Qingdao's May Fourth Square celebrates self-determination

The once small fishing village of Jiao'ao has been transformed over 200 years into the vibrant port city of Qingdao in Shandong province.

When I visited the coastal metropolis last weekend, the first port of call was May Fourth Square.

Weighing in at 700 metric tons and towering 30 meters above the crowds below, the bright red Wind of May sculpture occupies the center of the plaza, overlooking a serene bay. A coiled mass of steel, it is testament to the May Fourth Movement, a wave of anti-imperialist protests that quickly spread across the nation in 1919. The Wind of May's "spiral movement of wind and the colour of fire" commemorates this "rising powerful national strength", according to the sign beneath.