The hotel's name is derived from the three Chinese characters Li Shun De. These are related to Confucianism and loosely mean "power of understanding" and "power of reason". The hotel was the first ever foreign hotel in modern history. There are so many famous names connected with this hotel, that I would run out of space before I could list them all. If you like history, or even if you just want to understand more about the city in which you live, I heartily recommend a trip to the museum in the basement of the Astor. You don't have to be staying there to do a tour, you just pay the entrance fee of 50 yuan and slice of the past can be yours.

It was really a stroke of genius to establish this museum, there are priceless relics and artefacts from the past. There are things like old menus and other paraphernalia relating to hotel business, old ledgers and guest lists. There are even a bible dating back to 1873, and a complete works of Shakespeare from 1876. Can you imagine how much they are worth?

As it was the first foreign hotel in China, it quickly became a centre of activity, both politically and commercially. Some of people who were involved with the hotel contributed greatly to the development of Tianjin and even China. For instance a German named Detring Von Gustav was responsible for the creation of Ma Chang Dao and Wei Jin Lu.

Another German, Constantin Von Hannekon, developed the first ever telegraph line in China and established the post office in Tianjin. He is also famous for another reason, he fought alongside the Chinese against the Japanese army, so of course that makes him very dear to Chinese hearts. There were many other foreigners who were crucial to Tianjin's development and reading about them makes a refreshing change from reading about what harm the foreign powers did here after the opium wars.

One story that I was not so enamoured of was the Zhang Xue Liang, a famous general and hero during the power struggle in China, all Chinese people know him and he is a romantic figure in their eyes. His young son died and he naturally was bereft. To cheer him up, when he was staying at the Astor, someone introduced him to the young and beautiful Zhao Yi Di. He left his wife for her and subsequently married her, they were married for over 60 years. Chinese people find it very romantic. I asked my museum guide "But what happened to his poor wife, she had lost her son too. Who comforted her?" My guide was nonplussed, I ruined the atmosphere. Ask your Chinese friends about this story and see if they think it is romantic, then mention Zhang's previous wife and you will hear the tumbleweed roll by and the wind whistle. What Chinese people find romantic about this story is that they were together for so long and eventually when Zhang Xue Liang died, Miss Zhao was by his side. They also are touched by the fact that by the time his first wife granted him a divorce and he was free to marry Miss Zhao, he was 64 and she was 52.

Portrait of Zhang Xueliang and Miss Zhao in Astor Museum

In 1886 the hotel was turned into a three storey building and it became increasingly more important on the political scene. Various treaties were signed there and more and foreign businessmen started to come into the city to establish their businesses.

The hotel has seen some turbulent times, a silent witness to the political upheaval. It has survived being attacked during the boxer rebellion, in May 1900 when the whole city was set on fire. The records say "The hotel was fired on repeatedly. Each shell would destroy the interior walls and furniture and caused several hundred dollars damage. A shell passed through a wall and exploded inside which damaged the ceiling, walls, and three doors and caused the roof to fall in". When the Japanese army invaded Tianjin and committed atrocities and then tried to blame the British and French for the murder of 400 young Tianjin men, the Astor became the centre of resistance activities. When the Japanese declared war on Britain and the United States in 1941, the Japanese moved into the hotel and in 1943 officially took it over. The Chairman of the Board of the hotel, William O'Hara and his wife were taken to prison camps and the hotel was renamed the Asian Hotel. It survived the war and it was here in 1945 that the Japanese commander formally surrendered. By that time the hotel was in a terrible state, and it was not clear whether or not it could be saved, but saved it was and it survived the earthquake that was the Cultural Revolution and it even survived the literal earthquake of 1976.

Now the hotel belongs to the Government, in that it is the property of the tourist board. They are dedicated to protecting the valuable heritage that the Astor represents.

The Astor provides a remarkable insight to a more gracious time, a more genteel way of living. It is a living link to the past that is still thriving. There are no other hotels that have made such an indelible stamp on Chinese history. If you have the time I recommend the museum tour. If you have a little money to spend, why not stay a night or two and soak up the atmosphere.