Historic Astor Hotel Tianjin 2021. [Photo by Bruce Connolly/chinadaily.com.cn]
A city of history where it's location put it historically at the centre of Beijing's domestic and international connectivity. The Grand Canal at Tianjin connected via the Haihe River to the Bohai Sea near Tanggu. A branch of the canal led from Tianjin north to Tongzhou in eastern Beijing.