24 hours in Qingdao

By Rita Ma (That's Shanghai)
Updated: 2007-11-13 10:10

The seaside city of Qingdao is set to host the Olympic sailing events in 2008 and from the massive billboards at the airport to the sailboat-shaped dishes created by chefs at the Shangri-La Hotel, the city is awash with excitement.

Of course, there’s more to Qingdao charm than its coastline. Visitors shouldn’t miss the vast repository of beautifully preserved German (and other European) colonial architecture. Or the beer.

9:30am: For style and centrality, the newly-expanded Shangri-La Qingdao is the place to stay. From here, take a leisurely walk through the up-and-coming CBD, with its glass skyscrapers and wide avenues, towards – what else? – the water. In between the Municipal Government Building and the bay, a bright-red ‘fire torch’ sculpture dominates May 4th Square, a tribute to the anti-imperialist and anti-feudalist movement of 1919.

10am: Crossing the square, to the east you can see the Qingdao International Marina. Located on the former site of the Beihai Shipyard, the ambitious Olympic venue is equipped with the sport’s most advanced IT system for data processing and transactions. Solar-energy and wind-energy lamps will light the main embankment at night, for an estimated saving of more than 6,500 kwh annually. Be that as it may, the area is already dotted with sailing boats, including many that are privately owned. Though still in its final stages of construction, some sections of the complex are open to visitors.

11:30am: Take a leisurely walk back to the hotel for a buffet lunch at Shangri-La’s Coffee Garden. Be sure to try the sushi, rolled before your very eyes by a renowned Japanese master chef.

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