We now continue our Spring Festival special as we travel around different parts of China to discover how people are celebrating the holiday. Our next stop is Tianjin, which is home to most of the Chinese folk conventions and customs we know today. Here's Damin again.

Tianjin is 130 kilometers southeast of Beijing, serving as the capital city's gateway to the Bohai Sea. It is one of the largest cities in the country and one of the four municipalities directly under the administration of the central government.

Tianjin stands along the banks of the Haihe River, one of the largest water systems in north China. The past millennium has left Tianjin with many historical sites, such as Mount Panshan in the suburban Jixian county, the 1,000-year-old Dule Temple or the Temple of Solitary Joy, an elegant mosque and a huge cathedral.

Visitors can also see arts and crafts factories. The four best-known crafts in Tianjin are the New Year paintings from Yangliuqing, the colored clay figurines of Master Zhang, the kites and carpets. The down town Ancient Culture Street gives a condensed exhibition of the folklores. On holidays or weekends, there are performances and displays of traditional arts, including Peking Opera, tea art, and open-air cinema amongst others. What attracts the tourists most is the displays and sales of traditional handmade crafts. Vendors peddle along the lanes, which bring tourists back to the old days.

Zhang Ran is a tourist. She is most impressed by the handicrafts in the Ancient Culture Street.

"I come here to experience the local culture and to see the Queen of Heaven Temple. The folk culture and tradition here are well protected and everything is well organized. There are the famed Yangliuqing New Year paintings, Clay Figurine Zhang and other handmade products. I'm impressed. The trip is worthwhile."

The Spring Festival starts from the first day of the lunar month and lasts until the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of that month. This is also the most festive time down on the 600-year-old street.

Li Yongli, manager of the Ancient Culture Street Development Corporation, says a series of activities has been provided to entertain tourists.

"During this year's Spring Festival time, we have a series of theatrical and folk art performances with Tianjin style. There are interactions between the actors and tourists which is a lot of joy and fun."

Tianjin is a traditional city that has also contributed to its distinctive architecture - from gothic and Flemish to neo-classic and art deco. The western-style villas built by western residents early last century are a must-see in the 600 year old ancient city.

A saying goes that 'if you want to know modern Chinese history, you should visit Tianjin'. The city is not only the birth place of China's modern education, industry, military, railway, post and telecommunications, but is also the place where many major historical events took place that were viewed as landmarks in modern Chinese history.

Qi Fan is director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau in Heping District where the villas are located.

"So far ten western style residence compounds have been opened to tourists."

Qi says the newly opened villas include the century old Lord Palace, some former residences of celebrities, a modern history museum, and other western style residences and antique stores.

An Italian style district along the Haihe River is another attraction. With a floor space of 30 hectares, the district was originally built in 1902. It is composed of 140 western style buildings, including residency, consulate, city hall, military camp and schools as well as gardens and squares. It is by far the biggest and most well-preserved Italian style architectural complex in Asia.

Jointly sponsored by the Italian government, an Italian cultural festival is held there annually to promote cultural exchange between the two countries.
Bai Jiyuan is head of the Haihe River management office.

"We provide several major tourism programs featuring Italian traditions."

Bai says to celebrate the Spring Festival, they have invited famous chefs of Italian cuisine to prepare genuine Italian Pizza, spaghetti and coffee. Other cultural events include Italian song and dance performed by Italian artists.

Beijing-Tianjin Inter-city Express Railway, the fastest of its kind in service in the world, began operation on August 1, 2008. This has made the urban convergence of Beijing and Tianjin possible. They are the only pair of megalopolises in the world with a straight-line distance of around 100 kilometers. The express railway reduces the time of inter-city commuting to just half an hour.

Wang Jun is in charge of tourism promotion in the municipal government.

"We have launched a tourism project entitled 'ride high speed railway and tour Tianjin', and provided a series of programs for winter tourism and Spring Festival celebration."

Wang says celebration activities also include a skiing festival in a suburban county, tours to hot spring spa resorts on the outskirts of the city, and trips in the botanical garden where visitors can experience the tropical rainforest environment of the ethnic groups in southwestern China.

Jin Tielin is deputy director of the tourism bureau in Tianjin. 'As one of the major projects for the 2008 Olympic Games, the Beijing-Tianjin Inter-city Express Railway connects the two municipalities and makes traveling in Tianjin a lot easier."

Jin says it has benefited local tourism. Now foreign tourists make Tianjin their first stop after they visit Beijing, then onto Xi'an for the terra-cotta worriers or Guilin in southwest China's picturesque Guangxi. The city has seen an increasing number of tourists. Thank you Da Min. Next week on 'China Horizons', we'll continue our Spring Festival special to spend the rest of the holiday with some of China's ethnic minority groups.