☆Qing   dao☆

In mandarin, the name of this sailing city can sound like “Please come to…” as well as “green island”--- which is a fitting ambiguity---and very much an invitation: Qingdao, Qingdao. Such a beautiful resort on China’s NE coast, yet the spot is little known beyond the mainland and its Yellow Sea reach: Korea, Japan---and is referred to as “Little Switzerland” or “Bavaria” for its unusual, European architecture, mountain scenery, beaches and emerald waters. Greater Qingdao is also home to some remarkable ancient treasures and sites---over 6,000 years old---as well as hot springs, ski-ing, and golf, easily accessible from the urban downtown. China’s seafront city---a choice location for the 2008 Olympic Sailing events---has become an object of global attention. Its twenty-first century building designs and world-class facilities at the International Sailing Centre, for example, carry a stunning---and highly “green”---appeal. In town, there is a significant German cultural legacy to savour, prize-winning beaches and bays, and a forty kilometre seaside boardwalk. The Shandong Lo cuisine is to die for, and economically priced. Not to mention the Tsingtao beer---with an annual festival to accompany it. Why would anyone not take a break to regenerate here? Visit China and find Europe into the bargain? Qingdao is an unbelievably inspiring haven on the Shandong Peninsula---nestling beneath one of the Middle Kingdom’s holiest peaks: Mount Laoshan. It will leave you with a craving to return…memories of red roofs, Taoist temples…and those yachts at full sail in Fushan Bay.