Qingdao International Beer Festival----- Ganbei with the World

Qingdao is a romantic city with an advantageous geographical position and a long history in beer-production. It is said that the city has a heroic spirit, stemming from a combination of the surrounding sea, its people and its beer. The Qingdao International Beer Festival is a yearly festival held in Qingdao in Shandong province. The event is jointly sponsored by national state ministries and the Qingdao Municipal Government.

According to the official website, the festival integrates tourism, culture, sports, business and trading activities. The slogan of the festival is “Qingdao – Ganbei with the World!”. The first Beer Festival took place back in 1991. It is now held once a year on the second weekend of August, and lasts for 16 days. Qingdao is the largest beer production base in China and the Beer Festival provides a great opportunity to show-off the city's unique characteristics.

With a 16-year history, the Qingdao International Beer Festival is now a nationally recognized event, and successfully combines together aspects of tourism, culture and sport, while also playing a valuable role in promoting the economic interests of the city. As one of the most important festivals of China, it has a worldwide reputation and attracts millions of people to take part every year. In April of 2006 the festival was praised as the No.1 on the board of 'Top Ten Festivals in China' in the Exhibition and Conference Annual Meeting of China.

In recent years the Qingdao International Beer Festival has become a major event in the calendar of this beautiful city. Past festivals have featured artistic parades, "Beer Carnival" games, beer tasting, drinking contests, music, food, and interactive performances, as well as merchandise stalls for various breweries.

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Zhanshan Temple-----the Only Temple in Qingdao City

Zhanshan Temple is a Buddhist temple in Qingdao, Shandong. It is located on the southern side of Zhanshan (literally 'clear' or 'deep mountain'), facing the sea. Covering a area of about 15 hectares, it is one and the only temple in Qingdao city.

The monastery was built in 1945 and is an active, functional Buddhist sanctuary. Apart from the Stupa and the Olympic Mascot Bell Tower, located on the right-hand side of the grounds, the remaining buildings are situated in a rectangular format. To the right of the entry portal is one of the several Buddhist scripture shops. Here, incense sticks and other Buddhist supplies are available for purchase. Adjacent the scripture shop is a Bell Tower with the first of many statues of Buddha. At the right of the entry is the Drum Tower with another Buddha.

Returning to the central path, directly ahead is the Heavenly King Hall. The large Buddha, which is the focal point of this shrine, is flanked by four large statues, one depicting a pipa player. Directly behind Heavenly King Hall is the larger Hall of Sakyamuni，which honors the founder of Buddhism, the son of a king of the Sakya clan of the Kshatriya. His given name was Siddhartha, his family name, Gautama. The epithet “Sakyamuni” means “sage of the Sakyas.” In this magnificent hall, a large, central Buddha is flanked by two smaller statues, each attended by eight priests. This hall is an active place of prayer equipped with cushions for kneeling, candles for lighting incense, and other Buddhist prayer supplies.

Behind the Hall of Sakyamuni is the Hall of Three Saints. In the center of the hall are three large, gilded statues, each about twelve feet in height. Continuing along the central path, the next building is the Preaching Hall. To the left of Preaching Hall is the Hall of the Recumbent Buddha, where, behind a long, gilded altar, a gilded, bejeweled statue of Buddha stretches out almost twenty feet in length.

Opposite the Hall of the Recumbent Buddha is the Shandong Zhanshan Buddhist College. To the right of the Hall of the Recumbent Buddha is the headquarters of the Qingdao Buddhist Association, Tiantai sect. Exiting the monastery grounds, one passes the Olympic Mascot Bell. The view from the top of this bell tower is panoramic. And every 8 April of the lunar calendar is traditionally observed as the birthday of the Buddha. On that day, thousands of Buddhists flock to the monastery grounds to attend religious events.

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Zhanqiao Pier in Qingdao (Qianhai Zhanqiao)

Zhanqiao Pier in Qingdao is also called Qianhai Zhanqiao. It is in the south seashore of Qingdao and to the north of Qingdao Gulf, and in the opposite of downtown Qingdao. The north part of Zhanqiao Pier is connected together with Zhongshan Road, which is a very important landmark in Qingdao.

Zhan Qiao Pier is viewed in the eyes of many as the official symbol of Qingdao as it was made famous by being placed on the label of the Tsingtao Brewery beer bottles and the front of cans.Also in the vicinity of Zhan Qiao Pier is the small Qingdao Island (Xiao Qingdao), the Qingdao Navy Museum, and many neighborhoods featuring German colonial architecture. The coastline lights up at night with spotlights on nearby buildings and several neon billboards.

