Fortuitously there is a high tower featuring a viewing platform accessible by elevator, or visitors can walk up. This provides extensive panoramas across lakes and recently reforested areas. This tower is also useful for bird spotting as Tianjin is on a bird migratory highway. Large flocks of gulls from northeastern Russia and Mongolia head south to warmer climates in central China during late autumn, returning north in spring. Tianjin's lakes become a resting point on the journey; the attraction of watching the birds around the Haihe River during daylight hours is increasingly a local tourist attraction. The flocks head back to the surrounding waters for overnight stays.

Our route continued northeastwards across the plains. Again there were numerous watercourses and lakes, but also modern villages and new residential areas resembling small towns, local tourist developments, and more. We were approaching where the Haihe River widens, slowing down before entering the Bohai Sea. The latter is a vast semi-enclosed gulf that opens out to the Yellow Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Over time and continuing today, it has been northeastern China's gateway to world maritime trade. Indeed Tianjin itself boasts one of the world's largest container ports located exactly where the Haihe River merges with the Bohai Sea. Indeed the entire Bohai Bay has been identified as a major economic growth engine after the Yangtze Delta and the Greater Bay Area of the Pearl River in southern China.

Today, just north of the port, a recently constructed landmark rises 530 meters high. The CTF Finance Centre, completed in late 2019, is the world's seventh-tallest skyscraper, standing in many ways as a symbol of rejuvenation of this now increasingly dynamic district. The tower rises above the aforementioned Teda (Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area) and is a crucial part of the Binhai New Area. Established on December 6, 1984, it is one of China's earliest national-level development zones. I first visited it in 1996; today, it has grown substantially, becoming home to both domestic and international high-tech and innovation companies laid out in a well-planned spacious and green environment. Our visit also took us to Zhongxin Pharmaceuticals, a fascinating introduction to the modern-day production of Chinese medicines.

Continuing north through Teda, beyond Tianjin University of Science and Technology, a high-level bridge spans the Yongding River - the same watercourse that flows through Beijing's Mentougou and under the famed "Marco Polo Bridge" at Lugou Qiao. Fishing boats and small container vessels were moored in the waters below as we continued toward another renowned environmental development. China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City, about 30 square kilometers in area, is somewhere I have longed to visit. The project was first mooted and signed into an agreement between Singapore and China in 2007 with construction commencing in 2008.

The site for the overall scheme interestingly was chosen because the land was non-arable while also facing water shortage. It was an attempt to show and illustrate how sustainable urban development could be created even where there were obvious environmental challenges. Indeed, the land area was quite barren, with many salt pans and waste deposits. The aim was to turn this around, to create a vibrant, environmentally-friendly location that could stand as a positive example of sustainable urban development, to create a livable environment. The transformation has been amazing, creating garden-like living areas. We would visit one, a section known as Seasons Garden. It appeared the area was designed for convenient walking between facilities such as shopping, community centers and transport. Indeed I had the feeling that it is certainly pedestrian and cycling-friendly. I saw a network of excellent cycleways, which were well used by residents. It is estimated that most residential areas are within 500 meters of free sports and recreational facilities.

The area nearby is home to innovation and technological developments. A department of State Grid, China's electric power distributor, had a truly fascinating display of robotic technology utilized in overhead transmission cable repair and management.

Overlooking the Bohai Sea is surely an appropriate location for the 80,000 square meters National Marine Museum of China. Undergoing a "soft opening" in May 2019, it is today a world leader in its class. Stunning architecture of two interconnected buildings, it graphically and visually illustrates the story of the world's oceans. Much about the earth's history and the impact the seas have constantly on often vulnerable coastlines. It also has countless displays of sea creatures, from tiny crustaceans to large whales. Again, the museum emphasizes the importance of carrying for the environment while showing graphically the destruction that an ocean can inflict in coastal areas during periods of earthquakes, tidal waves and climatic disturbances. It was certainly a fitting end to a very thorough visit to the eastern coastal lowlands of Tianjin. A day when I learned much more about this city which has held my fascination for many years.