「租界」の歴史が残る港町

By Stephen Mansfield, Photojournalist

鼓楼商店街。明清時代の町並みを復元した通りで、みやげものの泥人形や日用雑貨などを売る商店が多数ある。道の中央には露店が立ち並んでいる

　When a piece of plaster and paint fell from the ceiling of my room at the Astor Hotel in Tianjin, China, the manager assured me it would be restored by the time I returned later in the day.

　The incident said something about both China's new efficiency and newfound pride in its heritage, even if it is a largely European one, as it is here in Tianjin.

　Often described as China's third city, Tianjin is just one hour from Beijing on the super-deluxe bullet train. Overlooked by most foreign visitors, much of the interest in China's old treaty ports has focused instead on Shanghai, the "Pearl of the Orient." Tianjin clearly merits similar attention.

　The city's wealth of Western architecture dates back to the years after the Opium Wars, when China was forced to open to Western imperialism. Tianjin's strategic position, as the port gateway to Beijing, was highly prized.

　From the mid-19th to the early 20th century, Europeans built grand banks, trading houses, consulates, offices and residences in the city. The Communist Revolution of 1949 brought an end to Tianjin's thriving economy, but the lack of state funds saved its architectural heritage from destruction. In 1976, the year of Chairman Mao Tse-tung's death, a massive earthquake shook Tianjin. Many of its Western-style buildings, constructed in stone and brick and made to last, survived the disaster.

西洋建築が立ち並ぶ金融街

　Tianjin today is a living museum to a number of European styles. The city's oldest commercial artery, renamed Jiefang Beilu, or "liberation road," is a good place to begin an exploration of Tianjin's architectural legacy. The construction tastes of the age are well represented here, from ornate beaux-arts facades to neo-Gothic, Italianate, art deco and Jazz Age experimental designs. Some have been lovingly restored, their original brass furnishings and wrought-iron gates cleaned, marble floors polished and ceiling fans restored. Other buildings are wasting away in neglect.

　To the west of Jeifang Dao, Xikai Cathedral, built in 1916, is a fine example of French Romanesque architecture. A short walk from here leads to the Wuda Roads area, a zone rich in charming British-style residences built in the 1930s. Walking past comfortable looking colonial bungalows and rows of Italian-style apartments, I might almost have been in a European city, but for the local traffic and food stalls selling Chinese snacks.

　"Not everyone welcomed the European powers in China before the Revolution," a local shopkeeper told me, "but they left behind some beautiful buildings. We're very proud of them." Town planners have started to take note of the importance of their city's architecture, placing floodlights and plaques in Chinese and English on the more impressive buildings.

　Just as Tianjin is rediscovering its Western past, it is also beginning to appreciate its own heritage. Where there are markets in China, there are temples. Colorful statues, incense sticks, prayer mats, paper flowers and other offerings to the Buddha line the street leading to the ancient Monastery of Deep Compassion, Tianjin's most important Buddhist site.

　As I climbed the stone steps to the temple's main hall, an energetic 76-year-old Chinese man came up to me and introduced himself in impeccable English.

英語を話す老人と出会う

　"My name's Hanze. Please don't call me Comrade Hanze," he quipped, in reference to the mandatory form of address used during the Cultural Revolution. Hanze explained that he had lived in Tianjin for the entire 76 years of his life. He offered to show me the temple's main hall, with its giant golden, many-armed statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy.

　"I learnt English from my amah when I was a child," Hanze said. "She came from London. I didn't use the language for almost 40 years after that. When foreigners started coming back to Tianjin, I got a chance to practice again." I was still wondering exactly where the foreigners were. Even after three days in the city, I still hadn't seen more than a handful of overseas visitors.

　Back at the Astor Hotel, a plasterer was just putting the finishing touches to my ceiling, which now looked as good as new. Built in 1863, the hotel was once the heart of the city's glittering social life.

　Business deals, alliances and treaties were negotiated here between Western businessmen and Manchu ministers. The last emperor, Puyi, took refuge in Tianjin after being expelled from the Forbidden City. He often came to the Astor for dinner and to dance a few last tangos with the empress.

　The founder of the Chinese republic, Sun Yat-sen, stayed at the Astor in 1924, when many of the fine Western buildings along Jiefang Beilu were being built. His carefully preserved suite is a fine place to reflect on the ups and downs of Chinese history.