Zhanqiao Pier began to be built in 18th year during the Guangxu Period (1892). It is the earliest known dock in Qingdao. Since then it was rebuilt twice in 1931 and 1985. The pier is 8 meters wide and 440 meters long. There is half-round dam to the south of the pier. There is an octagonal pavilion with two floors; this pavilion is named the Huilan Pavilion. The appearance of the Zhanqiao Pier is like a long dragon lying on the sea. It is as though the pier was entering the sea.

Standing alongside the Zhanqiao Pier, you can see huge waves beating the dam. When you are inside the pavilion, there is the great hall to appreciate the view. In autumn, the west dam has the best view. When the waves hit the bank, the view is very magnificent. You can find clams on the seashore. Recent years, Qingdao has opened a movement for seagulls. When the see is quiet in autumn and winter, over one thousand seagull’s fly into the gulf, this is a view to be admired in itself. On the north of the sea bank there is a park called Zhanqiao Park. In the park, pines are very big and grass is a luscious green. The corridor and stone chairs all match with each other very well. At night, the lights in the park are very gorgeous and it makes for a nice evening walk.

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St. Michael's Cathedral in Qingdao

St. Michael's Cathedral，also called the Zhejiang Road Catholic Church，which is abbreviated by locals to simply the "Catholic Church" is a Catholic church in Qingdao (also known as Tsingtao), Shandong Province, and it is the seat of the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Qingdao. It is located in the oldest part of Qingdao, at 15 Zhejiang Road, on the east side of Zhongshan Road in Shinan District.

Built by German missionaries, the cathedral stands at the top of a hill in the center of the old German-built part of the city. It is the largest example of Romanesque Revival architecture in the province, resembling a German cathedral of the 12th century.

 

St. Michael's Cathedral is the product of a strong German presence in Shandong Province in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the mid-19th century the European powers forcibly opened China to foreign trade. The Divine Word Missionaries built a church in the Jiaozhou Bay concession in Shandong in 1902, and in 1934 erected the cathedral, which remained nominally under their administration until 1964. In 1942 it came under the control of the Japanese Army, returning to Chinese control when the Japanese left Qingdao in 1945. In the early 1950s, all foreign missionaries, including the Bishop of Qingdao, were either imprisoned or expelled from China, and during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) the cathedral was defaced and abandoned. In 1981, it was repaired by the government and reopened for services, and in 1992 it was listed as a Provincial Historic Building by the government of Shandong Province.

Inside, you will find a very large hall with 7 big chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling. At the far end of the hall is the altar. On ceiling above the altar dome is the fresco of Holy Heaven; with two Latin prayers: GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO at left side and VENITE ADOREMUS DOMINUM at right which means: Glory the exclusively highest Lord and please let's worship Him.

The interior height in the middle is 18 meters. The windows were all painted with Biblical stories and were embodied with brilliant colorful glasses which give the church interior very beautiful colors and fill each worshipper with a feeling of heavenly serenity! On the choir balcony, there used to be one of the two biggest organs in Asia with altogether 2400 pipes which itself could completely make up an orchestra. Unfortunately it was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, but in April 2008, Qingdao Diocese ordered a new one from Germany with similar capacity but more splendid with developed function while still remains very classic. The new organ costs a sum of more than ten million. It will ensure the developing of good combination of Catholic belief with the thousands - years - old Chinese culture and will add to the prestige of the coming Olympic games in Qingdao.

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Ba Da Guan----- the Architecture Museum.

Ba Da Guan (the eight great passes) is a historical mansion area located near the coastline in the city of Qingdao, Shandong province. It is a sanatorium area in Qingdao lies in the east of Huiquan Bay. It is well known for its photogenic landscaping and the amalgam of more than 200 western architectures in different styles, and is also called the Architecture Museum.

Ba Da Guan is made up of streets named after great military forts of the ancient times. It was originally a residential area for the Germans built when Qingdao was a German protectorate (1897-1914). Each street is lined with a single species of tree and many street names are colloquially known by the trees that line them. Along the streets are houses built in a variety of European architectural styles.

