Tianjin, the port city about half an hour by high-speed train from Beijing, made a splash on social networks last year, as a result of the other splashes made by the city's "diving uncles".
Videos showing older men diving along the Haihe River, a regular activity for years, suddenly went viral on social networking platforms, and attracted an influx of tourists to the city, not only for the diving, but also to enjoy the city's cuisine, mix of history and modernity, traditional cross-talk shows (xiangsheng), and above all, its slow-paced life and sense of humor for which residents are known.