What was Tianjin like fifty years ago?

This is a set of old photos of Tianjin in 1972, taken by William Joseph, a professor at Wellesley College in the United States who was visiting China at that time. Through this set of old photos, I will take you to see Tianjin at that time. The picture shows female workers working in Tianjin Hongqi Embroidery Factory at that time.

Tianjin is located in the North China region, the northeastern part of the North China Plain, the lower reaches of the Haihe River Basin, and borders the Bohai Sea to the east. It is the confluence of the five major tributaries of the Haihe River: South Canal, Ziya River, Daqing River, Yongding River, and North Canal. The mouth of the sea is known as "the lower end of the Nine Rivers" and "the center of the river and the sea". The picture shows a park in Tianjin at that time.

Tianjin is known as the International Architecture Expo. The city’s architecture is unique, with carved beams and painted buildings, elegant and simple ancient buildings, as well as many novel and unique Western buildings, forming a unique city that is compatible with ancient and modern times. style. The picture shows a street scene in Tianjin at that time.

The picture shows a street scene by the Haihe River in Tianjin at that time. The roads at that time were very empty, and most of the people driving on the road were bicycles. At that time, bicycles were the main means of transportation for urban people. The Haihe River runs through the downtown area of ??Tianjin and is regarded as the mother river by Tianjin people. The Haihe River has also witnessed the development of the city.

The picture shows the Tianjin Carpet Factory at that time. Tianjin's carpet industry originated in the late Qing Dynasty and has a history of more than 100 years. Tianjin carpets have a certain reputation in the international market. As early as 1893, Tianjin carpets won a gold medal at the Panama International Exposition; in 1903, they won a gold medal at the Louis City International Exposition in the United States.

The picture shows the street scene in Tianjin at that time. The roads here were clean and tidy, and there were several cars parked on the roadside. At that time, cars were definitely a rarity for ordinary people. At that time, the main means of transportation for urban people were buses, cars and bicycles.

The picture shows the Tianjin Tractor Manufacturing Factory at that time. The slogans on the walls on both sides of the gate are very contemporary. On April 10, 1958, China's first medium-horsepower wheeled tractor "Tianniu" was launched at the Tianjin Tractor Manufacturing Factory. Today, there is a station on Line 6 of the Tianjin Metro called "Tiantuo" station. Anyone familiar with it knows that this was the original site of the Tianjin Tractor Manufacturing Factory.