Ancient Cultural Street, Guwenhua Jie in Chinese, is located in the Nankai District of the Tianjin Municipality and was formally opened in 1986. It is located on the west bank of the Haihe River, with the Temple of the Queen of Heaven (Tianhou Palace) as its geographical center. Ancient Cultural Street begins from Gongbei Avenue in the north, and ends at Gongnan Avenue in the south, being 750 yards (687 meters) long and 16 feet (5 meters) wide. Although essentially a business street, it attracts visitors who come to see its special architectural styles, admire its classic cultural features, buy various folk crafts, and sample the delicious local snacks. Above all, as visitors take a walk there, they will be particularly impressed by the splendid replica classical architecture in the folk style of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
Tianjin Ancient Culture Street
Guwenhua Jie in Tianjin
famous Clay Figurine Shop, Ni Ren Zhang
Clay Figurine Zhang
Standing at the center of Ancient Cultural Street, the Temple of the Queen of Heaven was originally built in 1326 and is one of only three Mazu Temples in the world (the other two are Fujian Mazu Temple and Beigang Chaotian Temple on Taiwan Island). The Temple of the Queen of Heaven is now the Folk-custom Museum of Tianjin and displays many folk crafts and cultural relics of ancient times. Yuhuang Pavilion (Yuhuang Ge) is the only building that was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in the city, and is the oldest structure in the street. From the top of the two-floor pavilion, visitors have a bird's-eye view of the whole street. Another building, Tong Qingli (ancient residential houses), built in 1913 and lying to the east of the cultural street, is the largest architectural edifice that combines both eastern and western architectural elements.
Looking closely, visitors will note that buildings here are all built with 'blue bricks', and that the doors and windows have colorful paintings drawn upon them. These paintings range from stories of legendary and historical figures to flowers and birds. Some retell stories contained in Chinese classical novels, such as The Dream of a Red Mansion (one the four most classic novels in China) and Song of Eternal Sorrow, which is a story about the Empress Yang Kwei Fei in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
Busy Booths
Small Booths Along the Street
Chinese Painting Shop
Yang Liu Qing Painting Shop
Visitors who are interested in Chinese traditional handicrafts will also appreciate another highlight of the Ancient Culture Street - the hundreds of stores selling a wide variety of folk handicrafts. These include the famous Yang Liuqing New Year Paintings and Niren Zhang Painted Sculptures. Visitors who are fond of Chinese curios, such as jade items, cloisonné and potteries, will also be able to find many examples of these for sale here. The street is also a favorite place to sample the delicious local snacks. The local delicacies include Goubuli Steamed Dumplings, Erduoyan (the Ear-hole Lane) Fried Glutinous Cakes and tea soup.
Sculpture Vendor
A Stall Selling Sculptures
Stalls in the Culture Street
Interesting Small Stuffs on Streetsides
Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street is designed as a place for visitors to experience Chinese folk custom, and as such, contains examples of nearly all the local culture in one place. For an added experience, when visiting the street on March 23rd (lunar calendar), visitors will be lucky enough to find the Huanghui Fair, which is held annually on this date. During the fair you will see performances of stilt walking, dragon lantern, land boat and lion dances.
Transportation
1. Take bus no. 1, 605, 609, 610, 619, 632, 633, 641, 646, 670, 671, 804, 849, 904, 908, 954 or sightseeing bus no. 2 and get off at Dongbeijiao Station.
2. Take bus no. 4, 12, 333, 461, 600, 658, 659, 675, 681, 856, 861, 863, 878, 903, 907 or 913 and get off at Dongmalu Station.
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