Situated on the coast of the Shandong Peninsula and across the Yellow Sea from Korea, Qingdao is a major economic centre of North-East Asia. It is one of China's most important open coastal cities and one of relatively few cities with significant independent planning and budgeting powers. It has provincial power in economic management.

Being China's second-largest mainland port, Qingdao sees a huge portion of the manufactured goods that China exports to all parts of the globe. Firms involved in all aspects of international trade have key offices in the city. Owing to a combination of logistical convenience and the extremely favourable quality of life, many international organisations with business in China choose to locate their regional headquarters in Qingdao. Major Chinese brands, including light-industrial giants Haier, Hisense and Aucma, have taken advantage of the city's close proximity to both raw materials and shipping lines in order to achieve global recognition. In addition to trade and light-industrial manufacturing, its major industries include tourism and oceanography research.

Getting Around

Air
Qingdao International Airport ph: (+86 532) 8471-5777

Rail
ph: (+86 532) 8296-2777 (bookings) Qingdao's main train station is undergoing renovations which are scheduled for completion in June 2008. Until then, rail passengers will pass through one of the transitional stations. See http://www.myredstar.com/en/guide/intro for timetable of Qingdao-Beijing trains.

Areas
Officially, Qingdao consists of seven urban districts and five county-level cities. The urban districts are Shinan, Shibei, Sifang, Licang, Laoshan, Chengyang and Huangdao, and the cities are Jiaozhou, Jimo, Pingdu, Jiaonan and Laixi. Most international-standard services and housing are located within Shinan, Shibei, Laoshan and Huangdao, and we find the following area distinctions helpful from the standpoint of use.

Central Business District (CBD)
Built up in the mid-1990's, Qingdao's CBD encompasses some of the city's most valuable real estate, stretching along the coast of Jiaozhou Bay (home of Qingdao's newly-built Olympic Sailing Center, site of the XXIX Olympic Sailing Regatta in 2008) in either direction from the Municipal Government building. Minjiang Lu and Yunxiao Lu feature excellent restaurants from all over China -upscale bars and foreign restaurants also abound in this area, from flashy discos to fine Italian dining. The area also caters to shoppers, with upscale retail goods available at Sunshine Department Store and Jusco, and a large selection of groceries and household goods at Carrefour.

Huangdao
The Port of Qingdao's new home, and site of the Qingdao Export Processing and Free Trade Zones. A fishing village until relatively recently, Huangdao is also home to a Polytechnic University and an ever-increasing number of factories engaged primarily in light industrial and textile manufacturing. The Beijing Film Academy is also currently developing a major campus in the area. Fine hotels and restaurants are sprouting up to serve the demands of a growing community of students, educators and international businesspeople.