On Friday, December 18, 2020, the online Confucius Institute Chinese Corner featured a lecture about Tianjin titled “A Stroll through Tianjin” (走遍天津) delivered by the sinologist and Confucius Institute teacher Ms. Daniela Eftimova. Over 50 CI students and Chinese culture enthusiasts joined the ZOOM event, attentively listening to the lecture about the 4th biggest city in China. This is the first talk in a series of online lectures about China that will be featured in the coming winter months.
Ms. Daniela Eftimova took the online audience on a stroll and personal tour of the Heavenly Ford, i.e. Tianjin (tiānjīn天津). She spoke about Tianjin’s major sights and landmarks, but also hidden gems known only to the locals. This coastal city famous for European influences, boasts tourist attractions like the Italian Concession (天津意式风情区tiānjīn yì shì fēngqíng qū) and Five Great Avenues (五大道 Wǔ dàdào), modern architectural wonders like the Binhai Library (滨海图书馆bīnhǎi túshū guǎn) and Tianjin Eye (天津之眼摩天轮 tiānjīn zhī yǎn mótiān lún), and of course areas that celebrate traditional Chinese culture like the Ancient Culture Street complex (古文化街 gǔ wénhuà jie) and the private museum Porcelain House (瓷房子cífángzi). The audience learned that the port city in the Bohai Gulf has also produced some of the most delectable Chinese snacks like Goubuli Steamed Stuffed Buns (狗不理包子 gǒu bú lǐ bāo zǐ), Fried Dough Twists (麻花 má huā) and Jian Bing Guo Zi (煎饼馃子 jiān bǐng guǒ zǐ). Ms. Eftimova generously shared photographs and stories of her student life at Tianjin’s famous Nankai University (南开大学nánkāi dàxué), transporting the audience in the everyday bustle and hustle of this burgeoning metropolis. The talk concluded with a lively Q&A with the audience.
