The Adventures of Tai'an

Beyond the beaches, most sights are squeezed into the old town. We put on our comfy shoes and sauntered around the old town, losing ourselves down side streets and gawking at the astonishing architecture.

May 4th Square
Qingdao played a key role in igniting the May 4th Movement - a national patriotic campaign following the failure of Chinese diplomacy in taking back Qingdao from Germany at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919.
The sight is a large public square located between the new municipal government building and Fushan Bay and is marked by the huge flaming sculpture called Wind of May.
This square offers beautiful sea views and has become the symbol of modern China.

Xiaoyushan Park
Nowhere could the landscape of Qingdao be better enjoyed. You get a bird's eye view of Qingdao's best sites from Xiaoyushan's 3 storey pavilion.

Little Qingdao
This tiny freckle of land boasts as its main attraction a German Lighthouse built in 1900. It is especially beautiful at night. It's actually a peninsula. It is well situated in front of the old city, with an excellent view of the pier. Whilst here you can take a boat ride Y160 ($26 AUD) for up to 3 people. The boat takes you into the bay near the Navy Museum to Zhanqiao pier and into Qingdao Bay. It was a hoot. It was a bit chilly so it was just enough time to be out on the boat.

Zhanqiao Pier
Built in 1891 as a wharf, the pier extends 440 m into Qingdao Bay and ends with a two storey pavilion added in the 1930's. The Huilan Pavilion is the unmistakable symbol visible on all Qingdao beer products and is one of the symbols of Qingdao.

Beaches
Qingdao boasts 7 bathing beaches. The beaches are pleasant enough but don't go expecting Australian Beaches. The most popular are number 1, 2 and 3. Chinese beach culture is low key and quite tentative.

Beach No 1 is the largest at 580m. The sand is coarse grained, engulfed in seaweed and bordered by concrete beach huts and bizarre statues of dolphins. This beach is also a spectacular scene, enhanced by the picturesque backdrop of Lu Xun Park. The changing rooms are built underground, their roofs forming part of the seaside Promenade. Swimmers can splash with confidence thanks to a submerged wall of shark-proof netting.

Beach No 2 is cleaner, quieter and more sheltered than No 1 Beach. It is under hot pursuit for ceremony photography for weddings.

Beach No 3 is another beach featuring clear water and sand. Located in the old Colonial part of town, this beach offers some of the best panoramic views of Qingdao.

Beach No 6 was close to our hotel and neighbors Zhanqiao Pier.

Sightseeing TV Tower
348 M tall, located on Taiping Hill, surrounded by Zhongshan Park, Qingdao Botanical Gardens and the Zhanshan Temple. There is an express lift up to the fabulous views of the city. You can reach the tower via cable car. It is ranked the No. 1 iron tower in China. The rotating watch tower is a great place to get a panoramic view of Qingdao.

Navy Museum
Sitting right on the seafront the former naval base is home to former US and Soviet vessels, a Chinese Huafeng missile boat, various small craft, vehicles, tanks and aircraft. It houses the largest impressive collection of navy-related collections in China, including uniforms, weapons, fighter planes, a couple of warships along with a submarines as well as missiles. The museum showcases the history and development of the Chinese People's Navy.

Governor's Building
Constructed during 1903 - 1906, under the design of a German Architect, this stern, Gothic structure was the seat of government during the German Occupation. It's now the office for Qingdao's People's Congress & CPPCC Qingdao Committee. It has been protected under Historic Relics since 1996.

Granite Mansion
Built in 1903 by a German Official as a hunting and fishing villa, this mini castle adds a touch of Bavaria to Qingdao. It combines Roman and Gothic architectural styles.

Lu Xun Park
Completed in 1929, this park is dedicated to the memory of Lu Xun, one of the major Chinese writers of the 20th Century. He was a co-founder of the China League of Left-Wing Writers. The statue of Lu Xun faces the front gate. It's located on the shore of Huiquan Bay and offers beautiful views of the sea.

Tsingstao Brewery
Established in the late 1890's, by the beer loving German's, Tsingtao is recognized as China's premier beer. A section of the Original brewery building is now a beer museum. Tsingtao Brewery makes the finest brew in China with the mineral waters of nearby Lao Shan. The brewery was well worth the look around especially for the free tastings of the black stout. It is interesting to read how beer can be a major player in the creation of a harmonious society!

