By Zhao Ruixue (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-08-15 07:03

QINGDAO: Many people know Qingdao from drinking Tsingdao Beer.

But there's much more to see and taste in the popular coastal retreat than just an award-winning brew.

Lying on the south coast of the Shandong Peninsula, located in Jiaozhou Bay facing the Yellow Sea, Qingdao is a picturesque vista of red-tiled roofs nestled between green hills and a blue sea.

A mild climate and spectacular scenery make the city a popular health and holiday destination, especially in summer when visitors flock to the seaside to escape the heat.

The panoply of tourist attractions and scenic sites spanning Qingdao's coastline include:

The Pier

Qingdao's 110-year-old pier is the city's most famous symbol.

Stretching 400m into the sea, the 10m-wide jetty ends with Huilange Pavilion, a colorful two-story octagonal structure with carved beams and painted eaves that make a romantic location under the moonlight.

Guest House

On the south slope of Signal Mountain lies a Gothic building featuring royal European-style appointments.

This building, formerly Government House of Germany, is called Guest House.

Another building bearing German design is Pier Hotel, where many Chinese leaders such as Mao Zedong and Liu Shaoqi have stayed.

Huiquan Bay

Huiquan Bay is perhaps Qindao's most salubrious site and is visited by tens of thousands each year.

Here you can find Luxun Park, Ocean World and a bathing beach. Rocks, waves, pine trees and quiet paths blend harmoniously to make this location truly serene.

Luxun Park

Luxun Park, formally called Seaside Park, is adjacent to the bathing beach and is a fantastic place to picnic within view of the sea.

Li Bai, a famous poet of the Tang Dynasty, once likened it to a fairyland by the sea.

"Wonderland on the Sea" is inscribed on the memorial archway. The park contains an aquarium with a big seal pool.

Zhongshan Park

Opposite to Huiquan Square is the Zhongshan Park, Qingdao's biggest park that's known as the "Flower Garden of the East China Sea."

Among its flower gardens are a peony garden, a garden of sweet osmanthus, a magnolia garden, and a Chinese rose garden. There are many varieties of trees here and in spring cherry blossoms are a major attraction.

Lights, camera, action

Lying between Huiquan Cape and Taiping Cape, Badaguan faces the rippling Taiping Bay.

In Badaguan, more than 200 villas of exotic style are scattered between flora and fauna.

So many villas line this scenic spot which is called a World Architecture Museum.

Great Eight

The Great Eight Passes are an ideal place for couples to take photographs.

More than 40 films and 20 TV programmes have been shot in the area's diverse buildings

In the mid-1980s, 11 hills were turned into parks boasting pavilions, corridors, greenbelts, lakes and statues.

Resort

National Shilaoren Tourist Resort is located between Qingdao and Laoshan Mountain. Ideal for vacations, international conferences, exhibitions, sports and entertainment, the resort boasts scores of villas, a bathing beach, an ocean entertainment center, a dolphinarium, an international beer complex, a golf course, an international conference center, an exhibition center, Century Square and a sports center.

Mount Laoshan

At the southern end of Shandong Peninsula 20 kilometers east of Qingdao, Mount Laoshan rises majestically from the sea, highlighted by strange rocks and precipitous cliffs.

(China Daily 08/15/2007 page24)