Qingdao, Beer and Beaches
2 min readQingdao’s clean beaches, European architecture and great beer made from Lao Shan’ crisp spring water make this city an an idyllic getaway spot to spend a few relaxing days strolling along the boardwalk while watching the sunrise over the ocean.
Despite having no island, Qingdao is deceptively named “Green Island” in Chinese.
This doesn’t deter locals from referring to this laidback city as the “island city. In southern Shandong, this city was only a small scenic fishing village until the might of international politics thrust it upon the world stage. In 1897, two German missionaries in Shandong Province were killed. Using this as a pretext, in 1898 Kaiser Wilhelm II forced the Qing government to lease Qingdao to Germany for 99 years.
The Kaiser intended to keep Qingdao for those 99 years and built a typical German-styled city. The Germans expanded Qingdao’s infrastructure, enlarging its excellent harbor, building a rail connection to the provincial capital and piping in spring water from Lao Shan. Taking advantage of Lao Shan’s spring water, a beer brewery was built in 1903 and today Qingdao is a center of Chinese beer production.
The city remained in German possession until the First World War when the Japanese, with British aid, took the city. As a member of the Allied Powers, the Chinese government demanded the return of Qingdao to Chinese sovereignty, but under the Treaty of Versailles, Qingdao and all German possessions in Asia were given to Japan. Bowing to widespread sign the treaty and in 1919, pent-up resentment seit as lay Fourth Movement. The movement was a decisive point in the creatied bation of a national Chinese consciousness. In 1922, control of Qingdao was finally transferred back to China The skilled German engineers built Qingdao into a small Bavarian town. Today, fresh air and crowd-free streets help complete the transformation. The area around Bada Guan (bada guan), close to the No.2 Bathing Beach(di’er hdishui yuchang),is the former German residential area, meaning “eight passes. Bada Guan now sports ten treets lined with 100 Western villas. Spacious and blessed with greenery, each street is planted with a single type of tree.ocals can tell what street they’re on just by looking at the trees. Close to the ocean and bathed with a yearlong sea breeze, it’s easy to understand why many choose this area for their home. Summers here are breathtaking and some of the historic villas are available for rent.
