A Porcelain House in Tianjin

To escape the cold weather in Cangzhou, we planned a vacation within our vacation in Singapore towards the end of our trip. The flight departs from Tianjin in the morning, prompting us to travel the day before. It takes us about twenty minutes to take the train from Cangzhou to Tianjin, where we embark on a sightseeing tour of the port metropolis. We stroll along the Hai River, where colonial and modern architecture coexist. The colonial powers stationed all their diplomatic and economic representatives in Tianjin in the 19th century and tried to impose their will upon China from here, instigating wars. Thus, we pass by the former embassy of Austria-Hungary, where a violinist is captured in stucco on its facade. A bit further, we encounter a crowd of people, and as we get closer, we discover hardened swimmers jumping into the river in this cold weather, complete with little performances for the audience. We reach our destination at the Jingang Bridge, as I absolutely must take a photo of the famous Ferris wheel built on a bridge over the river. This is why we take a taxi here again in the evening to use the illuminated wheel as a photo opportunity. The many people on the bridge indicate that it is indeed the best place for photos and selfies. But first, we take a taxi near the Porcelain House, also known as the China House. This house, which is also bustling with people, is artfully decorated with porcelain shards, ceramic artifacts, figures, and vases all over its facade, offering thousands of beautiful photo perspectives. Inside the house, more space has been created due to high visitor numbers, and the old antique furniture has been carelessly pushed to the side. There are also only a few porcelain motifs visible here. Interestingly, there is a snack bar near the house that has also adopted porcelain design. We have our dinner at Riverside 66, the architecturally impressive shopping center in Tianjin, which has integrated and remodeled a historic building that now houses a Starbucks Cafe. After our nighttime stroll, we take the metro back to the hotel, as an early morning flight awaits us the next day at Binhaiguojijichang, the Tianjin Binhai International Airport.