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Qingdao well-known to the West by its Postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a sub-provincial city in eastern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It borders Yantai to the northeast, Weifang to the west and Rizhao to the southwest. Lying across the Shandong Peninsula while looking out to the Yellow Sea, Qingdao today is a major seaport, naval base, and industrial center. It is also the site of the Tsingtao Brewery. The character (qīng) in Chinese means "green" or "lush," while the character 岛 (dǎo) means "island." It was recently named China's 9th-most livable city by China Daily.
Administrative divisions
The sub-provincial city of Qingdao administers 12 county-level divisions, including 7 districts and 5 county-level cities.
Shinan District
Shibei District
Sifang District
Licang District
Laoshan District
Chengyang District
Huangdao District
Jimo City
Jiaozhou City
Jiaonan City
Pingdu City
Geography and climate
Qingdao is located at the southern tip of the Shandong Peninsula. It borders three prefecture-level cities, namely Yantai to the northeast, Weifang to the west, and Rizhao to the southwest. The city's total jurisdiction area occupies 10,654?km2. The geography of the city is relatively flat while mountains spur up nearby. The highest elevation in the area is 1133?m above sea level. The city has a 730.64-kilometre coastline. Five significant rivers that flow for more than 50?km can be found in the region.
Qingdao enjoys mild summers and relatively warm winters, with the average July temperature at 23.8?°C and the average January temperature at -0.7?°C. The city gets most rain in June and July, at an average of 150?mm.
Transportation
The Orient Ferry connects Qingdao with Shimonoseki, Japan. There are two ferry lines connecting Qingdao with South Korea. The New Golden Bridge II operates between Qingdao and Incheon, and the Blue Sea Ferry operates between Qingdao and Gunsan.
The Qingdao Liuting International Airport, 36 kilometres away from city centre, is served by 13 domestic and international airlines, operating 58 routes of which 10 are international and regional. It is estimated that in 2002 over 2.3 million people, including 450,000 international travellers, were transported through the airport.
Qingdao hosts one of China's largest seaports. Cooperative relations have been established with 450 ports in 130 countries worldwide. The 1999 annual cargo handling capacity was 72 million tons. Exported commodities amounted to more than 35 million tons and 1.5 million?twenty-foot equivalent units?(TEU) of cargo.
Qingdao's railway development was picked up during the late 90's. At the present, domestic rail lines connect Qingdao with Lanzhou, Chengdu, Xi'an, Zhengzhou, Jinan and Jining. There are a total of 1,145km of roads in the Qingdao area, with nearly 500km of expressways. Expressways connect Qingdao with Jinan. The specially designed high-altitude railcars required for the Qingzang railway, the highest railway in the world, are also built in Qingdao.
Qingdao's public traffic owns about 3,800 large and medium-sized buses and trolleybuses of many types. The volume of road passenger transportation approaches 0.6 billion per year. The lengths of highways on operation are 2,679 km, including 134 alignments. At the present, the traffic mileage is more than 0.16 billion km per year. The Public Transport Brand of 'Ri Xi Bus' is also known in China.
Culture
The unique combination of German and Chinese architecture in the city centre, combined with German demographic roots and a large Korean expat population, gives Qingdao a distinct atmosphere. Qingdao is the host city for several events of the 2008 Olympics, including the sailing competitions which will take place along the shoreline by the city.
Tourism
Qingdao attracts many tourists due to its seaside setting and temperate weather. Parks, beaches, sculpture and some unique architecture line the shore. For more information head over to the Qingdao Information Centre for International Visitors located on XiangGang Zhong Lu. Qingdao's major attractions include:
Zhan Qiao (Pier)
Ba Da Guan (Eight Great Passes), the older area of town with some surviving German and Japanese architecture.
May Fourth Square Coastal plaza with the Wind of May sculpture
Lu Xun Park, named after Lu Xun, a famous modern Chinese writer and critic, who lived and taught in 1930s.
Huadong Winery
Xiao Yu Shan (Little Fish Hill)
Jiaozhou Governor's Hall, former seat of the present and previous two governments.
Laoshan, a famous Taoist mountain.
Qingdao Beer Museum, on the site of the old brewery.
Qingdao Naval Museum
Qingdao International Beer town, the primary site of the annual Qingdao International Beer Festival.
Qingdao Underwater World
St. Michael's Cathedral, a Gothic/Roman cathedral designed by German architect Pepieruch, completed in 1934.
Underground World of Chinese Mythology, life-size figures and groups depicting scenes from the Chinese mythology
Zhanshan Temple, Qingdao's only surviving Buddhist temple.
