Attractions

German Qingdao

Many houses and shops in the former German Concession still retain their original European architecture. In addition to the sights that follow, other noteworthy buildings include the Railway Station at Tai'an Lu 2, a classical European structure built in 1901 with a 35m-high (115-ft.) bell tower; the former Public Security Bureau at Hubei Lu 29, built in 1904 and 1905 in the style of a medieval village church; and the Princess House at Juyongguan Lu 10, a villa built in 1903 by the Danish consulate general for a Danish princess.

East of the old town near the Number Two Bathing Beach, the Ba Da Guan (Eight Passes) area, named for the eight famous passes of the Great Wall, was and still is the toniest address in town. Unfortunately for the visitor, most of the well-preserved European mansions and villas here are hidden behind high walls and fences. Still, it's a lovely area to stroll, as the streets are wide and sheltered by a canopy of trees, with each street (or "pass") planted with a different bloom, including crab apples, peaches, pines, magnolias, and ginkgoes.

Lao Shan

Located 40km (24 miles) east of Qingdao, Lao Shan is a mountain range that is part Daoist sanctuary, part natural wonder; with waterfalls, streams, and walking trails snaking through wooded hills; and jagged cliff faces rising dramatically from the blue sea. Daoism spread to the mountain during the Western Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 9), and emperors throughout the ages have dispatched envoys to scale the mountain in search of the elixir of life. While the water that originates from here didn't perform any miracles, today it is famous and is used in brewing Tsingtao beer.

Admission to Lao Shan is ¥80 ($10/£5.20), but thanks to greedy tourist officials you must now purchase additional tickets, ranging from ¥4 (50¢/25p) to ¥30 ($3.90/£1.95), to gain entry to specific attractions on the mountain. The most popular sightseeing route is the southern route, which takes in Daoist temples, caves, and ponds, with stupendous sea views along the way. The main Daoist temple here is Taiqing Gong, first built in 140 B.C., now with over 140 rooms and an equally mind-boggling number of gods from the Daoist pantheon. Admission is ¥10 ($1.30/65p); hours are from 8am to 6pm. East of the temple, a trail leads up to Yakou temple, where you can either take a cable car or continue on foot up to Yao Lake and Mingxia Cave, where admission is ¥4 (50¢/25p). The trail down leads past Shangqing Gong (¥4/50¢/25p), another Daoist temple; and the impressive waterfall, Longtan Pu.

To get to Lao Shan, tourist buses depart from the eastern end of Qingdao's railway station square every half-hour from 6:30am to 6pm. The 1-hour trip costs ¥20 ($2.60/£1.30). Public bus no. 304 runs from the Ferry Terminal (Lundu) on Sichuan Lu all the way to Yakou. The Taiqing Gong cable car costs ¥50 ($6.50/£3.25) round-trip (¥40/$5.20/£2.60 in low season).

Sail with Heart . . . Sail to Success . ..

That's the official (read: cheesy) motto of the Olympic watersports events Qingdao is set to host in 2008. A brand-new sailing facility covering over 50 hectares (124 acres) has been built on the far eastern side of Jiaozhou Bay. It remains closed to visitors and will be closed to spectators during the games as well. I had an opportunity to tour the center with Mei Chuntao, the man responsible for communications. He was unabashedly tired during our tour, as the center was taking care of last-minute preparations for an international regatta they were hosting the following month. The center is ultramodern, with glassy, futuristic architecture at a cost of a whopping ¥3.2 billion (about $428 million/£214 million). The main area houses the administration building, athletes' center, and the twin towers of the Olympic village (an InterContinental hotel that will be open to the public after the games). The administration building doubles as a sailing school, where Olympic silver medalist Zhang Xiaodong works as headmistress. After the games, the athletes' center will be converted into a bodybuilding center. An Olympic museum will also be somewhere on-site, but officials are undecided on where it will be.

You can view water events from one of two ultralong breakwaters. The Main Breakwater is 534m (1,752 ft.) long and is located at the south end of the marina. From here, you have a good view of the sailing center as well as the events. To get there, turn south from Donghai Xi Lu at Pedestrian Street, which is the street on the east side of the Jusco department store. The road (which in a slick PR move may be called Jusco Walkway during the games) leads directly to the spectator area. The other place to watch the races is from Olympic Memorial Dock, on the west end of the marina beside the media center. This dock is farther away from the downtown area but it has unobstructed views of the ocean, and is also closer to the podiums and medal ceremonies. Head east along Aomen Lu and follow the signs to the boardwalk, which you can then follow around to the media center and the dock behind it.

When I asked Mei what he thought was the most outstanding feature of the center, he nodded to the harbor and the pristine view of the central business district and said, "A beautiful view of New Qingdao." He talked about how the western part of town, where you find all the best old German architecture, is dubbed Wanguo Jianzhu Bolan (roughly "Museum of Buildings") by locals. "Old [Qingdao] is the west. But now we are east," he said emphatically -- a perfect metaphor for China's new place in the modern world.

Other Attractions

About 15km (9 miles) east of town, Qingdao Pijiu Cheng (Xianggang Dong Lu and Hai'er Lu) is a European-themed amusement park only open during the 2-week International Beer Festival in September. In this Bavarian bacchanal, there's something for everyone, from amusement park rides for kids, to drinking contests for adults, to go-karting for the kid in the adult. The beer festival also takes place closer to town at the Huiquan Guangchang, which offers a slightly more sanitized, calmer experience next to the ocean. Both are worth checking out, though you can expect a lot of kitsch at the first location. Check with CITS for exact dates.