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* Tourism

Qingdao is an excellent tourist city.

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.

In the west of the city is the old urban area which is known for its red-roofed houses, green trees, blue sea and azure sky; in the east is the new urban area where modern high-rise buildings shoot skyward. Both the old and the new areas constitute a seaside city with both European and Asian characteristics.

Viewed from the sea, the city presents a heavenly picture; from the land, it is a huge garden comprised of 4 scenic zones each with its own special features.

Historical Culture and Euro-Asian Culture Area

This area contains numerous cultural relics strewn in beautiful natural scenery. this valuable heritage of the century-old city is a result of the combination of eastern and western cultures. Little Qingdao Isle, Xiaoyushan Park, Luxun Park, the Aquarium, the Marine Products Museum, the Navy Museum, Zhanshan Temple, the Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church, the Governor’s Office Building, the century-old villas area Badaguan (Eight Great Passes), and the romantic bathing beaches are excellent tourist centers.

Eastern Tourist Area of Qingdao

Excellent tourist avenues lined by modern high-rises and cultural spots such as the Sculpture Garden of Cultural Celebrities, Wusi Square and the Music Square form a magnificent scenery for this modern international metropolis.

Shilaoren National Holiday Resort

Unique tourist villa and hotel architecture, fine sand bathing beaches, and numerous symbolic cultural and sports facilities are the feature in this area. The Ocean Park, the Dolphinarium, the International Beer City, the Golf Course, the International Convention Center, the Cultural Exposition Center, the Century Square and the Municipal Sport Center are all places visitors should not miss.

Laoshan National Scenic Area

The 1,133-meter Mt. Laoshan is known as the first famous religious mountain along China’s 18,000-kilometer coastline and the birthplace of Taoism. Mountains, sea, forest, springs and waterfalls have left the area with the reputation for being the dwelling place of fairies. During the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties the area was dotted with monasteries and nunneries along the mountain slopes. Taiqing Temple was the second largest monastery at that time. The Kangcheng Academy, Jufeng Scenic Area and the “Nine Waters and Eighteen Pools” are key spots now under further development.

Outlying Tourist Area

An abundance of natural scenic areas and places of interest surround Qingdao. From east to west along the coast, one can find the tourist resorts of Langyatai, Xuejiadao, Tianhengdao and Dazeshan. In the famous Langyatai Tourist Resort can be found the historical relics where the Yue Emperor Goujian met the dukes and princes. It is also the place where Yingzheng, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, paid visits on three occasions. Xufu sailed east for Japan from here. Tianhengdao Island is a historic site recording the heroic feats of five hundred soldiers who died as martyrs in the West Han Dynasty more than two thousand years ago. The Mt Tianzhu Cliff Inscriptions in Pingdu are regarded as world calligraphic treasures. The state-level natural reserve Mashan Hoodoos, the Great Wall Relic of the Qi Kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.), and the ancient cultural relics of Sanlihe which dates back 5,000 years can also be found in this area.

Qingdao’s tourism is booming. Activities featuring holiday bodybuilding, religion and local customs, sea fishing, teenager study, as well as commerce, conferences and sports are very popular. The annual Qingdao international beer festival, ocean festival, electronics and household appliances exposition, and international fashion week attract many domestic and overseas tourists each year.

In 2002, Qingdao received a total of 18.367 million domestic and overseas tourists, an increase of 18.4% over the previous year. Of these, domestic tourists numbered 17.95 million, up 27.0%; overseas tourists 417,000, up 29.2% (356,000 foreign tourists and 61,000 tourists from China’s Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, up 35.4% and 1.8% respectively). The total revenue from tourism was RMB15.05 billion, an increase of 27.6% over the previous year. Of this figure, RMB13.06 billion came from domestic travel and RMB 239 million from overseas travel, up 27.0% and 35.1% compared to the previous year.