a city in China, in Hopeh Province, on the Hai River where it discharges into Pohai Bay. Taku and T’angku, which is on the opposite bank of the river, together make up the port complex of Hsinkang, the maritime gates of the city of Tientsin. Taku is a fishing base and a center of the salt-mining and chemical industries. (Soda and mineral fertilizer are produced.)