Tianjin

Japanese: 天津 - てんしん

A major city in North China. Administratively, it is a direct-controlled municipality with the same status as a province, along with Beijing, Shanghai, and Chongqing. It consists of 16 city districts, including Heping District, Jizhou District, and Binhai New District. It has an area of 11,917 square kilometers and a population of 15,621,200 (2016). Facing the Bohai Bay, the city center is located about 50 kilometers upstream from the mouth of the Hai River, on the right bank near the confluence of the Hai River tributaries, including the Daqing River, Ziya River, and Yongding River. It is a transportation hub connecting the inland waterways of the Hai River and the Beijing-Shan Line (Beijing-Shanhaiguan) and Beijing-Shanghai Line railways. It is the largest trading port in North China and serves as the gateway to the sea for the capital Beijing, located 120 km northeast. Tianjin New Port at the mouth of the Haihe River was completed in 1952 and has over 100 berths capable of docking 10,000-ton ships. Renovations to the Haihe River have enabled 3,000-ton ships to travel upstream to downtown Tianjin. Tianjin Binhai International Airport is located about 13 km east of the city center.

The surrounding area along the lower reaches of the Hai River is a cotton and wheat producing region, and the famous Tianjin chestnuts and persimmons are also produced in abundance around Jizhou District. The Kailan coalfield is located to the northeast, and the Dagang oilfield is located to the southeast. The city also produces raw materials such as limestone and firebricks, and the Changlu saltfields are located in the lower reaches of the Hai River, which produces a huge amount of salt. The city is also well-connected to North China and Mongolia, and this excellent location has led to the development of commerce and industry in Tianjin, which has led to the formation of a large city. In terms of industry, the proportion of the textile industry is particularly high, and its carpets are world-famous. Traditionally, there are many factories producing paper, rubber, tobacco, matches, and food. Heavy industries such as steel, machinery, petroleum, and chemicals are also developing rapidly, and in addition to the electrical and vehicle industries, precision machinery industries such as cameras, watches, and calculators are also thriving.

There are many research and cultural facilities such as higher education institutions such as Nankai University, Tianjin University, Tianjin Medical University, and Tianjin Conservatory of Music, as well as research institutes, libraries, museums, and the Labor Culture Palace. There are also many gymnasiums and stadiums, and the city is famous throughout the country for its popularity in sports, especially soccer.

[Funakoshi Akio]

history

It was a small port called Nigu Haikou in the Song dynasty, Xin'an Kaiju in the Jin dynasty, and Zhigu or Haijin Town in the Yuan dynasty. During the Yuan dynasty, it developed rapidly after taxes from Jiangnan were shipped here every year. In 1404 during the Ming dynasty, Tianjinwei was established and a 6-kilometer wall was built. It further developed as a transit point for taxes transported from Jiangnan via the Grand Canal, and took on an urban appearance. During the Qing dynasty, Tianjin County was established and it became the capital of Tianjin Prefecture. At the end of the Qing dynasty, the British forced the port to open twice, in 1792 and 1816, and it was attacked by British and French forces during the Arrow War in 1858, and it was occupied in 1860, and the port was opened by the Treaty of Tianjin, with the United States and Russia also joining. In 1870, an anti-French movement broke out, resulting in the murder of 20 consuls and others, and in 1900, the city was burned down in battle between the Boxers and the Eight-Nation Alliance, which included Japan and Britain, and the city walls were demolished. After it became a procurement point for military supplies for both countries during the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, it flourished as a foreign trading port, and a concession was established, turning it into an international city. During the Republic of China era, it was briefly the capital of Zhili Province, but was often the scene of civil wars involving the interests of various countries, and was occupied by the Japanese army in 1937 during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

[Hoshi Hideo]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

中国、華北地区の大都市。行政上は北京(ペキン)、上海(シャンハイ)、重慶(じゅうけい)とともに省と同格の政府直轄市である。和平(わへい)区、薊州(けいしゅう)区、浜海(ひんかい)新区など16市轄区からなる。面積1万1917平方キロメートル、人口1562万1200（2016）。渤海(ぼっかい)湾岸に面し、海河河口より約50キロメートル上流、大清河、子牙河(しがが)、永定河など、海河支流の合流点付近の右岸一帯に市の中心部がある。海河の内陸水運や京山線（北京―山海関(さんかいかん)）、京滬(けいこ)線両鉄道の連絡する交通の結節点をなす。華北最大の貿易港で、北東120キロメートルにある首都北京の海への門戸となっている。海河河口の天津新港は、1952年に完成し、1万トン級の船舶の接岸できるバース（係留地）は100以上あり、さらに海河の改修によって天津市街まで3000トン級の船舶が遡航(そこう)できるようになっている。市中心部の東約13キロメートルに天津浜海国際空港がある。

　周辺の海河下流一帯はワタ、小麦の産地で、薊州区付近では有名な天津栗(ぐり)や柿(かき)の生産も多い。北東に開灤(かいらん)炭田を控え、南東に大港油田を擁している。また石灰岩、耐火れんがなどの原料も産し、海河下流域には長蘆(ちょうろ)塩場が広がり、塩の生産も巨額に上る。華北、モンゴル地方一帯との交通の便もよく、これらの優れた交通位置が、天津に商工業の発展をもたらし、大都市を形成させる原因となっている。工業ではとくに紡織工業の比率が高く、じゅうたんは世界的に有名である。伝統的に製紙、ゴム、たばこ、マッチ、食品などの工場が多い。他方、製鋼、機械、石油、化学など重工業も急速に発展しており、さらに、電機・車両工業のほかカメラ、時計、計算機など精密機械工業も盛んである。

　南開大学、天津大学、天津医科大学、天津音楽学院などの高等教育機関や研究所、図書館、博物館、労働文化宮など研究・文化施設も少なくない。また、体育館、競技場なども充実しており、スポーツことにサッカーが盛んなことは全国的に名高い。

［船越昭生］

歴史

宋(そう)代に泥沽海口(でいこかいこう)、金代に信安海(しんあんかいじゅ)、元代に直沽(ちょくこ)または海津鎮(かいしんちん)といわれた小港であった。元代に、江南からの税糧を毎年海運してここに陸揚げし始めてから急に発展した。明(みん)代の1404年天津衛を設け、周囲6キロメートルの城郭を築き、江南から大運河で輸送してくる税糧の中継地としてさらに発展して都市的様相を示し、清(しん)代には天津県を置き、天津府の首邑(しゅゆう)となった。清末、1792年と1816年の二度にわたりイギリスによって開港を迫られ、1858年アロー戦争に際してイギリス・フランス軍の攻撃を受け、1860年に占領され、アメリカ、ロシアも加わった天津条約によって開港された。1870年フランス排撃運動が起こって領事ら20名が殺害されるという事件があり、1900年には義和団と日・英など八か国連合軍との兵火を被り、城壁が取り払われた。1904年日露戦争のとき両国の軍需物資の調達地となってから、対外貿易港として栄え、租界も設けられて国際都市化した。中華民国時代には一時、直隷省都となったが、列国の利害が絡む内戦の舞台となることが多く、日中戦争に際しても1937年日本軍に占領された。

［星　斌夫］

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