Tourist attractions in the East of Qingdao

    Donghai Road, Hong Kong Road, Macao Road, the Sculpture Garden of Cultural Celebrities, the May 4th Square and the Music Square, etc. form magnificent scenery for this modern international metropolis.

    Shilaoren National Holiday Resort

    Unique tourist villas, hotels, excellent beaches and numerous cultural and sports facilities like the Seaside Sculpture Park, the Dolphinarium, the International Beer City, the Golf Course, the International Convention Center, the Cultural Exhibition Center, the Century Square and the Sports Center are all places visitors should not miss. Such projects as the Qingdao Polar Sea World, the Modern Arts Center, and the Yacht Club are now under construction. All these will make Qingdao a comprehensive tourist area with facilities for holidaymaking, amusement, exhibition and sports competitions.

    Laoshan National Scenic Spot

    Located by the seaside of the Yellow Sea, the 1,133-meter-high Mt. Laoshan is known as the No.1 religious mountain along China's coastline and the birthplace of Taoism. Entitled a national tourist attraction by the State Council, this area is composed of nine sections, five scenic spots under restoration and some surrounding scenic spots. It is a national model scenic area, which ranks a national 4A ranking.

    Laoshan Mountain has a humid temperate climate. It is an important shrine for spreading Taoism, known as the "Second Largest Taoist Monastery in the World". Grotesque rocks in the mountain resemble all kinds of live creatures, so Laoshan Mountain is known as a natural sculpture park. The ancient trees, rare vegetation and rich natural resources, especially mineral water and undersea jades, have made Laoshan Mountain widely known.

    Qingdao enjoys an abundance of natural scenic spots and places of interest in its outskirt regions. In the famous Langyatai Tourist Resort where the Yue Emperor Goujian met his dukes and princes, the relics can be found. It is here that Yingzheng, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, paid visits for three times; and from here Xufu sailed eastward for Japan. Tianhengdao Island is a historic site recording the heroic feats of five hundred soldiers who died as martyrs in the West Han Dynasty more than two thousand years ago. The Cliff Inscriptions in Mt. Tianzhu in Pingdu are regarded as national treasures. The State-level nature reserve Mashan Hoodoos, and the Great Wall Relics of the Qi Kingdom in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) can also be found in this area.

    In 2004, Qingdao received as many as 522,000 overseas tourists (person-time ) who contributed US$ 288 million to the local revenue, and a total of 21.57 million domestic tourists who left 18.378 billion yuan to the local treasury. The total revenue from tourism in 2004 reached 20.77 billion yuan.