Tianjin to offer slice of home to Americans

By Li Xiang (Chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2012-02-14

TIANJIN -- San Francisco's Chinatown provides visitors and residents with Oriental culture and charm in the United States. Tianjin hopes to do the same, but with an American feel.

China's first American Town will be built and developed this year in the tourist zone of Binhai New Area.

"In the future, people can experience genuine US culture and lifestyles in Tianjin," said Zhang Jiguang, chairman of Tianjin Binhai Tourist Zone Investment Co Ltd.

American Town will be designed and constructed by US companies in traditional US style. Visitors will have the chance to taste American food, watch films -- which will be showing in the US at the same time -- enjoying shopping services and high-end healthcare.

"A US management team from New Hampshire will take charge of the businesses, infrastructure maintenances and administrative services in the American Town after all the construction is completed," he said. “The American Town will create a certain number of jobs for the US people.”

Zhang said there is only one thing the US team cannot manage: The tourist zone will remain under the jurisdiction of Chinese law.

The construction area of American Town is about 2 sq km. The local government is trying to make good use of its present scale.

"The government might expand the land scale in the future if it could bring more commercial opportunities," Zhang said.