Tianjin is usually defined in relation to Beijing. For good or bad, its proximity to the capital city – 137 km from both cities’ downtown railway stations – has determined that it will forever be in the capital’s shadow, the relatively neglected younger sibling of a high-profile brother, so to speak.
Tianjin was China’s third municipality under the central government, after Beijing and Shanghai. It got that status in 1927, but lost it temporarily from 1958 to 1967. Tianjin’s awkward position is not just the result of its geographical location.
