Tianhe became a district in the 1980s as the city expanded its size. Back then, it was east of Dongshan District (which was merged into Yuexiu in 2005) and retained a suburban or even rural atmosphere. A majority of colleges and universities in the city were located in the district. However, Tianhe District has seen a sharp decline in arable land at an average rate of 1,000 mu per year due to urbanization since 1991.[2] Tianhe has since developed into one of the most desirable areas in Guangzhou.[3]
Prehistoric population settled in what is now Longdong Subdistrict (龙洞村) in the Neolithic period.[4]Eastern Han tombs were discovered in Tianhe. During the Song dynasty, Tianhe area was called Dashuixu (大水墟; 'large river town').[5]
The area of modern Tianhe District was part of Panyu County for more than two thousand years. The area was gradually put under Guangzhou's administration between 1937 and 1958. By the liberation of Guangzhou (October 1949), there were two districts in Tianhe area, namely Shahe (沙河区) and Shipai (石牌区). In 1951 both districts were merged into the newly established Baiyun District, while five years later Baiyun was further merged with Huangpu and Xinjiao Districts to form suburban district (郊区). In 1960 Jiaoqu was dissolved and the area consisting of modern Tianhe became Huangpu District, however it was reestablished two years later. In 1985 part of Jiaoqu was split, and Tianhe District was established then.
In 1987 Tonghe Town (同和镇) was put into Baiyun District. In 1992 Yangji Cun was put into Dongshan District. By 1994, Kemulang (柯木塱), Yushatan (渔沙坦), and Fenghuang (凤凰) Farms along with Shadongcun (沙东村) and Erduicun were placed under Tianhe's jurisdiction. In 2000, former Xintang (新塘), Mubei (沐陂), Lingtang (凌塘), and Yushu (玉树) Farms were also placed under Tianhe and the farms gradually became subdistricts.
The first big project built in the district during the 1980s was the Tianhe Sports Center when the city was selected to host the Sixth National Games in 1986. The complex includes a stadium of 65,000 seats, a gymnasium and an indoor swimming pool. Its construction had a lasting impact on the development of the district. Soon other projects followed and rice fields gave way to residential complexes called xiaoqu (meaning "little districts"). The construction of xiaoqu began in the mid and late eighties and most of them had residential buildings of no more than 10 stories. Each floor was kept to no more than four units due to the lack of elevators since they would increase the construction cost. Also, due to the sheer number of residential buildings – some xiaoqu had more than 20 residential buildings – a lot of land was needed and thus converted.
The building of Guangzhou East railway station in 1990 further contributed to the growth of the district. The old Guangzhou Railway Station is 10 km (6.2 mi) to the west and was the terminus for trains to and from Beijing and Hong Kong. To relieve the traffic, the East Railroad Station was built and is now the terminus for trains to and from Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
As the district developed, the size of xiaoqu became smaller since land became more valuable and expensive. Most of the new xiaoqu now only consist of four to six residential buildings but each can contain 30 floors or more since the growth of district attracted big developers where the cost of construction (such as elevators) was no longer an issue. Also, taller residential buildings gave rise to taller office buildings.
South of the Sports Center and north of the Zhujiang River is Zhujiang New Town, an area desolate a decade ago but which is now one of the fastest-developing areas of Guangzhou. Many of Guangzhou's newest and most iconic buildings are found in this part of the district.
Several venues used for the 2010 Asian Games are located in Tianhe District.
Chow Sang Sang's Mainland division, Chow Sang Sang (China) Company Limited[10]
Google has its Guangzhou office in Teemtower (天河城大厦) of Teem Plaza.[11]
All Nippon Airways operates its Guangzhou Office in the district. Since May 3, 2011 it has been located in Tower A of Victory Plaza. On May 2, 2011, and prior, it was located in the 2605 CITIC Plaza.[12]
Renren.com has its Guangzhou office in China Shine Plaza (耀中广场).[13]
56.com was headquartered in Huajingyuan (华景园) in Tianhe Software Park (天河软件园) when it was an independent company.[14]
Besides the Guangzhou East railway station (referred to by locals as simply "East Station"), Tianhe is also the terminus for several Guangzhou Metro lines, and one line goes through it:
Metro
Tianhe is currently service by five metro lines operated by Guangzhou Metro:
CITIC Plaza, an 80-story, 391 m (1,283 ft) skyscraper completed in 1997, situated between Tianhe Sports Center and Guangzhou East Railway Station. It was the tallest building in China then, and now it ranks as the 3rd tallest building in Guangzhou, 8th in China, 11th in Asia, and 16th worldwide.
The famous shopping mall, TeeMall, a very big shopping centre, the Chinese from Guangzhou even call it the biggest shopping mall in Asia (although the biggest mall in Asia is actually the Golden Resources Mall in Beijing).
^Population Census Office, State Council; Department of Population and Employment Statistics, National Bureau of Statistics of China (2012). Zhongguo 2010 nian renkou pucha fen xiang, zhen, jiedao ziliao 中国2010年人口、普查分乡、镇、街道资料 [Tabulation on the 2010 population census of the people's republic of China by township] (in Chinese) (1 ed.). Beijing Shi: Zhongguo tongji chubanshe. ISBN978-7-5037-6660-2.
^"Google locations." Google. Retrieved on May 25, 2016. "Google Guangzhou L30, Unit 3007, Teemtower, Teemmall, 208 Tianhe Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510620"
^"ANA City offices Asia." All Nippon Airways. Retrieved on August 13, 2011. "Guangzhou Office [Until May 2nd, 2011] 2605 CITIC PLAZA 233 Tianhe North Road, Tianhe Ward, Guangzhou [From May 3rd, 2011] Room 1403, Tower A, Victory Plaza, No.103, TiyuXi Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510620"
^"Contact Us." Renren Corporate. Retrieved on November 19, 2012. "Room A4001, China Shine Plaza, Linhexi Rd, Tianhe District, Guangzhou" – Chinese: "广州市林和西路9号耀中广场A塔40层4001–4003"
^"联系方法." 56.com. March 23, 2006. Retrieved on November 18, 2012. "公司地址：广州市天河区中山大道89号天河软件园华景园区B栋6楼南01房"
^"Contact". R&F Properties. Retrieved February 5, 2021. Headquarter Add：45-54/F, R&F Centre, 10 Huaxia Road, Zhujiang New Town, Guangzhou, China
^"Contact Us". Agile Property Holdings Limited. Retrieved February 5, 2021. Headquarters in Guangzhou Address: 33/F, Agile Center, 26 Huaxia Road, Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China - Chinese address: "中国广东省广州市天河区珠江新城华夏路26号雅居乐中心33楼"
^"Contact Us". Hopson Development. October 22, 2006. Archived from the original on October 22, 2006. Retrieved February 5, 2021. Address: Human Resources Centre 16/F Zhujiang Investment Building, 421 Zhujiang East Road, Zhujiang New City, Guangzhou Postal Code: 510623
^"家私电器齐全 尊贵小区 ." Xingye Real Estate Agency (兴业地产). Retrieved on September 16, 2016. "怡苑位置：怡苑小区（The Greenery）位于天河北体育东路的金利来后面。" (Archive) – Neighborhood is stated as "怡苑" – Address: "地址： 体育东路华阳街55–79号 "
^Home page. American International School of Guangzhou. September 1, 2000. Retrieved on September 16, 2016. "55 Hua Yang Street, Ti Yu Road East, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510620, People's Republic of China"
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