Qingdao, situated in the south of Shandong and lying on the shore of the Yellow Sea, is one of the 70 large and medium-sized cities of China and one of five cities specifically designated in the state plan. Qingdao is a major seaport, naval base, and industrial center. 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. In 2007, Qingdao was named as among China’s top ten cities by the Chinese Cities Brand Value Report, which was released at the 2007 Beijing Summit of China Cities Forum. In 2009, Qingdao was named China’s most livable city by the Chinese Institute of City Competitiveness.
An important region in Eastern China, Shandong Province has seen substantial change in its economic landscape in recent years. Qingdao has seen rapid development. With an annual growth rate of 18.9 percent in 2006, the city’s GDP reached 42.3 billion, ranking first in Shandong Province and tenth out of China’s top 20 cities. In 2006, Qingdao was ranked one of six “golden cities” by the World Bank, out of 120 Chinese cities assessed on factors including investment climate and government effectiveness.
The total lengths of operational highways is 14,326 km (8,902 mi), including 700 km (430 mi) Expressways. At the present, the traffic mileage is more than 6.02 billion km (3.74 billion mi) per year. There are a total of 1,145 km (711 mi) of roads in the Qingdao area, with nearly 500 km (310 mi) of expressways. These National Trunk Highway System (NTHS) Expressways begin or pass through in Qingdao. Expressways that begin in Qingdao are in bold.
There are a large number of German-style buildings in Qingdao city center. The unique combination of German and Chinese architecture in the city center, combined with German demographic roots and a large Korean expatriate population, gives Qingdao a distinct atmosphere. An old saying described Qingdao as a city of “red tiles green trees, blue sky and blue sea.” This saying indeed gives a picture of bird-view of Qingdao. A larger number of areas in former foreign styles are well preserved. Although the new city area is under large-scale reconstruction, the old city area still retains many traditional buildings.
Qingdao is home to a large number of higher education institutions. Ocean University of China, formerly called Ocean University of Qingdao, is the most important university of maritime sciences in China. In addition, the Qingdao University, the Qingdao University of Science and Technology as well as the Qingdao Technological University have also been integral parts of higher education in Qingdao for decades.
Qingdao attracts many tourists due to its seaside setting and temperate weather. Parks, beaches, sculpture and unique German and modern architecture line the shore. In addition, Olympic sailing competitions once were held here.
Qingdao has a temperate, four-season, monsoon-influenced climate that lies in the transition between the humid subtropical and humid continental regimes, but favoring the former. 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, and the annual diurnal temperature variation is only 6.3 °C. Conversely, autumn is milder than inland areas in Shandong. The water temperature peaks at about 25 °C in late August, with swimming possible two months on either side.
Population: 9.05 million
Temperature: average 12.3°C (54.14 °F)
