travel
China Elevator Stories
Qingdao, Shandong Province (China Travel)
Qingdao is a coastal city in Shandong Province with parks and beaches.
15/05/2025
Ruth Silbermayr
Author
I visited Qingdao last weekend. It’s located a few hours from Tai’an. I traveled frugally, using the most affordable options I could find. A big city in China allows you to travel on a budget if you take the metro and busses instead of cabs, walk whenever possible, and visit places that are either free or have a low entrance fee. One such place is the Museum of the Former German Governor’s Residence of Qingdao—a residence where German governors lived from 1907 to 1914, and where Mao Zedong once stayed for a month in 1958. The entrance fee is only 20 Yuan (2,48 EUR or 2,77 USD), and I recommend this museum to history fans. It’s a particularly interesting place if you’re interested in colonial history. It shows how the governors used to live, includes black-and-white photos, and describes how the governors and their families lived. (Address: 26 Longshan Road, Shinan District, Qingdao City, Shandong Province, China.)
I booked a slow train from Tai’an to Qingdao (since these are less expensive than fast trains) and used the metro in the city, which takes you to many sights for only a few Yuan each way.
I also saved money by eating only at very cheap restaurants and by bringing my own coffee instead of going to cafés or other places where you’d have to spend more. In China, hot water is available on some trains (such as sleeper trains, where people prepare instant noodles with hot water during longer rides—an affordable and practical solution), and many other places also offer hot water. I could use a water heater at the hostel I stayed at. Though some tourist destinations in China can be expensive, frugal travel is possible if you’re well informed in advance about prices, expected costs, and places where you can travel and save money at the same time.
I spent two nights at the hostel, and I have to say that public transportation in Qingdao is very convenient (the video above shows the area around May 4th Square, visit my YouTube channel for more videos about Qingdao). My hostel was close to May 4th Square, which is located in Qingdao’s Central Business District. May 4th Square is beautiful at night, when there’s a light show on the buildings. May 4th is an important date in Chinese history—May 4th, 1919, is remembered as the day of the May 4th Movement, when student representatives met in Beijing.
According to Wikipedia:
“On the morning of May 4, 1919, student representatives from thirteen different local universities met in Beijing and drafted five resolutions:
To oppose the granting of Shandong to the Japanese under former German concessions.
To draw and increase awareness of China’s precarious position to the masses in China.
To recommend a large-scale gathering in Beijing.
To promote the creation of a Beijing student union.
To hold a demonstration that afternoon in protest to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.”
In the Treaty of Versailles, the areas of Shandong Province that were previously German concessions were to be handed over to Japan by Germany. This was seen as an unfair abuse of power by the stronger Allied nations toward weaker powers such as China.
Parts of Shandong Province, including Qingdao, were occupied by Germany, and some German buildings remain. Qingdao was originally just a fishing village before it was occupied by the Germans in 1897. You can get off at Qingdao Railway Station and explore the area that was once occupied by Germany. The buildings are located in Qingdao Old Town, around Zhongshan Street (中山路), and the area is easily accessible from the train station—you can walk around it on foot. There are tourist signs and a map to help you navigate and learn about the buildings.
The Old Town and Railway Station are also close to the beach, and you can visit the beach promenade from there.
I also visited Luxun Park, a free park located by the sea (address: No.1, Qinyu Road, Qingdao City, Shandong Province, China). It’s small but very nice. I made a short video about the park, so you can decide for yourself whether to visit it when you go to Qingdao. Lu Xun (1881–1936) is one of China’s most famous writers, perhaps the most famous. He lived in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, and this park features a statue of Lu Xun as a dedication to the author. His most famous work is The True Story of Ah Q, which is about the oppression and killing of a man named Ah Q around the time of the 1911 Revolution. It portrays Chinese society at the end of the Qing dynasty.
Locals enjoy their Sundays at Luxun Park, strolling, having picnics, or playing by the sea.
Another place I visited was Xiaomaidao (小麦岛). It’s a bit farther from the nearest metro stop (Maidao [麦岛], Line 2), so only go if you don’t mind walking a little. It’s another nice place for a walk by the ocean, though I recommend the other places I mentioned above over this one if you have to choose between oceanfront spots to visit.
Qingdao was a pleasurable city to visit. I didn’t have high expectations, as some Chinese cities have been rather disappointing (such as Dalian, which I found too chaotic and not very friendly—stressful, crowded, and without much notable architecture, I can’t recommend it; and Chongqing, which I also wouldn’t recommend unless you have plenty of time—there are better choices like Chengdu, which isn’t too far and is more enjoyable).
I was pleasantly surprised—Qingdao offers lovely views of both the city and the sea, and with its German architecture and colonial history, it has a lot to offer for history enthusiasts.
Have you ever been to Qingdao?