As the host city for the sailing and beach volleyball competitions during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Qingdao is the ideal destination if you want to combine seaside fun with your trip in China.

Qingdao is now recognized as one of the great destination cities in all of Asia. It averages a whopping 15 million visitors a year. Sixteen years of German authority, starting in 1898, has left bizarre juxtapositions of Bavarian architecture and modern shop fronts and of course the Tsingtao brewery in the coastal city.

Antithesis is everywhere. Yellow buildings with green spires house restaurants advertising: "Fish with Chinese sauerkraut." A Chinese flag flies next to the clock tower of St Michael's Catholic Church. Red lanterns hang in the arches of the imposing facade of the former German governor's residence. A 30-minute taxi drive east of the old town marks a return to modern China and the new city business district has the unmistakable gleam of Olympic investment.

But generally speaking, cultural opposites are not the only thing to marvel at here -- one of the city's more important attractions is a stroll along the sandy seafront.

Qingdao has some of China's most famous beaches worth visiting but of course your seaside experience will vary depending on the tides and the time of year you visit. During summer weekends, Qingdao beaches get very crowded, but are slightly less crowded on summer weekdays.

You can find bathing beaches all along the shore from Zhanqiao Pier to Shilaoren Beach in the eastern suburbs. The best one is Laoshan Beach, just at the entrance to Laoshan National Park, about a 30-minute drive east of the city limits.

However, the most popular of all the bathing beaches in Qingdao is No.1 Bathing Beach, located around Qingdao's Huiquan Bend. Famous for its gentle slopes, thin sands, clear water, and calm waves, the beach is clean and full of fun for children but again often crowded.

Accessing quiet beach No. 2 requires a small fee of 2 yuan. No. 3 (or City Beach) boasts an offshore "plastic island" allowing you to have a rest after your swim before coming back. The best beach within easy striking distance of the city is Shilaoren (Old Stone Man). It's clean, long and broad, with the highest waves.

Beer is an important part of Qingdao life and every corner shop boasts kegs of Tsingtao and a couple of stools offering passers-by a pint of refreshment. Qingdao International Beer Town is said to be the largest international beer metropolis in Asia.

Every year at the end of August, a celebration is held to celebrate Qingdao's brewing heritage. During the day, there are official ceremonies as well as carnival-type rides, food and games. In the evenings, the event really picks up as crowds flock to huge tents set up by each beer company with a presence in China. You can sit down and order beer or snacks and watch (or participate in) various performances such as karaoke, concerts, auctions, or comedy. However because of the Olympics, this year's beer festival will be held in mid-September.

But tourists don't just go to Qingdao International Beer Town to taste beer, but also to have fun at the pleasure park there. Among the popular amusement attractions, the most popular is the loop-the-loop scenic roller coaster, said to be the only one of its kind in China.

For more of the natural side of Qingdao, head to Mount Laoshan.

With its highest peak rising 1,133 meters above sea level, Mount Laoshan is situated on the southeastern Shangdong Peninsula. Facing the Yellow Sea, it is one of China's major scenic resorts and has long held its reputation as the "No. 1 Mountain on the Sea."

The entire mountain covers 446 square kilometers and has 218 places of interest, large and small. It is a famous center of Taoism boasting both mountainous and coastal scenery. The only coastal mountain in China, Mount Laoshan has a shoreline of 87.3 kilometers boasting 13 bays and 18 islets. Rambling along a stone-laid path on the mountainside, you will be touched by both the huge sea tides, the lush pine trees and misshapen rocks along the shore.

Legend has it that some 2,500 years ago, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.) came here hoping to meet immortals, as later so did Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), lending a mysterious air to Mount Laoshan.

At the peak of Taoism, there were nine palaces, eight Taoist temples, and 72 nunneries which were home to nearly 1,000 Taoist priests and nuns on the mountain. Taiqing Palace is now the largest and oldest of the preserved Taoist establishments. First built in the early Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), it has a history of nearly 1,000 years and is built in a simple architectural style. It is surrounded by countless scenic spots and is at the heart of the whole tourist area.

(Shenzhen Daily/Agency July 26, 2008)