Hebei District 河北区

Setting and landscape

The district government gives an area of 29.62 square kilometres, almost all of it below 4 metres above sea level. The Hai River and the North Canal (北运河) form its western edge, across which lie Heping (和平区), Nankai (南开区) and Hongqiao (红桥区); Hedong (河东区) is to the south, Dongli (东丽区) to the east and Beichen (北辰区) to the north. The government lists the Ziya (子牙河), Xinkai (新开河), Yueya (月牙河) and Beitang (北塘河) rivers among its waterways.

History

Chinese Wikipedia dates the Dabei Monastery (大悲禅院) to 1658–1659, when the Tianjin garrison commander Cao Bin (曹斌) paid for its construction. The Wanghailou (望海楼), a three-storey pavilion paid for by salt merchants, went up in 1773; the Catholic church of the same name was burned in the Tianjin Massacre of 1870. In 1902 Italy and Austria-Hungary took concessions here, and the same year the governor-general Yuan Shikai (袁世凯) began the Hebei New District on low marshland north of the river, planned around today's Zhongshan Road (中山路), with the Jingang Bridge (金钢桥) linking it to the old city. The Xinkaihe station of 1903 is today's Tianjin North railway station (天津北站). The Third District took the name Hebei in 1956.

What to see

The Italian Style Town (意式风情区) on the Hai River covers the former Italian concession of 1902: 137 period buildings, all designed by Italians, including houses, a consulate, town hall, barracks, schools, a hospital and a church. The district government calls it the only well-preserved group of Italian-style buildings in Asia; restoration with Italian technicians began at the end of 2002.

The Tianjin Eye (天津之眼) stands on the Yongle Bridge (永乐桥) at the Sancha River mouth (三岔河口). Built from 2003 and running since April 2009, it is 110 metres across, rises about 120 metres above the water and carries 48 cabins; a turn takes about 30 minutes. The Liang Qichao Memorial (梁启超纪念馆) at 44 and 46 Minzu Road (民族路) opened in 2003 as Tianjin's first museum in a notable person's former home; it combines his house with the Yinbingshi (饮冰室) study, and is a national key protected site. The district government also names the Awakening Society (觉悟社) site, Wanghailou Church (望海楼教堂) and the former homes of Li Shutong (李叔同) and Cao Yu (曹禺).

Getting oriented

Tianjin railway station (天津站) and Tianjin North station both lie in the district, which the government says has seven metro lines. The district government seat is on Shizilin Street (狮子林大街).

Highlights

• Italian Style Town 意式风情区: Former Italian concession with 137 period buildings designed by Italians.
• Tianjin Eye 天津之眼: 110-metre wheel built on the Yongle Bridge over the Hai River, running since 2009.
• Liang Qichao Memorial 梁启超纪念馆: Liang's former home and Yinbingshi study; national key protected site, opened 2003.
• Dabei Monastery 大悲禅院: Buddhist monastery founded in 1658–1659.
• Wanghailou Church 望海楼教堂: Catholic church burned in the Tianjin Massacre of 1870.