Our journey to Tianjin earlier got postponed as we were not able to get the right reservation for the bullet train. This time we booked in time and boarded the 9 o’clock train from Beijing South Railway Station (Beijing Nan) to be there in time and have a good amount of time at our disposal to see various places of interest, and return home in the evening.
The railway platforms and booking counters in Beijing are well organised, spic and span and the young officials, mostly girls, are very efficient. The language barrier though does become a stumbling block in our interaction with them. Unlike India, one doesn’t have to struggle to board the train. The whole system of people getting off the train and others boarding is done quietly and efficiently so there is no panic on the platforms.
The travel by a fast train, called bullet train was an experience worth enjoying. The train started exactly at 9 AM. Every 30 minutes there is a bullet train shuttling between Beijing and Tianjin. It is very comfortable and the adjustable seats are just like those on planes. There are foot rests and folding tables, so you can comfortably work on your laptop, read or just relax during the journey. On both sides of the train above the seats there are shelves to neatly stow away bags. The washroom is spacious and surprisingly neat and clean. Everything in the washroom – from the door locking mechanism to the flush – is controlled by tiny buttons.
In fact, the whole train is very tidy and very well maintained. The speed of the train and the temperature outside is constantly displayed on a screen in the compartment in both Mandarin and English. It is fascinating to see how the train gains speed within minutes. The temperature outside was varying between 14-16 degrees centigrade.
The train gradually gained speed and reached a maximum of 293 km/hour. It didn’t exceed 300km/hour. Sometime back it used to ply at 350 km/hour or more, but due to some mishap in the recent past, the speed was restricted to below 300km/ hour. Sitting in the train one is not conscious of the high speed as there are no jerky movements or high-decibel noise. Our journey of 80 km from Beijing South and Tianjin was accomplished in just about 35 minutes, and a very refreshing one. One notable remark about the public toilets in Tianjin station is that these are not very hygienic.
Tianjin, China’s third-largest city, is located to the east of Beijing near the coast. The streets of Tianjin are a curious blend of 19th century European architecture and ultra-modern steel and glass skyscrapers. China’s sudden economic rise is evident from Tianjin’s business district. Skyscrapers such as the 75-storeyed World Financial Center dominate the skyline.
With rapid economic development changing the city’s skyline, the officials in Tianjin have had the foresight to protect the colonial structures in the city. We strolled around Wu Da Dao (loosely translated as Five Avenues), an area where different European communities lived in the 20th century and established their imprint with their own unique architecture styles. There are different sections where different foreigners used to live: Japanese, Russians, Americans, Austrians, British, Italians and Germans along the banks of the Hai River.
Chinese writer Feng Jicai, a Tianjin resident, once led a campaign to preserve the old city. He said: “Once a nation has lost its own culture, it faces a spiritual crisis more dreadful than that brought on by material poverty. If you regard a city as having a spirit, you will respect it, safeguard it, and cherish it. If you regard it as only matter, you will use it excessively, transform it at will, and damage it without regret.”
As we walked around Wu Da Dao, we came across a curious building which appeared to have been put together with broken pieces of porcelain, elegant vases and dinnerware. We stepped in out of curiosity. It turned out to be something called China House Museum. While the museum ticket says that it traces the history of porcelain (and it is covered by porcelain outside), the museum houses antique furniture. A collector named Zhang Lianzhi turned an old French-style building into this porcelain showcase. He has used more than 700 million porcelain pieces, porcelain vases and dishes, and a few stone sculptures.
Tianjin is also famous for a museum dedicated to Zhou En Lai, a contemporary of Jawaharlal Nehru. However we could not make it possible to visit the place.
We had our fill of pasta and pizza in one of the Italian restaurants on the Italian Style Street is very interesting with its unique Italian architecture, food, plazas and fountains. You can even buy typical Italian curios like models of the Leaning Tower of Pisa right here in Tianjin! The local Chinese seem to be fun-loving people and they move about freely, shopping and enjoying a variety of cuisines, whereas we get restricted because of our food habits due to our cultural or religious beliefs. Interestingly, we saw three couples in their wedding finery (Western style) getting elaborate photo shoots done in the Italian Style Street.
We returned to Beijing in the evening. We got off the train and started taking photos alongside the bullet train. As soon as we got off the train, workers stepped in and rotated their chairs effortlessly towards Tianjin’s direction for the journey back! Outside the train, more workers started to quickly clean the train with large wet mops. We were very impressed to see how they maintain the train. This is in sharp contrast to the appalling conditions of our Indian Railways, one of the largest employers in the public sector. We have to pick quite a few lessons from the Chinese railway administration which is so efficiently managed. There is no shame in doing .that.
On the whole, it gave us immense satisfaction to have visited a new city of a different and interesting world altogether, not very far from us, so to say a the trip of lifetime for us!
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