Lying on the south coast of the Shandong
Peninsula, Qingdao is a city of picturesque red-tiled roofs nestled
between green hills and blue sea. The mild climate, the bathing beach,
and Mount Laoshan make Qingdao a popular health and holiday resort,
particularly in summer when visitors come here in droves for sightseeing
and escaping the heat.
Qingdao is also an industrial city and a major foreign trade port. Its
mineral water, wine, and excellent Tsingtao Beer are world-famous. Among
the local arts and crafts, shell carvings are especially popular with
tourists.
The concrete pier is the symbol of the city. It was originally a wooden
structure built in 1890 during the reign of the Emperor Guang Xu of the
Qing Dynasty. Ten meters wide and stretching four hundred meters into
the sea, the pier ends in a colorful two-story octagonal building, the
Wave Stopping Pavilion (Huilange). With its carved beams and painted
eaves, this romantic pavilion is an enchanting sight by moonlight.
Starting from Cape of Peach (Taipingqiao), the most beautiful section of
the beach at Qingdao includes Fushan, Zhanshan, Taipingshan, and
Huiquanjiao. The limpid water, wide beach, and soft sand make it ideal
for sunbathing, swimming, and other marine sports.
Lu Xun Park , formally called Seaside Park, is adjacent to the bathing
beach and is a good place to picnic within view of the sea. Li Bai, a
famous poet of the Tang Dynasty, once compared the place to a fairyland
by the sea. The memorial archway of the park is still inscribed with the
words "Wonderland on the Sea." The park contains an aquarium and an
aquatic museum, with a big seal pool nearby.
Qingdao's biggest park is located on Huiquan Hill near the seaside; it
has been called the "Flower Garden of the East China Sea." Among its
many flower gardens are a peony garden, a garden of sweet osmanthus, a
magnolia garden, and a Chinese rose garden. There are also many
varieties of trees here; in the spring the cherry blossoms are a major
attraction.
Laoshan Mountain- in the southern part of the Shandong Peninsula, and 20
kilometers east of Qingdao, Mount Laoshan rises majestically from the
sea, highlighted by strange rocks and precipitous cliffs. Grass and
trees flourish on the mountain as the area has abundant rainfall. It is
said that the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.) once came
here in search of elixirs. A huge rock inscribed with the words "waves
blending into the sky" is said to be where the emperor once stood when
he climbed Laoshan. The mountain became a Taoist shrine during the Song
Dynasty (960-1279) and the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) when many Taoist
temples were built here. Legends described the mountain as a place of
mystery and wonder, it was regarded as a residence of immortals.
The summit can be reached by three routes. Along the south route, the
climber will find Genghis Khan's Supreme Purity Temple (Taiqinggong).
This Taoist temple is composed of Three Emperors Hall (Sanhuangdian),
with its towering cypresses over two thousand years old; Three Officials
Hall (Sanguandian); and Three Purity Hall (Sanqingdian), with its Magic
Water (Shenshui) Spring.
The north route zigzags among grotesquely shaped rocks and cliffs and
offers many breathtaking views, including Three Steps in Succession (Sanbujin),
Ladder in the Sky (Shangtianti), and Terrace for Meeting Immortals (Huixiantai).
At strip of Sky (Yixiantian) the overhanging precipices are particularly
thrilling. The Terrace for Meeting Immortals, rising more than a hundred
meters above the ground like a tower, is also called Dressing Terrace (Shuzhuangtai) --
a folktale says that fairies used to dress themselves at the top.
Along the middle route, visitors can see Laoshan Springs, Regarded as
"magic" since ancient times, the springwater comes from four directions:
Nine Wter (Jiushui), Inner Nine Water (Neijiushui), Outer Nine Water (Waijiushui),
and South Nine Water (Nanjiushui). Bottled Laoshan mineral water is a
popular beverage in China.
(The above introduction is from china.org.cn)
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