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Nautical Architecture in Qingdao

Qingdao, a charming coastal city in East China’s Shandong Province, attracts millions of visitors from home and abroad every year. Most come to enjoy its Yellow Sea beaches, beautiful scenery and tempting Tsingtao Beer. However, the architecture in Qingdao is not to be neglected. In fact, the city has various styles of centuries-old architecture that gives the city a character all its own.

Looking far from a high point in the city, visitors will find old and new buildings dotting its hills. Many of these buildings face southeast. The reason is that Qingdao has a long coastline and many hills and mountains. Designers had to consider prevailing wind directions and landforms of the hills. Because of their design, wind can easily enter rooms to bring coolness, along with summer rains, while chilly winds in winter can be guarded against.

More interesting, the city’s nautical motif is evident in patterns such as water lines, anchor chains and rope pegs for fixing boats are often found on the exteriors of buildings. Shapes of boats and other sailing designs are used in exterior design.

Unlike ancient cities such as Beijing, Nanjing and Xi’an, Qingdao came into its historical role in Chinese history in the 19th century. Before 1949, lots of European-style buildings had been set up in the city’s downtown area, most of them in a German-style.

The most representative is the former mansion of the German governor in Qingdao. Built in 1903 with an area of more than 4,000 square metres, it looks like an 18th century European castle. It is said that architectural art from 24 countries can be found in Qingdao. At an area called “Ba Da Guan,” about 100 two-storey buildings in more than 20 styles are located. It is a popular area for tourists.

In recent years, these old buildings have been renovated, functioning as offices of government organizations, museums, kindergartens and more. Following their renovations, they match their surrounding environments better and serve a useful purpose.