Qingdao 青岛

Qingdao ; former German name: Tsingtau

Tsingtao (the Romanised spelling) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province, Eastern China. Administered at the sub-provincial level, Qingdao has jurisdiction over seven districts and five county-level cities. According to the 2010 census, the city's seven urban districts have 4.53 million inhabitants, while the total population of the sub-provincial city is up to 8.71 million. Lying across the Shandong Peninsula while looking out to the Yellow Sea, it borders Yantai to the northeast, Weifang to the west and Rizhao to the southwest. Qīng (青) in Chinese means "green" or "lush", while dǎo(岛) means "island".

Qingdao is a major seaport, naval base, and industrial centre. The world's longest sea bridge, the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, links the main urban area of Qingdao with Huangdao district, straddling the Jiaozhou Bay sea areas. It is also the site of the Tsingtao Brewery, the second largest brewery in China.

The city's total jurisdiction area occupies 10,654 square kilometres (4,114 sq mi). The populated sections of the city are relatively flat while mountains spur up within city limits and nearby. The highest elevation in the city is 1,133 metres (3,717 ft) above sea level. Qingdao has a temperate, four-season, monsoon-influenced climate that lies in the transition between the humid subtropical and humid continental regimes, but favouring the former. Winter is cool to cold and windy, but generally dry, with a January average of −0.5 °C (31.1 °F). Summer is generally hot and humid, but very hot days are rare, with an August average of 25.3 °C (77.5 °F). Due to its proximity to the coast and being on a peninsula, it experiences a one-month delayed spring compared to most inland areas of China. Conversely, autumn is milder than inland areas in Shandong. The water temperature peaks at about 25 °C (77 °F) in late August, with swimming possible two months on either side.

Qingdao is rich in seafood, including fish, prawns, shellfish and seaweed as well as local foods from other areas. Yunxiaolu is a major restaurant area. Qingdao explodes with regional and international deliciousness. By virtue of its seafront location, seafood rightfully dominates the menus, ranging in cooking styles from spicy Sichuan to sweet and heavy Shanghai. There are also plenty of foreign fare options including Italian, German, Japanese and Korean. Prices are flexible enough to accommodate all budgets.

From the well-known Tsingtao Beer, Laoshan Mineral Water to its shell carvings, Qingdao - the seaside city of China - is famous for its variety of commercial products. Laoshan Tea, diamond ornaments, seafood, Jimo Millet Wine, shell crafts, straw crafts are typical Qingdao specialties and souvenirs. The main shopping and commercial street runs along Zhongshan Lu, although most of the shops here are either clothing or food orientated.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia

Internet

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/shandong/qingdao/

http://www.chinahighlights.com/qingdao/tours.htm

http://chinaholidays.com

http://www.qingdao.gov.cn