OceanTeacher Global Academy (OTGA) Training Course: Regional Climate Change and Coastal Disaster Mitigation , 17-20 September 2018,

Local information for Participants

1. VENUE The training course will be conducted at National Marine Data and Information Service (NMDIS), Tianjin, China, with the in‐kind support by IODE through the Government of Flanders, Belgium and NMDIS of China. ‐ Venue: No. 93 Liuwei Road, Hedong , Tianjin 300171, China ‐ Contact: Dr. Yu Ting (Julia) Email: [email protected] (cc: [email protected]) Tel: +86‐22‐24010768 Fax:+86‐22‐24010926 website: www.nmdis.org.cn

2. ARRIVAL INFORMATION Tianjin International Airport (TSN) is located in roughly 13 km away from 1 downtown area. It now has a terminal building which covers an area of 25,000 m2, a merchandise warehouse which covers an area of 29,500 m2 and runways measuring 3.6 km in total. It has 59 flight routes, connecting 48 cities, including 30 domestic cities and 17 foreign cities. More information could be found at http://www.tbia.cn/.

Transportation from and to Tianjin Binhai International Airport (TSN) or Capital International Airport (PEK, http://www.bcia.com.cn/) is in‐kind provided by NMDIS. If you need a transport service, please send the following form to Dr. YU Ting (Julia) at [email protected] and cc to Dr. LIU Qiulin at [email protected] at your earliest convenience.

Transportation request form Name Nationality Arrival date and time Arrival flight No. Landing airport Departure date and time Departure flight No. Departure airport Any companion (if yes, please specify the number)

There are several railway stations in the city, being the principal one. The Tianjin Railway Station is also locally called the 'East Station', due to its geogrraphical position. It 2 is the most important transportation hub involving lines 2, 3, and 9 as well as the Tianjin‐Beijing High‐speed rail. Tianjin West Railway Station and Tianjin North Railway Station are also major railway stations in Tianjin.

In case you would like to travel by train, NMIDS is located near the Shiyijing Road Station at Metro , only two stops from Tianjin Railway Station.

Tianjin Railway Station at Hedong District Tianjin West Station at

Tianjin North Railway Station at District Tianjin South Railway Station at

3. ACCOMODATION ‐ Hotel: Tianjin Zhengxie Club Hotel ‐ Address: No. 273 Jiefang Road, HexiDistrict, Tianjin 300141, China ‐ Tel: +86‐22‐23398666 ‐ Fax: +86‐22‐23398222 ‐ Website: http://www.tjzxhotel.com/english/

Tianjin Zhengxie Club Hotel, 10 minutes walk to NMDIS

3 Hotel accommodation will be paid directly by the NMDIS. Details of meals to be provided by the hotel (e.g. breakfast).

Advise participants that any additional hotel expenses (i.e. mini‐bar, laundry, additional meals and room service, telephone calls and use of fax machine) will be at the participants own expense and must be paid directly to the hotel by the participants at time of check‐out.

4. LOCAL TRANSPORT Shuttle will be arranged for the transportation between the hotel and course venue during the training days. Details of departure time will be announced at arrival.

5. WEATHER CONDITIONS 1 Tianjin features a four season, monsoon‐influenced climate, typical of East Asia, with cold, windy, very dry winters reflecting the influence of the vast Siberian anticyclone, and hot, humid summers, due to the monsoon. The monthly 24‐hour average temperature ranges from −3.5 °C (25.7 °F) in January to 26.8 °C (80.2 °F) in July, with an annual mean of 12.9 °C (55.2 °F).

Average Weather in Tianjin for September Average high °C (°F) 27.6 (81.68) Average low °C (°F) 17.6 (63.68) Average precipitation mm (inches) 49.7 (1.96) Average relative humidity (%) 66 Mean monthly sunshine hours 189.1

6. CURRENCY EXCHANGE Chinese Yuan (also known as Renminbi, RMB for short) is the official and legal currency in circulation. Use of foreign currencies is generally not allowed. The official currency exchange rate can be found at http://www.boc.cn/sourcedb/whpj/enindex.html which is applied national wide. There are currency exchange services at Tianjin Airport and top‐end (Normally 4 stars to 5 stars) hotels. All branches of Bank of China and other large banks offer currency exchange services. Look for a sign when you walk into a bank outlet.

