"The new seafood street will display the charm and personality of Beitang and Tanggu," Zhang said.

Beitang's redevelopment comes as residents and workers at Tianjin's nearby Binhai New Area look for a modern leisure center with local characteristics.

"What differentiates Beitang is that it is based on an ancient fishing town instead of starting from scratch," said Qin Haiying, a professor with Nankai University.

"The comprehensive design combined with Beitang's unique elements caters to the demands of both business and leisure tourists," Qin said. "It also helps to fuel the development of Tianjin's service industry, which has been a short leg in the municipality's overall development."

The conference and seminar area will also be home to hotels and commercial support infrastructure.

Plans for the folk custom area call for restoration of the original look of traditional Beitang based on historic documents kept at the China History Museum. It will also include a fishing museum and a hall of fame.

Its recreational and tourism area will include a yacht club, the seafood street, bars and a thermal spring village.

Another area of the redesigned new Beitang is a high-end "eco-community". Low-rise real estate projects will be designed to be environmentally friendly and energy efficient, with commercial and community amenities also provided. The area is also envisioned to include firms doing business in research, consulting, planning and software engineering.