Notes on a Solo Trip to the Five Avenues

At 3pm on Chongqing Road, the wind swirls the fallen leaves of the Chinese hackberry tree against the Roman column reliefs, and the delivery man's electric scooter whizzes past the Gothic archway, the steam from the soybean milk in his basket wafts onto the brick wall, blurring the traces of time. Crouching down to tie my shoelaces, I catch a glimpse of a half-rusted nail embedded in the gap between the floor tiles, wondering which craftsman dropped it a hundred years ago. History here is like a pot of lukewarm water, bubbling with the bubbles of modern life - faded school uniforms are drying on the Baroque balcony, the cast iron mailbox is filled with fitness flyers, and the shared bicycle lock holes at the root of the Qing Palace wall have accumulated three years of plane tree fluff. I've summarized the must-visit spots in the Five Avenues: 1. Minyuan Square The sunken circular arcade is the core landmark, with moss and tourist footprints layered on the Roman column bases, and the underground museum houses old photos of the sports field during the concession period. 2. Qing Palace The mansion of Zai Zhen, the last emperor of the Qing dynasty, with cracks in the Belgian floor tiles at the corner of the stairs, which are said to be champagne glasses broken at a dance in 1930. 3. No. 75 Row House on Changde Road The English green paint door frame still has traces of the milk box nails, and the windowsill is filled with blood pressure medication bottles and cacti, with residents living in harmony with the historical buildings. 4. Mu'nan Park on Dali Road When the crabapple flowers bloom in spring, the pink sea of flowers echoes the iron railings of the French-style houses, and the locals' morning exercise tai chi fans sweep across the fallen flowers. --- In addition, I've learned about some hidden spots: - Jianbing stall at No. 121 Chongqing Road The owner uses an iron shovel to knock out the rhythm of the Jianbing batter, the crisp sound overlaps with the hourly chime of the Minyuan Clock Tower, and the market atmosphere collides with the historical feeling. - No. 2 Broken Window Building on Dali Road The hole in the colored glass on the third floor casts a rainbow of light onto the steamer of the steamed bun shop on a sunny day. The building has been occupied by warlords, foreign bank managers, and union presidents. - Building with bumps on Hebei Road The exterior wall is covered with Ming and Qing porcelain fragments, and the uneven "bumps" brick wall gleams in the sunset. This was the former residence of Ma Lianliang, a famous Peking Opera performer. - Tianjin Foreign Language University on Ma Chang Road Filming location for "Golden Years," the red tile roof and climbing plants of the teaching building are intertwined, and students walk hurriedly through the arched corridor with textbooks in their hands. Practical advice: - Light and shadow moments: 7-8am or 4-5pm, the outline of the building is outlined by the oblique light, creating a sense of three-dimensionality. - Hidden routes: Turn from Changde Road to Guilin Road, and you can find a magical scene where clotheslines are stretched across the Italian-style carved balcony along the narrow alleys of the residential area. History here is not in the display case, but in the rusty nails in the cracks, the medicine bottles on the windowsill, and the heat of the Jianbing stall. Bring a bottle of Shanhaiguan soda and sit on the stone steps of Minyuan Square to wait for the dusk to paint the foreign buildings with a honey-colored patina. Perhaps you can hear the sound of time breathing in the folds of the building.