A Tiny Trip to Tianjin

Why we should appreciate the smaller things, despite red lights and rain…

What is it that you focus on when you travel? Do you aim to try the local cuisine? Do you dive into the culture? Do you try and hit every landmark?

Odds are, you always try to make all three work. It can be exhausting, trying to incorporate everything you want to see and do in the time that you are there. I mean, we all know that vacation is WAY too short. Often times, sacrifices have to be made. If you visit Paris, for instance, you absolutely must see the Eiffel Tower. (It is visible from almost anywhere in the city, so you’ll see it whether you want to or not). It makes sense; this is a symbol of the city, and of France. However, what my trip to Tianjin taught me was that while the symbols might be on display, the heart of the country lies not in what is obvious, but in what is lurking on the outside.

I have lived in China for four years. I have seen it all, Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Zhengzhou… I have also seen every “site” that you are supposed to see. So when a friend recommended we have a mini-weekend getaway in Tianjin, it seemed like the natural thing to do.

One thing that you learn when go off the beaten path is that the countryside, or the part that isn’t necessarily showcased, is absolutely breathtaking. It is one thing to know that “Beijing is in the north, the north has lots of mountains”. It is something entirely different to see it up close and personal. Why do you think everyone talks about the set in Game of Thrones? It is beautifully breathtaking! Everything is lush and green and has this quiet stillness about it— and that is something that you can’t even dream of in the cities.

Now, Tianjin is by far not a “little” city. It has a population of ~15 MILLION, almost twice that of New York City. So what makes it different from any large city?

The answer lies in the experience. Now, this may sound cheesy as hell, but hear me out. You have all the amenities that you hold near and dear to your heart, such as restaurants, shops, even bars, but it does not have that polished, overly-globalized aspect to it. Don’t worry though! Tianjin was actually occupied by 10 different foreign powers, so there definitely lies an element of familiar internationality! Yet Tianjin still has more of the feel of what we would expect China to be like, all of our stereotypes and expectations. It is a bit less affected by the rest of the world, and you really have the feeling of receiving an experience, rather than just visiting.

Another little tidbit I found interesting was our freedom. When travelling through a big city, you have to make sure that you hit all of the spaces that you just HAVE to see. Not the case with the less famous ones. Of course, each place has their hotspots, but you don’t have to see them to be satisfied with coming. Often times these places are much more satisfying when you visit them at your leisure.

During our little vacation, we decided to visit the Italian-Style Town. It was a bustling little street with side shops, fountains, and flower crowns galore. I decided to buy one myself, which cost me a whopping 5 kuai (or $0.70 US ). The architecture transported you to a different place, with huge stone houses and statues reminiscent of neoclassical art. It was pretty, and it was fun. It was also very relaxing. We arrived in the late afternoon, and we ate a huge meal at a German brewery. (Not the most “chinese” thing you could do, but as mentioned before, it’s still a multicultural city!) We walked around, looked at the cute shops, and had a enjoyable evening. We weren’t pressed to get from place to place; we meandered about. We didn’t focus on getting the most cultural experience, but rather a nice, lazy getaway.

Don’t misunderstand me, there are always going to be stressful situations when you travel. When we visited, the weather had just decided to rain all day every day. But that couldn’t stop us! In addition, each unique area has its own rules and regulations, and even their own way of doing things. These can be super hard to learn, and sometimes cause huge issues. Our issues came in the form of the shining red light of a traffic signal. Being a city gal, I like it when my stoplights are above the street. I don’t like running about 1,000 because we didn’t see them on the side of the road. As you can imagine, we were pretty stressed out about the outcome, and now we are hoping that a bird was flying back and forth in front of the traffic cams all day.

A girl can dream.

After combing through the streets trying to guess which areas are pedestrian and which have lights, we continued merrily on our little vacation.

The next day, we visited the Ancient Cultural Town. All of these little towns are quite clustered within the city, and can easily be reached by walking. You know, if you’re about that life.

This town was located in a cute little niche in the city. But don’t be fooled — you’ll certainly know when you have arrived. Enormous gates tower over the entrance, directing you to the inside of the bustling markets. For those of you looking for an insight to chinese culture, this would be the place to go! The large streets are crammed with food stalls, souvenir shops, and crowds moving about. Flags and lanterns hang from gabled roofs, and it is quite a sight to behold. Is is also a nice little insight to the history of Tianjin, as it reflects the Western influence, but as it would have years ago. The “big brands” are kept out of the area, as to preserve the atmosphere. And I have to say, while that might not be something that you necessarily think about when visiting, it certainly adds a nice touch.

The point is, even though we didn’t visit a bucket-list location, we had an amazing adventure. Perhaps not an “adventure” per se, it was much lazier than that, but definitely a relaxing weekend. You don’t have to see the most touristic sites and try all of the best foods to enjoy your time on a vacation. Do what you like! See what you want! If you run through a country, checking things off your list like you’re running through a grocery store, you’ll never truly have the experience of a lifetime. Because as we all know, everyone hates the grocery store.

So, see all the small cities, go to the lazy little streets and wander around. Discover something new! You might just find that the best vacations are the ones that you take for the sake of pleasure, not for the sake of sightseeing.

Have you ever taken a great mini-vacation? Let me know below!