Central Ring Colorful Ribbon

　　　　The Central Ring Colorful Ribbon refers to Tianjin's Middle Ring Road (Middle Ring Line), which is situated between the city center and the outer urban area. It intersects with 14 radial roads and connects industrial, warehousing, and newly developed residential areas. It serves as an important thoroughfare for alleviating urban traffic congestion and is also one of the "Ten Scenic Spots of Tianjin," known as the "Central Ring Colorful Ribbon."

　　　　In the past, Tianjin’s roads crisscrossed in a chaotic pattern, leading to severe vehicle congestion. This was due to the fragmented governance of the nine foreign concessions before liberation, each operating independently. At that time, there were only 791 kilometers of roads and just over 300 cars. Most urban transportation relied on porters and more than 2,000 handcarts. After liberation, Tianjin’s municipal construction and road transport developed rapidly. By the end of 1985, the city’s road network, including suburban areas, reached 3,791 kilometers—more than five times that of the early post-liberation period. The number of civilian vehicles exceeded 79,860, with trucks totaling 53,547, a 41-fold increase from the early days of the People's Republic. Bicycle numbers grew by 30 times. However, road area only increased by a little over two times. As a result, the urban traffic conditions could no longer meet the demands of population growth, modernization, and opening-up. During peak hours, average vehicle speed dropped to just 12 kilometers per hour. A popular saying went: “Tianjin has a peculiar quirk: taking a bus is slower than cycling, and cycling is slower than walking.” To address Tianjin’s traffic woes, the municipal government formulated an urban master plan and introduced measures in 1985 to construct a circular and radial arterial road system. This system consists of three concentric ring roads (inner, middle, and outer) and 14 radial roads, forming the city’s major traffic arteries.

　　　　The Middle Ring Road was fully opened to traffic between 1985 and July 1, 1986, completing construction in just 10 months. The Inner Ring Road and Outer Ring Road were subsequently completed and opened as well. The Inner Ring Road connects six districts and handles urban passenger traffic. The Outer Ring Road is designated for freight transport, easing through-traffic. The Middle Ring Road accommodates mixed passenger and freight traffic within the city, helping reduce the number of vehicles passing through the city center. Its completion now handles approximately 80% of all freight transport and has added vibrancy to the urban landscape. Stretching 34.5 kilometers in total, the Middle Ring Road has a road width of 50 meters, including a 22-meter-wide fast lane, designed for speeds up to 60 km/h. There are 2-meter-wide isolation zones on each side, 6-meter-wide slow lanes, and 6-meter-wide sidewalks. The greenbelts along the entire route are planted with flowering peach, wintersweet plum, roses, holly, and large-leaved boxwoods. In spring, the wintersweet plum and flowering peach burst into vibrant red, pink, and white blooms. In summer and autumn, the city flower—the rose—blooms in various colors: red, pink, yellow, orange, green, purple-black, multicolor, and two-tone shades, competing in beauty and perfuming the entire city. In winter, the evergreen holly and boxwoods stand tall, braving the cold winds. Trees such as weeping willows, Chinese scholar trees, maple trees, and pines are planted along both sides of the road where possible, while walls and enclosed courtyards are covered with climbing plants like wisteria and ivy. The entire Middle Ring Road resembles a colorful ribbon for pedestrians to admire—lush greenery and fragrant blossoms all along the way.

　　　　The Middle Ring Road is also adorned with numerous bridges, like sparkling pearls on the ribbon. Along its route, there are seven river-crossing bridges: Qianjian Bridge, Ziya River Bridge, Hongqi Bridge, Jieyuan Bridge, Fukang Bridge, Guanghua Bridge (also called Sixin Bridge), and Yantuo Bridge. There are also eight overpasses: Balitai, South Jiefang Road, Zhongshanmen, Dongxing, Dongfeng, Pujidao Road, Changjiangdao Road, and Wangdingdi Overpasses. Among these, the Zhongshanmen, Balitai, and Wangdingdi Overpasses feature innovative and practical designs, with economical yet elegant structures. The Zhongshanmen Overpass, also known as the Er Gong Overpass, combines the cloverleaf and directional interchange types. It resembles a dancing butterfly, earning it the nickname “Butterfly Interchange.” The topmost level, designed for east-west traffic, accommodates two separate one-way lanes for motor vehicles on the Middle Ring Road. The lower level handles north-south traffic for vehicles on the Jin-Tang Highway. The ground level includes bidirectional non-motorized lanes and sidewalks. This interchange’s architecture won China’s top architectural award, the “Luban Prize,” in 1988. The Balitai Interchange is a three-layer cloverleaf-style interchange. Its ramps are elevated to the second and third levels—non-motorized vehicles use the first layer, north-south vehicles travel straight on the second, and east-west vehicles on the third. Four high mast lights with umbrella-shaped tops stand in the green spaces enclosed by the ramps, each standing 37 meters tall with a diameter of 1.5 meters. The Wangdingdi Interchange is the city’s first three-layer directional interchange. It features a three-lane main line with separate lanes for motorized and non-motorized traffic, as well as dedicated entry and exit lanes, allowing up to 50,000 vehicle trips per day. Other interchanges such as the Dongfeng Interchange and Pujidao Road Interchange resemble rainbows soaring across the sky or dragons lying across waves. They are both economical and aesthetically pleasing. These interchanges all contribute to the vibrant charm of the Middle Ring Road.

　　　　Driving around the Middle Ring Road during the day not only offers views of beautiful residential communities and factory buildings along the route but also reveals a series of parks and green spaces, such as Tonglou Park, Er Gong Park, Beining Park, Taohua Embankment Park, and Changhong Park. These parks and green areas hang like jade beads along the Central Ring Colorful Ribbon. At night, thousands of high-mast spotlights along the Middle Ring Road illuminate brilliantly. From an elevated vantage point, the Middle Ring Road looks like a resplendent ring of luminous pearls, with the Zhongshanmen Butterfly Interchange, Balitai Interchange, and Wangdingdi Interchange shining even brighter like rare jewels.

　　　　In short, a journey along the Middle Ring Road allows visitors to appreciate the beauty of city flowers, architecture, and gardens, while also offering a glimpse of Tianjin’s urban landscape and leaving a lasting impression of this modern metropolis.