Yangliuqing Ancient Town

Once home to the Shi family, one of Tianjin's eight great late-Qing clans, this vast compound holds what is said to be the largest indoor theatre in any northern Chinese residence.

Ranked foremost among China's four great woodblock New Year print traditions, Yangliuqing prints combine block printing and hand painting, as in the famous Surplus Year after Year.

Built in the Wanli era of the Ming, this octagonal double-eaved pavilion is a landmark of the scholarly culture that flourished along the Grand Canal.

Where the Grand Canal flows through town, the old wharf where Emperor Qianlong stopped on his southern tours sits among historic shops of grey brick and tile.

Yangliuqing prints emerged in the Ming Chongzhen era, combining woodblock overprinting with hand coloring and reaching markets across northern China.

In the early Guangxu era, the Shi family—one of Tianjin's Eight Great Families—expanded Zunmei Hall in Yangliuqing, forming the core of the surviving Shi Family Courtyard.