 

Next to Ba Da Guan, on the south end of No. 2 Beach, is a large rocky outcropping on which a stone Russian villa was constructed. Built in 1932, Huashi Lou combines Greek, Gothic, and Gothic influences throughout its five storey hulk. It is constructed from marble and stone and features a large turret and a multicolored outer face which inspired the locals' nickname for the structure, "the colorful rock building". It also contains a passageway which Chiang Kai-shek used to get from the building to the seashore.

Ba Da Guan is also an elegant seaside garden where splendid flowers defy the four seasons. Elegant and magnificently beautiful scenery tell peerless charms of this historical relic. Therefore Ba Da Guan is a popular destination for wedding photography. One can often see dozens of newlywed-couples being photographed along Ba Da Guan's shoreline and greenspace. And Ba Da Guan is also a famous tourism attraction.

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Pearl Spring-----the third Famous Spring in Jinan

The Pearl Spring is a culturally significant artesian karst spring located in the city of Jinan, Shandong Province. It is said to be the third famous spring in Jinan. The Pearl Spring is located on the bottom of in a square spring pool that is surrounded by a stone fence on all sides. The water flows off through a canal into the Daming Lake. There are a series of small springs around it, such as Chu Spring and Shun Spring.

Pearl spring pool is 42 meters long and 29 meters wide, the water in it is as clean as jade. A string of white bubbles come out from the bottom of the pool, as if floating thousands of pearls. Pearl spring area is a beautiful and elegant garden. Green pines, cypresses, and willow falls are set there orderly. There is a begonia in a height of five or six meters which is planted one thousand years ago. There is also a man-made lake in it.

The name of the spring has two legends. One is said that the spring was formed by tears of the two wives of Shun (a king in anthology) named Ehuang and Nvying. Another legend is said that the name is because the bubble in Pearl Spring is like shining pearls, so the name came into being.

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Thousand Buddha Mountain-----Great Display of Buddha Statues

The Thousand Buddha Mountain is a hill located southeast of the city of Jinan, Shandong Province. It is renowned for its numerous Buddha images which have been carved out of the hill's rock faces or free-standing structures erect since the times of the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and its Xingguochan Temple.

The Thousand Buddha Mountain is a small hill located about 2.5 kilometres southeast from the center of the city of Jinan. Since 1959, it has been a public park which also comprises Yellowstone Cliff to the south and Jueshan Mountain to the east and covers a total area of 1.66 square kilometers. The Thousand Buddha Mountain Public Park is flanked by a cemetery honoring the fallen of the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 on the east side, the Shandong Provincial Museum to the northeast, and the Jinan Botanical Garden on the west side.

According to a legend related in the Youyang Zazu (Youyang Miscellanies) by the Tang Dynasty writer Duan Chengshi (800-863), the Thousand Buddha Mountain was originally located by the sea and the sea god had locked it in place there by a large lock in order to prevent the god in charge of the mountains from moving it around. However, eventually the lock broke and the mountain was hurled through the air into its present position. An artwork shaped as a large lock and a piece of chain has been placed on the summit of the mountain as a reference to the legend.Along with the Buddha statues, temples and other buildings were erected on the hill. The most renown of these structures is the Xingguochan Temple which was originally built during the reign of Emperor Taizhong of Tang as an expansion of the Sui-Dynasty Qianfo Temple.

The Thousand Buddha Mountain Public Park has been developed extensively for—mostly local tourism. A major tourist attraction is the Myriad Buddha Cave at the foot of the hill's northern slope. Inside the more than 500 meter-long artificial cave, late-20th-century recreations of Buddhist statues from four famous Chinese grottoes are on display. The original artworks were created during the Northern Wei, Tang, and Song dynasties. According to the operators, around 28 000 Buddhist images are on display inside the cave, the biggest statue—a lying Buddha—is 28 meters long.

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Lingyan Temple-----One of the Greatest Temples in China

Lingyan Temple ("Temple of the Spiritual Rocks") is a Buddhist temple located in Jinan, Shandong Province, about 20 kilometers north of the city of Tai'an. The temple grounds are situated in a valley on the western edge of the Taishan range. The Lingyan Temple has a long recorded history, and was one of the main temples in China during the times of the Tang and Song Dynasties. Its most renown landmarks are the 11th century Pizhi Pagoda and the Thousand Buddha Hall which houses a Ming dynasty bronze Buddha statue as well as 40 painted clay statues of life-size luohan from the Song dynasty.

