By Xu Chongde and Shi Pengyun (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-03-14 15:50

(Left): A man walks along the winding path with his bird cages. (Right): Young people show off their riding skills on the old paths. Photos by Xu Chongde

Qingdao, in Shandong province, is a beautiful seaside city, no doubt about it. However, many locals say that if visitors don't take a walk on its stone steps, they can't say they have really been there.

These stone steps, built almost 100 years ago, when Qingdao was occupied by Germany, can be seen everywhere in the city's hilly residential area.

This may be one of the only cities where walking is faster than riding a bike. That's because locals have to walk rather than ride on the granite-stepped paths.

It's physically demanding for a groom to carry his bride down the stone steps to the wedding car. These paths, of which there are more than 100, feature heavily in the locals' daily lives. Old people bask in the sunlight on the steps, chatting all day long, while children use them as a playground, climbing around and playing football.

In Qingdao, grooms can find it physically demanding to carry their brides to their wedding cars, especially if she lives near the longest path, which has 132 steps and is about 200 m long. Any man facing such a feat will need to get acquainted with a gym.

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