Hold onto your seats! The bullet train from Tianjin arrives in Beijing before passengers can get too comfortable on their plush swivel chairs. Travelling at a maximum speed of 350 km per hour, the train takes just 30 minutes to pull up at Beijing South Railway Station.
The ride is so fast that it takes less time to reach Beijing by bullet train from Tianjin then it takes to navigate the traffic congested roads from Beijing international airport into the heart of the capital.
When it was launched in 2008, before the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government said the train was the fastest in the world. Tianjin, about 115 km east of the capital, is a port city with a very different vibe from the country's capital. Tianjin hosted some of the soccer events of the Beijing Olympics and it revamped its waterfront area for the Games. The fast connection between the two cities opens up a wide array of tourist destinations for visitors to China. Even the train ride to Beijing gives visitors a glimpse of panoramic views of the Chinese countryside and farmers at work in their fields.
For only US$15 per ticket for a deluxe seat, which comes with a herbal tea, or as low as US$8 for a seat in the cheapest class, the bullet train is a tourist attraction in and of itself.
Meanwhile, visitors who want to spend a little time in Tianjin before moving onto the sights and sounds of Beijing can enjoy a wide range of attractions in this northeastern Chinese city. Among them is the Dabei Monastry, a Ming Dynasty monastery, a Qing Dynasty Confucian Temple and a wooden mosque that dates back to 1644.
The street life in Tianjin is enticing as well with street vendors spilling onto narrow lanes, and a wide array of streets with houses in traditional Chinese architectural styles. There is even a quixotic street called Machang Dao which is lined with staid English homes. Tianjin has an excellent antique market with many bargains as few foreigners shop there and prices are lower than antique and thrift markets in Beijing.
For architecture buffs, the Beijing South Railway Station, the train's destination in Beijing, is an awe-inspiring building. It took just three years to build the sprawling train station which has glass walls and a glass roof. The station is even larger than the Bird's Nest stadium where the 2008 Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies and athletic events were held. The station generates its own electricity thanks to more than 3,000 solar panels on its roof.
Upon arrival in Beijing, visitors can get into the city by switching to Subway line 4, or they can grab a taxi or bus into the centre where the Forbidden City and many other tourist attractions await them.
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