* An important coastal city in the east of China
 * Geographic location and natural environment
 * Historical evolution

 *  Economy and Development
 *  State-level Key Development Zones

Qingdao Port, a famous natural port, is the largest container transportation hub in the Yellow River Region and along the west Pacific coast and has trade relations with more than 450 ports in over 130 countries and regions in the world. In 2002, the throughput of the port reached 122.13 million tons, up 20% over the previous year. The 2002 container throughput was 3.41 million TEUs, up 29.2%, placing it in the 15th position in the world container port ranking. With a foreign trade handling capacity of 82.19 million tons, Qingdao Port has become the largest transit port in Mainland China and the second largest foreign trade seaport in this country.

There are a total of 609 cultural institutions in Qingdao, including 44 movie theaters, 279 film brigades, 182 cultural units, 7 museums, 13 public libraries, 11 theatrical performance troups, 1 radio station and 1 television station. Last year, Qingdao had a total of 1,264,000 cable television users, and published a total of 14,127,800 copies of magazines and 216,988,000 copies of newspapers. There are 15 archives in the city.
Qingdao made remarkable progress in the education field. There are 10 colleges and universities, 447 high schools, 99 secondary technical schools and 1,123 primary schools in the city.

The new urban area of Qingdao developed in the 1990s has become the political, economic, financial and cultural center of the city. The shanty houses have disappeared and new high-rise buildings stand up in their stead.
For years, Qingdao government has stressed the overall development of the city in urban planning, ecological construction and residential buildings. As a result, the city was awarded the honorary title of “National Model City for Environmental Protection” in 2000. The city gained first prize for the “China Living Environment Award” in 2002, becoming one of the cities with the best environmental conditions in China.

Qingdao people have a strong liking for sports. As an athletic and soccer town, it has two A Le
ague teams - Qingdao Beer and Hailifeng. As the host for the 29th Olympic Yachting events, Qing
dao has begun making overall plans in order to i
mprove the ecological environment, highlight "Gr
een Olympics" and "Humanistic Olympics", and bui
ld the city into a green Olympic metropolis for
sustainable development. By the end of 2003, pla
ns will be finalized for such service facilities as an international tourism marina and a yachtin
g club; by the end of 2006, construction of the Olympic stadiums and fields will be completed.

 In October 1979, Qingdao entered a friendly cities relationship with the Japanese city of Shimonoseki. By the end of 2002, Qingdao had established friendly relations with 9 cities in 9 countries and friendly co-operation with 18 cities in 11 countries.

 Early in the 1920s, Qingdao became a famous tourist city and a summer resort. Qingdao has beautiful scenery and a pleasant climate. Winding beaches, undulating hills, European-style red-roofed houses and green trees paint a fabulous picture. The area is an excellent place for sightseers, holidaymakers and for holding business talks and exhibitions.

 APEC SME Technology Conference and Fair
China International Electronics and Household Appliances Expo
Qingdao International Beer Festival
Qingdao International Fashion Week
Ocean Festival Qingdao China

 Qingdao Government Affairs Information http://www.gov.qd.sd.cn
Window on Qingdao http://www.qingdaochina.org
Qingdao News http://www.qingdaonews.com
Broadcasting and Telecom Information http://www.top86.com
Qingdao China http://www.cnqd.net

 Jimo is located in the southwest of the Shandong Peninsula, bordered by the Yellow Sea on the east and Mt. Laoshan on the south. During the Spring Autumn and Warring States Period (770-221 BC), Jimo was a known district for trade and the second largest district in Shandong in the ancient Qi Kingdom.