Tianjin, also known as Tientsin, autonomous municipality, northern China, surrounded on all sides by Hebei Province, near Beijing, a major port and industrial center. Also called T'ien-ching, it is situated at the junction of the Hai River and the Grand Canal. One of three administrative units directly run by the central government in Beijing, the extensive municipality includes the city of Tientsin, a large manufacturing center and a port; the seaport of Tanggu, on the Bo Hai gulf; several villages; and some farmland. The leading manufactures of the municipality include steel, textiles, machinery, electronic equipment, machine tools, and chemicals; other products are processed food, rubber goods, motor vehicles, and rugs and carpets. Nankai University (1919) and Tianjin University are here.
A minor seaport, called Hai-chin and Chih-ku from the 11th to the 14th century, Tianjin gained prominence as a port for Beijing during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (Ch'ing) (1644-1911) dynasties. It was occupied by British (1858) and French (1860) forces and grew rapidly after being opened to foreign trade and settlement in 1860. Much of the old city, including its walls, was destroyed during the Boxer Uprising (1900). The community was soon rebuilt in an early 20th-century European style. The Japanese occupied the city during 1937-45; they began the construction of Tanggu and initiated port improvements at Tianjin proper, completed by the Chinese in the early 1950s. Tianjin became the capital of Hebei in 1958 and was raised to the status of a centrally administered province-level municipality in 1967. Heavy damage occurred (1976) during an earthquake centered at nearby Tangshan. Population (1991) 5,171,317.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Tianjin Information info
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