Qingdao International Beer City
The 35 hectare Beer City Falls into two parts of trade and entertainment, where many brands of beer and snacks are offered, along with drinking contests and amusement shows. Built in 1993 it is set to become the permanent site for the Qingdao Beer Festival.

Tsingtao Beer street
Bars and restaurants line this 800 metre long street of European Style, in front of the Tsingtao Brewery.

Eight Passes Area
The area is named after the Great Wall's eight strategic passes and is famous for its gardens and crisscrossing roads. As well as for its sanatoriums and exclusive guest houses. Each street is lined with a different tree or flower, including maple, myrtle, peach, snow pine and crab apple. This is a lovely area to stroll.

Tianhou Palace
This temple was built in the Ming Dynasty (1467 AD). It has a stage in the front and bell and drum towers on both sides. Also home to Qingdao's Folk Customs Museum. It is a small temple. The main hall contains a colorful statue of Tianhou (heaven Queen), flanked by two figures and a pair of fearsome guardians. Other halls include the dragon King Hall and a shrine to the God of Wealth. As one of the oldest constructions existing in Qingdao it has been protected as a historical relic since 1982.

Lutheran Church
This castle style church was designed by Curt Rothkegel and constructed from 1908 - 1910. The interior is simple apart from some carvings on on the pillar cornices. Most noteworthy is the bell tower. You can climb up to inspect the mechanism of the clock. The view is stunning over the bay. It was constructed for religious services for the Germans. It is also called the German Auditorium and seats 1,000.

Zhanshan Temple
Built in the early 1930's, this 20,000 sq m temple features 5 court yards and a seven storey pagoda. Also houses stunning displays of Buddhist sculptures & scriptures. The dramatic sandalwood Buddhas are covered in gold foil. On Buddha's birthday, thousands of worshipers gather here to attend the temple's fair. Unfortunately you are not allowed to take photos of the Buddha's and you can't really buy and souvenirs showing the Buddha's.

Guest House
Formerly a German Governor General's residence and a replica of a German Palace. It was also used as a guest house for military and political VIPs. One of the finest European style Villas in China. The building was under construction from 1903 - 1906, it is said to cost 2,450,000 taels of silver. When Kaiser Wilhelm II got the bill, he immediately recalled the extravagant governor and sacked him. In 1957 Chairman Mao stayed here with his wife and children on holidays.

Huiquan Square
Built in 1992, this 13 hectare square features a large music fountain and a 36.5 steel and glass structure that symbolizes 365 days in a year.

Music Square
A Seaside square with an elegant environment. It is the biggest musical square in China and features sculptures of famous composers. It is dedicated to musical activities and performances. There is a fixed giant piano and the statue of Nie'er, who composed China's National Anthem. In the centre there is a 20 metre high statue named "Sail of Music". The platform overlooks the sea, and is designed as an open music venue.

Baihua Park
Situated in Qingdao Hill, this 8.25 hectare park is home to 20 statues of famous Qingdao scholars.

St Michael's Catholic Church
Built in the 1930's, by the Germans, the twin spired church is up a steep hill. It has an imposing edifice with a cross on each spire. The church was badly damaged during the cultural revolution and the crosses were torn off but it has since been restored. It has two bell towers, one on each side of the church. The interior is splendid with white walls, gold piping, extensive murals and some stained glass. The baptismal font and statues have captions in English and Chinese. There is also statue of St Teresa. I am astonished that you have to pay to enter the church. God's got enough money!

Underwater World
Adjacent to Lu Xun Park and No 1 Bathing Beach, Underwater world covers an area of 7,000 m2 and accommodates a water body of 4,000 tonnes. In my opinion it's not worth the money of Y150 ($25)

Qingdao Botanical Garden
Built in 1976 the gardens are located between Zhongshan Park and Zhanshan Temple. More than a thousand species of plants are raised in an area of 690,000 m2 on which amusement functions for exploration and body building add to its fascination.

Zhongshan Park
When Japan invaded Qingdao for the first time in 1915 the started an experimental plant farm. They began to plant several kinds of oriental cherries. The Chinese government regained Qingdao in 1922 and the oriental cherries entered the peak flowering period. In spring, hundreds of oriental cherries unexpectedly opened. The plant farm was renamed Zhongshan Park. So every April cherry flowers attract visitors to Zhongshan Park. The park now also has magnolias, the flower of the Chinese flowering crabapple, tulips to name a few.