Here are some photos from my recent trip to Qingdao. A mainland Chinese beach city which
was invaded by Germany in the 1900s and is consequently now famous for producing the
number one beer in China: Tsingtao. It also contains many buildings built in a distinctive
German style.
The main square outside the train station.
Dried fish products of all type and variety (including Shark fin) are available
in this city...
Like all vacation towns, you can find novel crafts and memoirs, I was
particularly taken by this penguin made entirely out of seashells.
View of Qindao Harbor
Second view of Qindao Harbor
Chinese beach. There is a lot of this kind of green seaweed. Also, Coca cola
predominates in China.
Here is piles of the seaweed collected, which seems to be a daily
task in Qingdao. Armies of labor hauling away seaweed, garbage,
or other things on wagons and carts is still a common occurrence in China.
A view of the common side of Qingdao.
Seaside view leading off to a lighthouse island cultivated by the German's
during their occupation.
Submarine at the Chinese navel history museum.
Statue placed by the Germans on aforementioned lighthouse island.
China...
View inside Laoshan (Old Mountain) Park.
The Ying and Yang symbol predominates in this park, and symbolizes the
Dao Jiao religion. A religion created on the teaching of Lao Tsu and his great
work the Tao Te Jing
Huge Buddhist statue in the Indian style...
Indian style gates...
Another large stone statue.
Inside the temple.
Big Chinese characters carved everywhere. The Chinese like that...
Church left by the Germans, where many many wedding couples now take
their photo. In fact you see quite a few Chinese wearing crosses in Qingdao,
but how regulated their religion is by the government is unknown. The Chinese
like to face that they are open about religion...Indeed there are churches in
Beijing where Chinese can go, but the messages they deliver are pre-approved. ;)
Chinese style: Do not cut the tree, just build the wall around it.
View of the beach from a point of vantage.
Frankly quite cool and weird graphics for China...
German style great house, where Mao himself vacationed one summer. Pay a few
and enter to see his bed and writing desk.
A last view of Qingdao beach before boarding a plane to Shanghai. This photo
makes Qingdao look sleek and modern, but it is not. At the heart of it, it is
another tourist beach town, charming, picturesque, full of distractions and curiosities.
If it came to it, I would come back for another vacation.
