Located on the southern coast of northeast China’s Shandong Peninsula, Qingdao is a vibrant port city and popular tourist destination known for its stunning bays, unique blend of Chinese and German architecture, and, of course, its most famous export: Tsingtao beer.
Steeped in history, the city has a fascinating colonial past – one it shares with Hong Kong, around 1,600km to the south – that shaped its cultural and architectural landscape.
In 1897, Germany invaded and occupied Jiaozhou Bay, a natural harbour on the southern tip of the Shandong Peninsula.
The following year, the weakening Qing dynasty government, unable to fight against foreign powers, agreed to lease Qingdao to Germany for 99 years. The same year, the Qing court also agreed to lease Hong Kong’s New Territories to the British for the same duration.
However, while Hong Kong remained under British control for the entirety of the lease until 1997, Qingdao’s German colonial rule lasted only 16 years. In 1914, Japan seized control of Qingdao and ruled it until the end of World War II.