The original temple was established in the period of 357–358. Gaining a greater reputation during the year 386–534, the temple reached its apex of importance during the Tang dynasty (618–907) and Song dynasty (960–1279). There were over 40 different wooden temple halls located at the temple, composing more than 500 monastic rooms. More than 500 Buddhist monks lived at Lingyan Temple during its height.

In the west of the temple there is a cemetery for past abbots of the Lingyan Temple. 167 tombs and dagobas built from the Tianbao reign of the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty are preserved here. With various styles and elegant sculpture, these tombs and dagobas were apotheosis of stupaes in the past thousand years, and were famous together with the Dagoba Forest of the Shaolin Temple in Henan Province. Nestled in remote mountains and dwelling with jumping springs, the Lingyan Temple is reputed as the most secluded place behind Taishan Mountain. There are twelve wonderful sights around the temple.

The oldest structures at the site are the various stone stupas and square-based stone Chinese pagoda in the pavilion style from the Tang dynasty, the 8th century Huichong Pagoda. Of the 167 stone stupas at the temple, no two are identical, and like the luohan statues of the Thousand Buddha Hall, have been well preserved and untouched by the Cultural Revolution. The tallest structure of the temple is the 54 m (177 ft) tall Pizhi Pagoda, built originally in 753, although the present structure was built from 1056 to 1063.

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Jinan Zoo (Taurus Park)

Jinan Zoo, formerly known as Taurus Park was founded in October 1959. It opened 1 May 1960, and was renamed Jinan Zoo on 8 September 1989. Jinan Zoo is one of China's largest zoos in it is located in Shandong province.

Jinan zoo is located in the northern part of Jinan. It opened its doors to the public on 1 May 1960. Jinan is one of the most pronounced zoos in China. In 1995 it was named one of the top 10 zoos in China. It is now a large scale zoo which is involved in activities such as breeding, tours, zoology, entertainment and catering. It contains more than 300 different species of animals with over 5000 animals in total. There are valuable species originated from China include: giant panda, golden monkey, Asian elephant, takin, kiang, Thorold's deer, Hoolock gibbon, Francois' leaf monkey, fox, red-crowned crane. And there are also imported precious species such as African elephant, gorillas, chimpanzee, orangutan, white tigers, giraffes and zebras.

 

The zoo utilizes the animal natural characteristics to isolate and keep animals in their regions. This way by reducing the amount of fences and walls used it can create a better environment for both humans and animals. However, this idea still requires further discussion and regarding safety. In the near future, the zoo hopes to increase the amount of human-animal interactions.

In 1999 it constructed an open peacock area where peacocks can roam free. In 2000, US$ 800,000 was raised to construct China’s most advanced herbivore natural habitat exhibit. Visitors are able to walk-through this exhibit. In 2001, they once again raised over US$ 1,000,000,000 to construct a facility that allows young people to interact with animals. The flow to the zoo has reached over 1 million visitors a year.

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Jinan Liberation Pavilion

Jinan is the political, cultural and economic center of Shandong. There are so many landmarks, such as Jinan Liberation Pavilion. The Jinan Liberation Pavilion is a monument commemorating the storming of the city of Jinan, Shandong Province by the People's Liberation Army during the Battle of Jinan in the Chinese Civil War.

              

The Liberation Pavilion stands in the inner south-eastern corner of the ancient city moat near the site where the troops of People's Liberation Army where able to breach the city wall on September 24, 1948. The city wall has since been removed.

Construction of the pavilion was completed in September 1986. The entire structure stands about 34 meters tall and occupies an area of 617 square meters. Its overall architectural design follows classical Chinese patterns. Set on broad stone pedestal, the pavilion proper has two stories and is capped by an eaved roof. However, the sides of the pedestal are decorated with bas-relief stone carvings that depict scenes from the civil-war battle for Jinan in the style of Socialist realism.

Another notable decorative feature of the pavilion is the gilded relief inscriptions that read "Liberation Pavilion" on the stone pedestal as well as on the pavilion proper. The characters of these inscriptions were taken from the handwriting of Marshal Chen Yi, who commanded the Shandong counter-offensive during the Chinese Civil War. The interior of the pavilion houses an exhibition related to the civil war battle for Jinan.

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Black Tiger Spring-----the Second Large Spring in Jinan

The Black Tiger Spring is a culturally significant artesian karst spring located in the city of Jinan, Shandong Province. Located in the southeastern part of the old city district of Ji'nan, the spring is ranked as the second most significant among the 72 named springs in Jinan (after the Baotu Spring). The water of spring stems from moderately-deep circulation and emerges from a water-filled limestone cave in a steep cliff. From the mouth of the cave, the water is funneled to flow out of the mouths of three ornamental stone-carved tiger heads into a square-shaped spring pool. From there it runs into the old city moat, next to which the spring is located.

