China's northern port of Tianjin was forced to open to foreign trade in 1860, under agreements between the then Qing-dynasty government in China and foreign powers. And that's when the city began to connect with the world. Our reporter Zhao Yunfei is there to tell us more about Tianjin's rich culture and history.

In Chinese, the word "road" is "Malu", that means the horses' road. In the old days horse-drawn cabs are major transportation tools. In Tianjin, if you want to have a carriage experience, you come to Wudadao.

Yunfei: Joining me is Yu Dan, she is an anchor from Tianjin Broadcast Group. Hey there, Yu Dan, so where are we?

Yu Dan: We are on the Yunnan road. This street with the other twelve streets make up this entire tourism site, because there are five main avenues, so we also call it Wudadao, known as 'World Building Exposition'. Riding on the carriage feels just like traveling from country to country.

The Wudadao area has over 2000 buildings with a wide variety of styles, from the architecture of Britain, France, Italy, Germany and Spain. This place was the British concession in the early 20th century.

Yu Dan: Let me introduce you to Mr. Liu Yue, he is the curator of Tianjin Modern History Museum. Mr. Liu, can you give us an idea what's the concession situation like in Tianjin back then?

LIU YUE, CURATOR TIANJIN MODERN HISTORY MUSEUM "Sure. Tianjin was the only city in the world which got nine concessions. After the second opium in 1860, British concession, French concession and American concession were established on the west bank of the Hai River. After 1895 Sino-Japanese War, Germany concession and Japanese concession were established. And after 1900 Boxer Rebellion, Austral Hungarian, Italian, Russian, Belgium concessions were acquired. And after a few extensions, British extended their concession to today's Wudadao area."

The architecture in the area is a reminder of Tianjin's cultural history. The preservation work of the century-old buildings is not an easy task.

ZHANG ZHENDONG WUDADAO AREA MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE CONSULTANT "The concession history is a disgrace, but the architecture is art. Art has no national boundaries. We restore these buildings to make better use of them. Now we have renovated 90 houses for private companies. We welcome them to set up their offices here. It can also show their characters."

Yu Dan: Besides architecture, there are also many good food in this area. You know, it's always a good idea to sit down at a cafe to just feel the atmosphere. Yunfei: Each building in Wudadao is flickering with a time stamp. And there is a story behind each wall.

Yu Dan: Well, as more people coming, I am sure the vitality of the historic site will continue.