The Germans left an indelible if fading imprint on the Northeastern Chinese city of Qingdao. The Teutonic influence is most evident in the vast quantities of beer consumed at every meal – and between meals. It is no coincidence that the country’s best known consumer brand, Tsingtao Beer, calls the city home. A brewery, which is still in operation, was built by German businessmen during the country’s brief colonization of the city, which ended followed the country’s defeat during the First World War.

But there are more concrete remnants of the German occupation, and nowhere are these more evident than in Old Town, where thousands of buildings – both commercial and residential – remain. There are three stately old churches, a smattering of schools, and an impressive number of municipal buildings that would look right at home in Bavaria or Berlin.




“The Germans built things to last,” a docent at one of the city’s smaller museums said. “The Japanese, who also colonized the city, didn’t leave much behind. They were more interested in plunder.”

What is most remarkable about the Germanic influence on Qingdao is that the Germans colonized the city only briefly. After occupying it in 1897, they set about building what was intended to be a model for their East Asian Empire. During their 16-year reign, they laid an impressive infrastructure. Many of the telephone and electrical lines as well as the sewage and drainage systems built by the Germans a century ago are still in use today. “That is why we don’t suffer the floods that frequently plague other Chinese cities,” a shop owner near St Michael’s Cathedral said. “Even during heavy rains the waters quickly disappear down the gutters and into the drainage system.”


The German occupation of Qingdao ended in 1914 with the country’s defeat at the end of World War I. As a result of the Treaty of Versailles, Qingdao was handed over to Japan rather than being returned to China. The move sparked outrage throughout the country, culminating in the tumultuous May Fourth Movement. Although China refused to sign the treaty, the Japanese occupied Qingdao until 1922, when China finally regained control. The Japanese also occupied the city from 1938 until their surrender at the end of World War II in 1945.


The Germans were not the only outsiders to leave an imprint on the city. Businessmen from 24 countries were granted land to build houses, and many had them designed in the styles of their own country. As a result, a smattering of beautiful Western-style structures can be found throughout town. The largest concentration is in a neighborhood called Badaguan, which is situated between Huiquan Bay to the West and Taiping Bay to the South. An estimated 200 villas and mansions still dot the leafy seaside district. One of the most impressive is Huashi Lou. Overlooking No. 2 Swimming Beach, the castle-like fortress now serves as a popular backdrop for the taking of wedding photographs.


Qingdao today is a modern city with skyscrapers that can rival those of Shanghai and Hong Kong. But these are being built in new development zones to the East of Old Town. Thanks to a commitment by local officials to historic preservation, there is hope that the city’s historic districts can slowly regain their former glory. A walk along the bustling main thoroughfares of the commercial districts and the tree-lined streets of the residential quarters reveals the occasional structure surrounded by bamboo scaffolding. Happily, this is for renovation and not demolition. More encouraging yet is the quality of the restoration efforts taking place. Some of the structures that have been recently refurbished, such as the old German School for Boys at No. 9 Jiangsu Road, have been renovated to an extremely high standard.


“The reason for building a new city is simple,” Meng Xiangyi, director of the Marketing and Communications Department at the Qingdao Tourism Administration, said. “It is to give the old city a chance to survive.”


Elderly residents continue to speak fondly of the leafy neighborhoods surrounding what is now known as the Ocean University of China, which is located at No. 5 Yushan Road (Tel: (86-532) 6678 2730). “I have never lived anywhere else and never wanted to live anywhere else,” a matronly gray-haired woman said on a television documentary that was aired recently on public television. “In the old days you could hear music coming from the different houses as you strolled down the street. There would be someone playing the piano, someone playing the violin, someone playing the harp. It was a wonderful place to live.”


Such literary greats as Shen Congwen, Hong Shen, Xiao Hong and Wang Tongzhao all occupied homes in the neighborhood at one time or another. Lao She came to live there in 1934, writing his most famous work, Camel Xiangzi, while residing in a house that still stands – although it is not open to the public – at No. 12 Huangxian Road.


As a leader of the country’s Reform Movement, Kang Youwei, who played a pioneering role in the movement to end China’s horrific practice of foot-binding, was a patriot at heart. While spending much of his life abroad, he was determined to spend his twilight years in his homeland. Ironically, he chose to live in a former colony. The house that he resided in was one of the first to be built by the Germans after they occupied Qingdao in 1897. He lived there from 1923 until his death in 1927.


While many of these houses are still standing, most are in a sorry state of disrepair. The Former Residence of Kang Youwei at No. 5 Fushan Road (Tel: (86-532) 8287 9957) is the only one to have been renovated so far, having been turned into a house museum in 2001. A guided tour by a knowledgeable and enthusiastic docent runs 20 yuan. She doesn’t speak English, so an interpreter is required for the linguistically challenged.


A recently opened commercial complex is located between St Michael’s Cathedral and bustling Zhongshan Road, one of Old Town’s most important commercial strips. Town planners hope it will serve as a catalyst needed to jump start the district’s renaissance. From the street, the massive full-block complex appears to be a series of renovated two- to four-storey commercial buildings from the early 20th Century. With red tile roofs, dormer windows and red brick or yellow stucco exteriors, it houses an entertainment and shopping complex complete with bars, pubs, restaurants and shops.


From the street it looks like a junk shop. A step inside reveals what must be Old Town’s quirkiest hotel. Located in a beautiful – if crumbling – commercial building at No 27 Guangxi Road, the Hai Lun Guest House (Tel: (86-532) 8296 1622) has just six rooms, which run from as little as 60 yuan to as much as 180 yuan per night, depending on the season (and the room).


A room on the ground floor is furnished with antiques and has an undeniable charm. The rooms upstairs are more modest – and somewhat less comfortable. It goes without saying that the bathrooms are down the hall.


The hotel’s lobby is full of what appears to be junk left behind by road-weary travelers trying to lighten their load. Not unexpectedly, most of it – from the antique clocks to the swimming goggles – is for sale. In the evenings guests sit on the pavement out front, drinking beer or wine purchased at nearby shops. The affable owners are delighted to welcome visitors from around the world, and you won’t get out of the place without having your picture taken with them on the pavement out front.


St Michael’s Gallery at No. 15 Zhejiang Road (Tel: (86-532) 8286 6679) is located in the shadows of St Michael’s Cathedral in a yellow stucco building that originally housed the Steyler Mission Society. It sells calligraphy, antiques and oil paintings. A talk with its friendly owner is like taking a short course in local history. He might even pull out his most prized possession – a massive tome with black and white photographs of the city’s historic architecture – and take you on a walk down memory lane.


Considering the popularity of camouflage casual wear in recent years, the Lian Xue Jun military supply shop at No. 9 Jinan Road (Tel: (86-532) 8280 6758) is a fashion slave’s dream come true. Why settle for poor quality knockoffs when you can purchase genuine military camouflage T-shirts, jackets and shoes? There are policeman’s hats, People’s Liberation Army leather belts, sailor’s uniforms, Red Guard-style satchels and much, much more – all for sale at reasonable prices. The friendly shopkeepers are happy to let customers try things on and there is no pressure to buy if something isn’t to your liking.

NOTE: Tsingtao and Qingdao are variant spellings of the same word. They are written and pronounced the same way in Chinese. Tsingtao, the older spelling, refers to the beer. Qingdao, spelled according to the pinyin Romanization system adopted in the 1970s, refers to the city.