On the southern wall of the pool are three carved stone tiger heads and from the tiger mouths spring water comes out. Hence, it gets the name of the spring. However, someone believes that spring water dashing against rocks produces a noise like the roars of a tiger: hence the name. Black Tiger Spring is one of the four most famous springs of Ji'nan, ranking first in rate of flow among all the springs inside and outside the city. As with most of Ji'nan's springs, the best time to visit this sight is at peak rainfall, generally around July and August.

There is a pavilion built in 1985, which is aim to appreciate the spring and beautiful sceneries around, tourists could climb it and overlook Black Tiger Spring. By the way, this place is suitable to visit at every season, but autumn is most appropriate.

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Daming Lake-----"Lake of the Great Splendour"

Daming Lake is the largest lake in the city of Jinan, Shandong province and one of city's main natural and cultural landmarks. Located to the north of the historical city center, the lake is fed by the artesian karst springs of the area and hence retains a fairly constant water level through the entire year.

As a natural lake in the heart of a bustling city, Daming Lake has an average depth of two meters, while the deepest parts measure up to four meters. One of the lake's most distinctive features, as indicated, is its constant water level; come flood or come drought, Daming Lake retains the same water level year-round. Another pleasing natural and ecological oddity of Daming Lake is the fact that it houses neither snake nor frog.

As a central site in the historical center of Jinan, Daming Lake has been the setting of many events in the history of the city. From March 2006 to April 2007, the Daming Lake Park was renovated and extended to connect all portions of the park for unified access. To achieve this, 1788 housing units were demolished. Since the expansion, the Daming Lake Park covers a total of 103.4 hectares, 29.4 hectares (land: 20 hectares, lake 29.4 hectares) of which were added in the expansion.

The Daming Lake was built into a garden in 1985. After dredging up, cleaning, renovation and expansion of the building, the lake has become one of the famous scenic spots in Jianna City. Main spots in the Daming Lake Park include Lixia Pavilion, North Pole Pavilion, Jiaxuan Ancestral Temple, Minghu Pavilion, Tiegong Ancestral Temple, Xiayuan Garden, and Little Canglang Pavilion.

Entering the south gate and walking along the curved bridge to the west, one will find the Xiayuan Garden, built in 1909 by imitating the Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo of Zhejiang Province. Constructed with rockeries, pavilions, bridges and corridors, the garden is quiet and tastefully laid out. The garden also has numerous precious carved stones of past dynasties. To the west of the Xiayuan Garden is the Jiaxuan Ancestral Temple, built in 1959 in memory of Xin Qiji, a great poet of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). In the center of the lake stands the Lixia Pavilion, an octagonal multi-eave construction.

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Baotu Spring-----Number One Spring under the Heaven

The Baotu Spring, also called "Jet Spring" or "Spurting Spring", is a culturally significant artesian karst spring located in the city of Jinan, Shandong Province. Located right to the southwest of the city center of Jinan, it is part of a cluster of about 20 named springs. It was declared the "Number One Spring under the Heaven" by the Qing Dynasty Emperor Qian Long.

The Baotu Spring is the most renown among the more than 70 named artesian springs in the downtown area of the city of Jinan. The water of all these springs originates from an Ordovician karst aquifer under the city. As the terrain around Jinan slopes from the south down to the north, the recharge area for the aquifer is located in the mountainous area to the south of the city. The recharge area of the springs covers 1,500 square kilometres, out of which 550 km2 provide direct recharge and 950 km2 indirect recharge.

Baotu Spring has a history more than 3000 years. The area of the Baotu Spring as well as some neighboring springs in the same group is protected by a public park. The park was created in 1956 and covers now about 10.5 hectares. The Baotu Spring public park also houses memorials to the local painters Li Kuchan (1898–1983) and Wang Xuetao (1903–1982) as well as to the poet Li Qingzhao. The latter has a memorial hall set in a traditional courtyard dedicated to her.

The Baotu Spring is the site of an annual lantern festival (starts on the Chinese New Year day and lasts for one month, and a chrysanthemum show (since the 1970s, held from the end of October to the end of November). The festival attracts many tourists every year.

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