Qingdao

Introduction

Qingdao Skyline

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Qingdao (青岛) is a port city in the northwestern province of Shandong in China. It is especially famous for its cobbled streets and partly Bavarian look, mixed with a new Chinese skyline due to it's German colonial history. Churches and European style houses dominate the city centre. Another important heritage from the Germans was beer. Qingdao is home to the famous Tsingtao (the old western name for this city) beer, where it is possible to tour the factory (and sample some beer). Anyone who has been in China long enough has drunk Tsingtao beer. The sailing events for the 2008 Beijing Olympics were held in this port city. Compared with other major Chinese cities it is comparibly cleaner and more beautiful.

Neighbourhoods

Sights and Activities

Qingdao Church

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• Tsingtao brewery is a highlight of any visit to Qingdao. Exhibits the process of making and bottling beer. Tour includes copious amounts of free samples.
• Catholic Churches here strangely some require a mandatory "contribution" before you can enter. People selling religious (Christian) trinkets usually camp outside the churches.
• Qingdao Underwater World
• Qingdao Zoological Garden
• Qingdao Botanical Garden
• Zhongshan Park
• Qingdao Museum

Beaches

Qingdao's beaches are probably the most famous in China (after Sanya on Hainan Island). Along its coast there is a long stretch of public beaches favoured by locals for their morning dip (even in winter).Clean and sandy with an opportunity to take a dip, it is worth visiting. There is also a path connecting the beaches offering pleasant seafront walks. During summer the beaches are very crowded.

Events and Festivals

• Qingdao International Beer Festival held in late August.

Qingdao celebrates the same festivals that are common throughout the rest of China, including:

• Chinese New Year or Spring Festival.
• Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon Festival.

Weather

Qingdao lies on the border of the humid subtropical and humid continental climate. Qingdao's climate is monsoon-like, with cold and windy winters (December to February). Temperates can go as low as -3 °C on average during the night. Summer is generally hot and humid but cooled from the sea. It does not experience as high a summer as some parts of China, with temperatures mostly between 25 and 30 °C during the day from mid-June to mid-September. The hottest and best time to swim is in July and August, although cold weather does not stop the local population from taking a dip in very cold temperatures either. Precipitation averages around 700 mm a year, with half of that falling in July and August. October to May is fairly dry with occasional snow in winter.

Getting There

By Plane

Flights from Liuting International Airport (TAO) go frequently to many Chinese cities, including Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai. There are also international services to Seoul, Osaka, Nagoya, Taipei, Tokyo and Fukuoka. It takes 30 minutes by taxi to reach the airport. Cheaper but longer bus rides are available as well.

By Train

All trains from Qingdao go through Jinan, except the direct Qīngdao to Yantai and Weihai trains. There are two trains a day to Yantai (4 hours), several to Weihai (5 hours) and regular services to Jinan (5 hours). There are two express trains daily to Beijing (10 hours), and trains to Shanghai (15 hours), Tai’an (five hours) and Zhengzhou.

By Car

By Bus

There are buses departing for Weihai (every 20 minutes), Yantai (every 15 minutes) and Jinan (every 50 minutes), all of them from the early morning until late afternoon/early evening. There are also daily buses to Beijing (13 hours), Hangzhou (20 hours), Hefei, and Shanghai (18 hours, 2 departurers daily).

By Boat

Weidong travels between Incheon and Gunsun in South Korea and Qingdao, taking around 16 hours. There are also boats with Orient Ferry to Shimonoseki in Japan, taking around 36 hours. Boats to Dalian leave from Yantai or Weihai, which have frequent bus and train connections (see above).

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

By Foot

The coast is a lovely place to walk and there are paths hugging the coast line.

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

There are plenty of opportunities to teach English in schools and universities.

Learn

• Qingdao University
• Ocean University of China
• Qingdao Technological University

Keep Connected

Internet

There are many internet cafes to be found where many of the local people play computer games. Internet typically costs RMB1-5 per hour.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

SIM cards can be cheaply from one of the many mobile phone outlets in the city. Some carriers incur a roaming fee if used outside of Shandong province and should be aware before making calls (although rates are still cheap by western standards).

Post

China Post (中国邮政) is the official postal service of the People's Republic of China, operated by the State Postal Bureau of the People's Republic of China (website in Chinese only), and has more details about price to send letters, postcards and parcels, both domestically as well as internationally. The Chinese postal service is very good. Remember that in more remote places usually only one post office in a city can handle sending international boxes or letters. Also many times it might be worth having the name of the country you are trying to send to in Chinese characters. Post offices have a striking green logo and can easily be found everywhere in the cities. They are mostly open every day (including weekends!) from 8:00am to 6:00pm, though small offices might have shorter opening times, while the bigger ones in central and touristic areas are sometimes open during evenings as well. The maximum weight they can ship is 30kg.

External Links

• Official Governmental Website