Travel Guide Qingdao 青岛

A city symbol of the German occupation, world famous for its beer (of the same name) and an important port of the Northeast, Qingdao is an essential step in Shandong.HistoryAt the end of the last century Qingdao was only a small, peaceful fishing port overlooking the Yellow Sea, before the Germans set up a concession in 1898 - with a 99-year lease right - and the Japanese settled there in 1914. In order to exploit the mineral wealth of the region, the two nations forced the Chinese to give them the right to build a railway in Qingdao province, Shandong. This was the basis for an industrial city which, in a short time, rivalisa with Tianjin.Today, the city still has a steel mill. Its heavy industry manufactures machine tools and even locomotives. Its textile factories manufacture silk and cotton fabrics. But the Germans also left other fingerprints: the European architecture of the German concession and, above all, a beer brewery in the purest German tradition, the world famous Tsingtao.Many Chinese tourists, even foreigners, come here. But having been among the first 14 cities declared "new economic zone", Qingdao is also one of the places where the Japanese and the South Koreans invest in droves. Behind its seaside facade, Qingdao remains a city of plants (non-polluting): in particular, it houses the head office and many plants of the Haier brand, one of the largest global groups in the household household sector.Today todayThe seafront is expanding, the building stretches further and farther along the coast. Moreover, Qingdao, having hosted the water sports tests during the 2008 olympics, saw its city centre renovation completely, so it became one of the most pleasant cities in North China, summer and winter…