The Ancient Cultural Street is located in Nankai District, Tianjin. Centered around the Tianhou Palace, it starts from Shuige Street in the south and reaches Tongbei Road in the north. Here is a famous concentration area of traditional and handicraft shops in Tianjin. You can find many handicrafts such as Yangliuqing New Year paintings, Niren Zhang clay figurines, and Wei’s kites. You can also taste classic Tianjin delicacies.
Currently, there are hundreds of stores on the Ancient Cultural Street, mostly traditional Tianjin stores, full of rich folk characteristics. Here is the Qiaoxiangge, a comprehensive store selling cloisonné, Suzhou embroidery, lacquerware, etc.; there are stores selling local specialties such as Guoren Zhang, Pitang Zhang, and Bengdou Zhang. The most renowned are still folk handicraft stores. The ‘Niren Zhang’ with vividly colored clay sculptures, the Yangliuqing New Year paintings printed with woodblocks, and the ‘Kite Wei’ that makes kites of various shapes are all stores that tourists must visit when they come to the Ancient Cultural Street. While shopping, you can also enjoy Tianjin’s special delicacies such as Goubuli buns, jianbing guozi, and Tianjin mahua, which will definitely satisfy the appetite of foodies. The stores open around 8:30 in the morning and close around 17:30 in the evening. You can pay attention to the shopping time. In addition to shopping and eating delicious food, there are many historical sites on the Ancient Cultural Street that you can visit. The Tianhou Palace is located in the center of the Ancient Cultural Street and is also the core of the historical sites on the Ancient Cultural Street. It worships the Empress of Heaven who blesses voyages at sea for safety and has a history of more than 600 years. Now it is the location of the Tianjin Folk Custom Museum. The museum displays the history and folk customs of Tianjin City and exhibits cultural relics such as Ming Dynasty Tianjin city bricks, Qing Dynasty water transport models, and Qing Dynasty water machines. The theater is also known as the ‘old theater in Tianjin’. You can enjoy cross talk and magic shows. Dashi Zi Hutong is the location of the former residence of Yan Fu, a modern thinker and educator. The original house is no longer there. Now on the original site, there is a Tianyan Square with a bronze statue of Yan Fu. There are also Tongqingli, Yuhuangge, and so on, each with its own characteristics. On the 23rd day of the third lunar month every year is the birthday of the Empress of Heaven. At that time, the Ancient Cultural Street will hold the imperial fair (originally called the ‘Empress Fair’. It was named the ‘imperial fair’ because Emperor Qianlong visited this fair when he toured the south of the Yangtze River). Performances can be seen in the square in front of the Tianhou Palace, south and north of the palace. There are dragon lantern dances, lion dances, Shaolin associations, stilts, Dharma drums, land boats, local yangko dances, martial arts, as well as Peking opera, Pingju opera, Bangzi opera, etc. It is one of the liveliest temple fairs in Tianjin. The opening hours are from 09:00 to 17:00 all year round. Must-see tips: There are many antiques on the Ancient Cultural Street. There are indeed some good ones, but it requires a certain ability to identify. If you want to buy them, it is recommended to choose them with friends who understand antiques.Ancient Cultural Street
The Ancient Cultural Street is located in Nankai District, Tianjin. Centered around the Tianhou Pala[...]
