Tianjin

: Tianjin is also the name of an asteroid, see 2209 Tianjin

History

The land where Tianjin lies today was created in historical times by sedimentation of various rivers entering the sea at Bohai Bay, including the Yellow River, which entered the sea in this area at one point.

Related Topics:
Sediment - Bohai Bay - Yellow River

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The opening of the Grand Canal of China during the Sui Dynasty prompted the development of Tianjin into a trading center. Until 1404 Tianjin was called "Zhigu" (直沽), or "Straight Port". In that year, the Emperor Yongle renamed the city "Tianjin", literally "Heaven Ford", to mean that the emperor (son of heaven) forded the river at that point, as he indeed did earlier on his way to taking the throne forcibly from his nephew. A fort was established at Tianjin, known as "Tianjin Wei" (T: 天津衛 / S: 天津卫), meaning "Fort Tianjin".

Related Topics:
Grand Canal of China - Sui Dynasty - 1404 - Emperor Yongle - Emperor

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Tianjin was promoted to a prefecture in 1725. Tianjin County was established under the prefecture in 1731.

Related Topics:
Prefecture - 1725 - 1731

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In 1856 Chinese soldiers boarded The Arrow, a Chinese-owned ship registered in Hong Kong flying the British flag and suspected of piracy, smuggling and of being engaged in the opium trade. They captured 12 men and imprisoned them. In response the British and French sent gunboats under the command of Admiral Sir Michael Seymour to capture the Taku forts near Tianjin in May 1858. In June 1858, at the end of the first part of the Second Opium War, the Treaties of Tianjin were signed, which opened Tianjin to foreign trade. The treaties were ratified by the Emperor of China in 1860, and Tianjin was formally opened.

Related Topics:
1856 - Hong Kong - British - French - Michael Seymour - Taku forts - May - 1858 - Second Opium War - Treaties of Tianjin - Emperor of China - 1860

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In June 1870, Wanghailou Church (T: 望海樓教堂 / S: 望海楼教堂) in Tianjin, built by French missionaries one year earlier, was implicated in the kidnapping, death by neglect, and improper burial of Chinese children. On June 21, the magistrate of Tianjin County initiated a showdown at the church that developed into violent clashes between the church's Christian supporters and non-Christian Tianjin residents. Mobs eventually burned down Wanghailou Church and the nearby French consulate, in what has since been known as the Tianjin Church Incident (天津教案). After the incident, France and six other Western nations complained to the Qing government, which was forced to pay compensation for the incident.

Related Topics:
June - 1870 - Wanghailou Church - French - June 21 - Magistrate - Tianjin Church Incident - Qing

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Between 1895 and 1900 Britain and France were joined by Japan, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy and Belgium in establishing self-contained concessions each with their own prisons, schools, barracks and hospitals.

Related Topics:
1895 - 1900 - Britain - France - Japan - Germany - Austria-Hungary - Italy - Belgium

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In June 1900, the Boxers were able to seize control of much of Tianjin. On June 26 European forces heading towards Beijing were stopped by Boxers at nearby Langfang, and were forced to turn back to Tianjin. The foreign concessions also came under siege for several weeks. Herbert Hoover, the future President of the United States, was working in Tianjin at the time as chief engineer in the Chinese government's imperial bureau of mines, and together with fellow engineers built a protective wall against the attackers and risked his own life rescuing Chinese children.

Related Topics:
June - 1900 - Boxers - June 26 - Beijing - Langfang - Herbert Hoover - President of the United States

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Tianjin was established as a municipality of China in 1927.

Related Topics:
Municipality of China - 1927

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On July 30, 1937, Tianjin fell to Japan, as part of the Second Sino-Japanese War. During the occupation Tianjin was ruled by the North China Executive Committee, a puppet state based in Beijing. Japanese occupation lasted until August 15, 1945, the surrender of Japan marking the end of World War II.

Related Topics:
July 30 - 1937 - Japan - Second Sino-Japanese War - North China Executive Committee - Puppet state - Beijing - August 15 - 1945 - World War II

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After 1945, Tianjin became base to American forces. In December 1946, the rape of a Beiping (now Beijing) female university student by an American soldier, together with a series of rapes that had previouisly occurred in Tianjin, sparked protests in Tianjin that culminated in a demonstration on January 1, 1947 involving thousands of students. American troops pulled out of Tianjin in June 1947.

Related Topics:
1945 - American - December - 1946 - Rape - Beijing - January 1 - 1947 - June

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Communist forces took Tianjin on January 15, 1949, following a 29-hour long battle. After communist takeover, Tianjin remained a municipality of China, except between 1958 and 1967, when it was reduced to be a part of and the capital of Hebei province. The Tangshan earthquake of 1976 killed 23938 people in Tianjin and did heavy damage.

Related Topics:
Communist forces - January 15 - 1949 - Municipality of China - 1958 - 1967 - Hebei - Tangshan earthquake - 1976

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After China began to open up in the late 1970s, Tianjin has seen rapidly development, though it is now lagging behind other important cities like Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou.

Related Topics:
1970s - Shanghai - Beijing - Guangzhou

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