We’re now travelling to Tianjin from Beijing – Dear stopped our Chinese driver Sifu cos he was very urgent!! Actually, Dear & I were expecting Sifu to stop at the next nearest Petrol Kiosk or Toilet, but instead, we were so surprised cos Sifu immediatetly stopped the car by the roadside of the Expressway!! So Dear got off & peed!!! Right infront of us by the roadside!!

Actually, it’s very common, when travelling in China (cos the Expressways or roads are normally very long without any single building or toilet) to just stop your car & do your business be it small or big, by the roadside or among the bushes nearby where you deem safe & convenient!!!

I myself have had the worst experience of my life while travelling on the Silk Road, China. That morning I had drank too much water (almost 1 to 2 bottles of mineral water) in the Hotel, & when we were travelling out of the countryside through the high & low mountains, I began to feel so so so URGENT!!! I swear I kept trying to curb it for a long long time – a long long half hour before I finally gave up & informed the Chinese driver Sifu to stop our big tour coach!!

And guess what!! It was raining heavily & we were in the middle of a wet slippery muddy Mountain top where there was not a single shelter, not to mention any toilet!! Or should I say, YES, there was indeed a “Nature Toilet” nearby cos I had to just squat on the muddy sandy roadside (blocked by an umbrella behind my back towards the big tour coach full of all my tourmates, as well as another umbrella over my head held by my Chinese lady tour guide)!! It was so embarrassing but during those moments I felt so so relieved being able to just pee pee, & that was all that was in my mind then!! It was a really COOL experience haha!!

Well, I’ve put the rest of Dear’s pee pee photos, as well as our travelling inside Sifu’s car, till we arrived at Tianjin about 2 hours later, in the following Slideshow :

Tianjin is one of the four Municipalities in China. Its name means “The place where the Emperor crossed the River”. Lying in the Northeast of the North China Plain, it’s bordered by the Bohai Sea, & separated by the Haihe River flowing  through the urban area of the City.

Tianjin Map :

Tianjin, neighbouring Beijing, has always been known as the Gateway to the Capital of China, experiencing a great deal of astonishing changes of China’s modern history. In 1860, the Treaty of Peking opened Tianjin to Foreign Trade. Tianjin was then shared by 8 other Countries (Italy, Germany, France, Russia, Great Britain, Austria, Japan & Belgium). Today, the City still has many old European-style buildings, & from 1925 to 1931, the last Emperor Pu Yi, lived here.

The unique geographical position of Tianjin made it the largest Cosmopolitan Port City, Transportation Hub & Commercial & Industrial Centre in North China. As a major foreign Trade Port, Tianjin, like a Bridge & a Window, plays an important role in the Export-oriented economy of China.

Tianjin has a population of 10 million, & the importance of Tianjin was reaffirmed in May 2006 when the Chinese Government officially designated Tianjin as the Primary Engine for the further economic development of North China.

We arrived at the Drum Tower (or “Gulou” in Chinese) Plaza, where we first visited its 2nd storey looking for toilets.

Drum Tower Plaza Slideshow :   

There were shops along the whole stretch of street at the Drum Tower Plaza – a Street Bazaar filled with second hands Goods, Handicrafts, CDs & DVDs, Toys, Kites, Folklore Paintings, Chinese Calligraphy Brushes, Pewterware, Glassware, Jadeware, Chinese Traditional Games, Chinese Fans, Chinese traditional Clothings, Chinese Brocade Bags & Shoes, & all sorts of Tianjin Souvenirs.

Dear paying for my Tianjin Souvenirs :

My very first 2 Tianjin Souvenirs – a pair of beautifully hand-blown glass Swans :

I bought more locally handmade Tianjin Souvenirs – Clay Figurines that came packed in beautiful Chinese Boxes :

Clay figurine is one of antiquated Folk Arts in China, dating back to the Neolithic Period. The Clay is taken as raw material & manually kneaded into a Figurine – the sculptures mainly characters & animals.

However, it was until the Ming & Qing Dynasties that Clay Figurine had been substantially produced & became one of the main Artworks in the Chinese Cultural life.

According to a Chinese Fairy Tale, Humans were created out of Clay by a Goddess. In the hands of the Folk Artists, this myth is repeated over & ovee as the otherwise worthless Clay is molded into fascinating Sculptures via kneading, basking, coloring & baking.