The above mentioned people built up garden villas, high-standard apartments and in-lane residences, which formed concentrated western style villas in the area. As a result, the Five Roads area is crowned as an "exposition of world architectures", where buildings reflect both the Western and Chinese architectural thoughts at that time : Western classical style, Medieval style, Baroque eclectic style, Modern style, Chinese-Western combined style and various new decoration styles. According to investigation from Tianjin Municipal Land, Resources and Housing Administrative Bureau, there are more than 400 historic building in the area.

Historic buildings in the area consist completely of a residential function and advanced planning concept. The 1920s was a time when the British "garden city" planning theory prevailed. The Five Roads area was guided and built under the theory. Accordingly, the general design was rational, the living environment was comfortable and the road net and the auxiliary facilities were perfect, turning the area into a gracious and agreeable residential compound. As an example, no commercial center or shopping mall was planned and no public vehicle was given access to the area in order to guarantee the environment quality of the residential area.

The whole area was equipped with perfect public utilities and indoor facilities. The construction of municipal facilities was uniformly planned such as streetlights, green belts, water supply and drainage system and so forth. Even the rare flush toilets at that time were introduced in the residence. Hospitals, schools, churches, gardens and stadium were all built there.

As the symbol of Tianjin, the Five Roads combine the Chinese and Western cultures together. People coming to this community will experience the feel of Western styles, such as the family living area, dining room, and dancing hall, the social life style focus on parks and churches, and the modern transportation of automobile instead of walk ways. These open life styles melted into Chinese traditional customs, forming a unique space of urban culture.

Editor:Guo Changdong Source:China.org.cn