Before the first frigate moored in the bay, Qingdao had been a quiet fishing village. However, German officers, sailors, and traders were soon promenading up and down the Kaiser Wilhelm Ufer and dining in the seafront Prinz Heinrich Hotel. They drank beer from the Germany brewery, which later achieved fame in many parts of the world under the name "Tsingtao." The success of Qingdao Pijiuchang is due not only to German expertise but also to the spring water collected from nearby Lao Shan.
Qingdao is most famous for its beaches, but the city itself is also appealing with its relics of the colonial past. It has many 19th century, German style buildings which still survive. The German presence lasted until 1914- the beginning of World War I. After that point, Japan conquered the colony. It was liberated by the Chinese in 1922, but it would be reoccupied briefly by the Japanese again in 1938. Lao Shan is a mountainous region twenty five miles east of the city along the coast. It is famous for its Daoist fables and for the spring water that finds its way to the Qingdao brewery. This area is very scenic with water falls, caves, and mostly ruined Daoist temples.
Qingdao is a modern city today with a heavy Chinese resident population. It might be described as a "university" town since the educational opportunities are ample. The people of Qingdao speak Mandarin for the most part, but there is a growing English speaking sub-culture since many Western visitors come to this fine city very frequently. It is a beautiful city that you will not soon forget!
Harlan Urwiler
For more information, please visit my website at: http://www.myorientalgallery.com/.
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