Michelle Wang

    wy_szdaily@126.com

    WANT to explore Tianjin, a city where heritage and modern culture blend? Head to the Shangri-La Hotel, Tianjin, which is renowned for creating a home away from home for guests with quality services.

    Standing on the eastern bank of the Haihe River, which runs through Tianjin, the Shangri-La Hotel, Tianjin offers guests scenic views with all 304 guest rooms facing the river.

    The moment I stepped into my room, the river, the bridges and the buildings along the bank came into view through the French windows. As I circled the room, the bed, the bedding, the sofa, the desk and the chair greeted me with warmth. A pleasant surprise was waiting for me as I entered the bathroom. Hanging on the door side beside the washstand was a jogger’s map.

    Excursion guided by jogger’s map

    Opening my eyes to the beeping alarm clock, I went to the window, looking down and far into the distance. The Haihe River, basking in an early morning glow, looked even more serene and alluring. I quickly changed into my clothes and took the jogger’s map. I left to explore Tianjin on foot.

    The jogger’s map, a map enclosed in a small transparent plastic card with a lace to carry it around the neck, has arrows indicating a jogging route and the names of places along the route. A round trip is about 3.7 kilometers from the hotel to Jiefang Bridge, which was built in 1927 and officially changed its name to Jiefang Bridge in 1949. For guests who do not jog, the map can serve as a guide for a leisurely walk. The map, unique to the Shangri-La Hotel, Tianjin, is the first I have ever seen in a hotel room, adding a personal touch to the hotel.

    With the map in hand, I set out to the north from Baoding Bridge, the bridge beside the hotel, on the east bank of the river, passing by Chifeng Bridge and Jiefang Bridge, where I did not turn back but chose to go further to Dagu Bridge, Bei’an Bridge, Jinbu Bridge, Jintang Bridge, Shizilin Bridge, Jingang Bridge and Cihai Bridge where the Tianjin Eye, one of the city’s landmark attractions, is located. Along the route there are Tianjin Railway Station, Century Clock, and two famous Western-style buildings next to each other: One is the old residence of the family of Yuan Shikai, the first formal president of the Republic of China (1912-1949); the other is the old residence of Feng Guozhang, acting president of the Republic of China. And if it happens to be a Saturday, you will be lucky to catch a book market between Jintang Bridge and Shizilin Bridge that sells old books from 6 to 9 in the morning.

    Booking tours of heritage sites

    Tianjin has been a major seaport and was long one of the largest cities in the Republic of China, during which numerous Western-style buildings were constructed.

    Today, people can tour the many well preserved European-style buildings, such as the Five Main Avenues, Former Concessions in Tianjin, Italian Style Town as well as Chinese-style buildings such as the Ancient Culture Street and the Drum Tower. Guests can select a tour that appeals to them and book a car service with the hotel. If guests have no idea what they should visit, the hotel staff will offer some tips.

    For guests who have plans in nearby cities, such as Beijing, they can choose the high-speed train as the Tianjin Railway Station is 1.5 kilometers away from the hotel, about a 16-minute walk.

    It takes approximately 25 minutes to get to the airport, which is 17 kilometers from the hotel.

    Satisfying taste buds with local snacks

    No visit to Tianjin is complete without savoring the city’s delicious snacks. Among the great variety of its snacks, the most renowned include Go Believe stuffed buns, 18th Street fried dough twists and Erduoyan fried rice cakes. Though guests have multiple options to savor these delicacies, like going to a local restaurant, a food street or a food stand, they can still choose to satisfy their taste buds at the hotel’s Cafe Yun, an all-day dining restaurant that offers some of those Tianjin delicacies.

    For guests who love Cantonese food, Shang Palace, Shangri-La’s signature restaurant, is undoubtedly a good choice for beautifully arranged authentic Cantonese dishes and regional cuisine.