Imagine an entire afternoon spent
studying Mandarin after a full morning’s worth of class. Now throw in a
sandy beach, a cool ocean breeze, and an icy, fresh-brewed German
Lager. Sound appealing? Well Qingdao is the place for you!
Located on the tip of the Shandong
peninsula, due west of the Korean peninsula, Qingdao is northern
China's premier ocean resort. The name of this fair city literally
translates as "green" or "lush" (qing) "island" (dao). Students may be
more familiar with its Western postal name: Tsingtao, which shares the
name of the city's most famous export, Tsingtao Beer. Qingdao has come
a long way since it was a small fishing port only 100 years ago. Today,
the city boasts a booming economy, one of Asia's busiest seaport with
daily ferry crossings to Korea and Japan, a fascinating modern history
and cultural background, and lest we forget, great beaches.
Like
most of China’s northeastern seaboard, the Shandong province was the
subject of territorial disputes and foreign occupation during the late
19th century. In fact, Shandong's occupation
played a key role in the genesis of modern China. Fearing foreign
imperialists, the Qing Dynasty deemed Qingdao a key strategic location
and made efforts to transform the fishing town into a fortified naval
base. However, before these plans came to fruition, the area was ceded
to Germany in 1897. Thus, much of the city's development was the result
of German occupation, which is reflected in the city's architecture
even today. Qingdao's first streets, many of its standing institutions,
the beginnings of the modern harbor, and the world famous brewery were
all constructed during the German occupation.
German
forces deserted Qingdao, retreating from the Allied Powers, at the
onset of WWI. Soon after, Japan occupied the territory and would remain
there after Germany's defeat, despite promises by the Allied Powers
that Shandong would be returned if China joined the Allied Forces. The
Chinese citizenry were further incensed when The Treaty of Versailles
in 1919 transferred all the German concessions in Shandong directly to
Japan. This sparked enormous nationalistic fervor, leading directly to
countrywide protests known as the May 4th Movement.
Largely considered China's modern
political awakening, the mass revolt and student organizations of the
movement sowed the seeds of the later Marxist movement in China. The
May 4th Movement marked the downfall of the feudal Confucian era that
had lasted over three thousand years and germinated a new political and
cultural ideology that evolved into the China seen today.
With Qingdao’s legacy cemented in modern
Chinese history, the city is paving its own path into the future. In
the past decade, Qingdao has become a manufacturing powerhouse, and
with a recently opened special economic zone, multinational companies
have flocked to the area, most of them from neighboring Japan and
Korea. Qingdao has also experienced similar growth in tourism, as the
city’s seaside location has made it ideal for several large events such
as several 2008 Olympic events and the International Beer Festival.
Qingdao has it all: an emerging economy, great history, great beer and
beaches galore, making it one of CSA’s more popular destinations.
