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.

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 1960 Jiaoqu was dissolved and the area consisting of modern Tianhe became Huangpu District, however it was reestablished two years later.

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.

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 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.

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.