultural Center, noted for its design.
- Beitang seafood street 北塘海鲜街: Seafood street drawing on the area's fishing culture.
Sources for this guide
滨海新区 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
地理位置 - 天津市滨海新区人民政府门户网站 · People's Government of Binhai New Area, Tianjin
历史沿革 - 天津市滨海新区人民政府门户网站 · People's Government of Binhai New Area, Tianjin
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Binhai New Area
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Binhai New Area
The central atrium of Tianjin Binhai Library, with its spherical auditorium and curved terraces. Photographed on 2 October 2023.Binhai Library滨海图书馆
Binhai Library is known for a luminous spherical auditorium surrounded by sweeping white terraces in its central atrium. Designed by MVRDV with local partners and opened in 2017, the building turns the idea of shelves into a…
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The entrance-side architecture of the National Maritime Museum of China in Tianjin at night.National Maritime Museum of China国家海洋博物馆
The National Maritime Museum links the origin of the oceans with marine life, exploration and the future of the sea. Its permanent areas include Ancient Oceans, the Age of Dragons, Today's Oceans and Journeys of Discovery…
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The retired aircraft carrier Kiev moored at Tianjin TEDA Aircraft Carrier Theme Park. Photographed on 12 November 2025.Binhai Aircraft Carrier Theme Park泰达航母主题公园
The central attraction of this Binhai theme park is Kiev, a retired Soviet aircraft carrier adapted for visitors. Its scale is most apparent when comparing the flight deck with the vessel's internal spaces. Other displayed naval…
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A cannon display on the Taku Forts platform, with Binhai’s modern skyline behind. Photographed on 25 August 2024.Taku Forts大沽口炮台
The Taku or Dagukou Forts defended the Haihe estuary and became important battle sites during the Second Opium War and Boxer period. Most of the defenses were dismantled afterward, so today's visit combines surviving remains, a…
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The curved main entrance building of Tianjin Polar Ocean Park under its former Haichang Polar Ocean World name. Capture date unknown; originally uploaded on 10 February 2011.Tianjin Polar Ocean Park天津极地海洋公园（原海昌）
Tianjin Polar Ocean Park is the marine-animal attraction in Xiangluowan, also found in older sources under the Haichang Polar Ocean World name. The main building has a whale-like outline, and its visitor areas combine…
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The visitor entrance of Dongjiang Bay Beach scenic area in Tianjin. Photographed on 25 August 2024.Dongjiang Bay Beach东疆湾沙滩
Dongjiang Bay is a constructed sandy beach on the eastern side of Tianjin's port peninsula. Breakwaters enclose the waterfront, giving it a different character from an undeveloped open-coast beach. The broad sandy shore is the…
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Tianjin Fantawild Adventure · 天津方特欢乐世界Tianjin Fantawild Adventure天津方特欢乐世界
Tianjin Fantawild Adventure is a technology-led theme park in the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City, within Binhai New Area.
Read the place guide →Plan your visit
Getting there
Binhai New Area is about 45 km in a straight line from central Tianjin. Search for 滨海新区 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Binhai Library and National Maritime Museum of China are about 15 km apart in a straight line. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Tianjin →More in Tianjin
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 滨海新区 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Binhai Library · CNHowey · CC0. Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping, retouching or changing the photographed subject.
Photo: National Maritime Museum of China · Amazingloong · CC BY-SA 4.0. Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping, retouching or changing the photographed subject.
Photo: Binhai Aircraft Carrier Theme Park · 颐园居 · CC BY-SA 4.0. Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping, retouching or changing the photographed subject.
Photo: Taku Forts · KangTyngrwey · CC BY 4.0. Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping, retouching or changing the photographed subject.
Photo: Tianjin Polar Ocean Park · 裴海平 · CC BY-SA 3.0. Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping, retouching or changing the photographed subject.
Photo: Dongjiang Bay Beach · KangTyngrwey · CC BY 4.0. Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping, retouching or changing the photographed subject.
Photo: Tianjin Fantawild Adventure · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
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