7. VISA INFORMATION Foreign citizens must obtain a Chinese visa before entry into China, with the exception of visa‐free entry based on relevant agreements or regulations.

Please check the validity of your visa before travelling to China. If the visa has expired or the number of entries is not enough, you must apply for a new visa. If a visa is needed, please ask the embassy/consulate of China or your local travel agents in your country for details.

8. MEDICAL AND TRAVEL INSURANCE Please be sure to arrange your own travel and health care insurances before entering China. The Local Organizer is not responsible for any health problems, hospitalization, accidents, theft or

1Data source: Tianjin Meteorological Bureau, http://www.tjqx.gov.cn/ 4 damage to properties that may occur during your participation at the meeting.

9.ELECTRICITY AND MOBILE PHONE China uses 220V, 50HZ, AC. Please bring a suitable adaptor for your own convenience. The standard for Chinese plugs and sockets is set out in GB 2099.1–2008 and GB 1002–2008. A standard socket in China has two pins on the upper part and earthed three pins on the lower part.

Mobile phone should work in Tianjin without difficulty. If not, you are welcome to use the landline services at the hotel.

10. Tianjin cuisine places a heavy focus on seafood, due to Tianjin's proximity to the sea. It can be further classified into several varieties. Prominent menus include the Eight Great Bowls (Chinese: 八大碗; : Bādà wǎn), a combination of eight mainly meat dishes.

The three delicacies of Tianjin include Guifaxiangfried twisted dough (Chinese: 十八街麻花; pinyin: shíbājiē máhuā), Erduoyan fried stuffed bun (Chinese: 耳朵眼炸糕; pinyin: ěrduoyǎn zhà gāo) and Go Believesteamed stuffed bun (Chinese: 狗不理包子; pinyin: gǒu bùlǐbāozi). Well‐known foods include Tianjin (Chinese: 煎饼果子; pinyin: jiān bǐ‐ngguǒzi), Shou Li Gao, Bengdou Zhang, Nut Zhang, Gaogan of Yangcun, and Xiaobao chestnut. These famous snacks are available in Nanshi Food Street, which was a famous calling‐card of Tianjin in the aspect of cuisine.

Guifaxiang fried twisted dough Go Believe Steamed Stuffed Bun

5

Erduoyan fried stuffed bun Tianjin traditional Pancake

11. GETTING AROUND Taxis in Tianjin are very inexpensive and abundant. Rates start at 8 RMB for the first 3 kilometers or higher for some fancier taxis; rates are slightly higher after 11pm. Note that you are asked for 1 RMB fuel surcharge for each trip. You can hail a taxi in the street‐if the box in the middle of the front windshield red, the taxi is available for hire. The hotel can also arrange for taxis. Tianjin has an extensive bus service‐fares starts at 2 RMB, but the schedules are all in Chinese.

A note of caution when crossing the street: Tianjin drivers often run lights, and also, most often, will not stop for pedestrians in the cross walk. Hence be very alert when crossing and look both ways before stepping out on the street.

12. LANDMARKES AND ATTRACTIONS Drum Tower: Gulou East Street, , Tianjin Five Main Avenues :Central downtown of Tianjin, including Chengdu Avenue, Chongqing Avenue, Dali Avenue, Munan Avenue, and Machang Avenue. Tianjin Italian Style Town: No. 25 Ziyou Street, , Tianjin Memorial Hall to Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao: No. 1 Shuishanggongyuan North Road, Nankai District, Tianjin Nanshi Cuisine Street: No. 1 Shuishang Park North Road, Nankai District, Tianjin Tianjin Ancient Culture Street: Shuigeda Street, Nankai District, Tianjin Tianjin Eye: Yongle Bridge, Hongqiao District, Tianjin Tianjin Radio and Television Tower: Niegong Bridge South, Hexi District, Tianjin

Finally, we wish you a pleasant stay in Tianjin, China.

6