Tianjin · Neighbourhood ·
Binhai New Area
滨海新区 · Tianjin's coastal megaproject development zone — port, free-trade zone, the spectacular Binhai Library, and the country's most ambitious post-2010 special-economic-zone build.
About this neighbourhood
Binhai New Area is Tianjin's coastal megaproject — designated as a national-level new district in 2009 and developed at substantial scale through the 2010s as the country's third major special-economic-zone city after Shenzhen and Pudong. The district covers 2,270 square kilometres on the Bohai coast and includes the Tianjin Port (the largest cargo port in northern China), the Yujiapu financial district, and the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City joint development.
The Binhai Library, opened 2017 in the Binhai Cultural Centre, is the international architectural icon of the development. The library's central atrium contains a spherical white auditorium ("the Eye") surrounded by terraced bookshelves rising to the ceiling — a substantial proportion of the visible "books" are printed images on the shelves rather than physical volumes (the library's actual reading collection is on the upper floors), but the architectural effect remains substantial.
The Yujiapu Financial District, modelled loosely on Manhattan's Lower East Side, was built between 2008 and 2015. The financial-services tenancy of the district has been less successful than originally projected — many towers remain partly empty — but the Tianjin–Binhai high-speed rail makes the district a 30-minute commute from central Tianjin.
The Tianjin Port observation deck offers views of the cargo-handling operations and the Bohai coastline.
What to see
Binhai Library (the eye-shaped sphere of books, 2017 — one of the most photographed libraries in the world), Tianjin Eye (Ferris wheel on a bridge), Yujiapu Financial District, Tianjin Port observation deck, Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City.
What to eat
International dining in the new financial-district mall complexes; canteen-style at the tech-park base; Tianjin port-side seafood restaurants.
Transit
Tianjin Metro Line 9 to Binhai. Tianjin–Binhai light-rail. The 30-minute high-speed rail from Tianjin Station to Yujiapu makes the district accessible from central Tianjin.
Where to stay
International conference hotels (St. Regis, Sheraton, Holiday Inn Yujiapu); mid-range options around the Tianjin–Binhai rail stations.
Hazards & notes
Distances are substantial. The Binhai Library has waiting times of an hour or more on weekends — early-morning weekday visit recommended.