Qingdao is Shandong Province's
most affluent city and boasts the largest port in Northern
China. It prides itself as a beautiful city along the coast
from the old town on the west
side all the way to the eastern Laoshan area offering spectacular
views of the ocean and
old colonial European architecture.
Qingdao got recognition from being the “Sailing City” as a co-host
of the 2008 Olympic
games where teams from around the world will compete for gold
in several sailing events.
It is very famous for its beaches and obviously the world famous
Qingdao beer. Tourists
from many cities in North China flock to this wonderful city
to experience its wonderful
environment.
The biggest event in Qingdao is the Qingdao Beer Festival. A
slightly smaller version of
the Oktoberfest, featuring live music, great food and of course,
lots of tents serving all
kinds of beer from all over the world. This event takes place
in the middle of August and
runs for two weeks.
Economic development in Qingdao is rising at a rapid pace and
as it does, more and more
foreign companies are recognizing it as an important manufacturing
and trading hub in
the North China Region. Although still lagging behind the ultra
modern styles of Shanghai,
Qingdao is still a fantastic city where more and more is becoming
available to suit
western tastes and standards. However, if you want to get out
once in a while for a night
on the town, there are several direct flights everyday to Beijing
and Shanghai which are
only an hour away.
The Qingdao expat organization continues to grow and is a valuable
member of Qingdao
as a whole. We aim to create a mutual understanding of Chinese
and Western cultures
and also hope to help any new expats to Qingdao settle in more
comfortably by
frequently organizing expat events such as hiking groups, dances
and dinners.
We have painstakingly built this site to offer more for the
local expat community and
hope to build this community by showing the world what Qingdao
has to offer.
