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Cruising China's Grand Canal: Part 6
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Library
~ Table of Contents ~
Hindu Deities: Ganesha
Classical Chinese Gardens Sacred Dance The Kulli Culture Medieval Mathematicians in India Orient ACTA 6-1-07 test Cruising China's Grand Canal: Part 1 Cruising China's Grand Canal: Part 2 Cruising China's Grand Canal: Part 3 Cruising China's Grand Canal: Part 4 Cruising China's Grand Canal: Part 5 Tet Trung Nguyen Phor Thor Century Eggs Zhongzi Chinese Hell Money Mongolia's Deer Stones |
Tianjin lies on land that built up from the sedimentation of the many rivers that pass through this area on their way to Bohai Bay. When the Grand Canal was opened during the Sui dynasty, the trading post that grew up here was called Zhigu, or Straight Port. The town grew until it was a major military, trading, and transportation center during the Yuan dynasty, when it was known as Haijin Town. In 1404, the Ming Yongle Emperor renamed the city Tianjin, which means Heaven or Emperor's Ford, since it was here that the Emperor, the Son of Heaven, had forded the river in 1402 on his way from Beijing to Nanjing to seize the throne from his nephew. When China began to open their ports to Western trade druing the nineteenth century, Tianjin became a European gateway into northern China, which contributed to the eclectic mix of architectual styles found in the city today.
