Samomatic

On the last leg of our trip we went on a day-trip to Laoshan [嶗山] on the outskirts of the Qingdao city. The information from various sources were very vague and especially hard to find during the low season.

In the end we took the public bus, which only cost us a few RMBs but rumbled through the different districts. Paddy laughed at me when I started nodding off on the bus.
Upon entering the main visitor center, all the visitors have to purchase their entrance tickets and transfer to the designated buses. We were quite amused by their new ticketing system which checks the fingerprints!

The landscape of Laoshan and Tai Shan are very different. At 1133 meters it is the only mountain whose peak is over 1000 meters and the highest mountain along China’s 18,000-kilometer-long coastline.

The mountain is also known for the Taoist Temples. In its prosperous time, there were 9 great palaces, 8 great temples, and 72 nunneries.

Many pilgrims come to the mountain to tie their wishes and blessings on trees along the paths.

The big boulders stacked on top of each other, making up this imposing mountain. In the summer, Laoshan has many natural springs and waterfalls. Laoshan Mountain mineral water is a speciality, which claims can be used to cure diseases.

Switchbacks near the top of the mountain.

We were amongst the handful of visitor that day, but you can see the stalls lining along the trails waiting for the travel season to begin.


We had actually made a wrong turn, but then stumbled across this beautiful town cascading down to the sea.

On the bus back to town we saw rows and rows of fishing boats and just jumped off the bus.
“Do you know if there are any more buses today? We are about 20km away from Qingdao….”

The boats had finished their catch in the morning and now safely anchored in the harbor.

Eventually we did find the right bus and got back to town. Inside a big department store the New Year celebration is in full swing. Many variety of gifts and traditional food to prepare for visits.

A quick stroll through the market before packing up and heading to the airport.

I should have brought back a few feet of those sausages back to Hong Kong.

The whatever it takes attitude in China can be seen clearly by this bicycle-mopper inside the airport terminal. Genius!

They didn’t even try to dress up the bike, the man here probably uses the same bike to get to/from home each day.

Goodbye Qingdao, that was fun!

Better known as Tsingtao in the West, the city borders the Yellow Sea and is a major seaport, naval base, and industrial center.

In 2009, Qingdao was named China’s most livable city. In the urban areas I was surprised by the advancements and living standards that are comparable to other major cities in the world.

Between 1898 and 1914, a portion of the province of Shandong was under German occupation. Qingdao was the administrative center of the colony and many buildings were constructed under the German rule.

Roasted duck vendor near the train station.

Transporting coal blocks. Many older homes still burn coal for heating in the winter.

We took a tour in the Tsingtao Brewery [青島啤酒廠], the largest beer brewery in China. Paddy and I glanced through the exhibits but when spent a long time studying the can and bottle packing machines.

Tsingtao is the leading beer brand in China and captures about 15% of the market share.

LOVE the translations!

The Naval base near the city center.

We visited the Naval Museum, which had a wide array of war machines on display. You can see the Soviet-Era influence in many of the aircrafts. However, the area was badly maintained and felt like a junk yard for these historic vehicles.

According to the billboards, construction is underway for a new location to store these exhibits.

Next we ventured into a retired submarine docked by the museum.

We were fortunate there were no other visitors and could wander inside leisurely. A look down the hull, a very narrow space.

Paddy looking up at the bulkhead for climbing in and out of the submarine.

Sunset seen from Signal Hill over older part of the city.

Few cities in China can you see the intermingling of German architecture with Chinese designs.

In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Qingdao hosted the sailing events. In the newer districts in the city, new vehicles fill up the wide avenues and construction of skyscrapers can be seen in every direction.

Often regarded as the most sacred of the “Five Sacred Mountains”, Mount Tai symbolizes sunrise & birth throughout China.

Our path up involved a total of 7,200 steps with 11 gates, 14 archways, 14 kiosks, and 4 pavilions along the way.

Mount Tai has been a place of worship for at least 3,000 years and has been visited by many emperors at the time.

We entered through the Sun Gates to begin our ascent up the mountain.

Since it is in the middle of winter, workers manually tie colored yarn to the trees in preparation for Chinese New Year.

Ancient tree in the courtyard that has seen many turmoils over the years.

At the base of the mountain where pilgrims can purchase incense and walking sticks.

One of the temples along the way. Each temple has a key strength, whether it be for exams, health, wealth, or luck, that the visitors can ask for favors.


Off the beaten track we found a vast area with poems carved onto boulders and on the riverbed.

How has this come to be? An underwater well which has trickled and frozen over the winter?

It is not a difficult climb, it just has a lot of stairs!

Advantages of winter, we were walking along the riverbed to get a closer look at the frozen waterfall.

Our view at Midway Gate to Heaven while eating hand-made noodles in beef broth. Far off is First Gate to Heaven, the final checkpoint at the peak.

Past the mid-point we began the toughest part of the journey – the Eighteen Bends with 1630 steps covering almost 400 meters in vertical distance.

Looking down. We were glad there was no snow or ice to make the steep path even more treacherous.

Yet as we were gasping for breath these two workers were dashing down the mountain while carrying 2 mattresses between them!

Almost there! At this point I was really hungry and ate an entire bag of Wasabi peas in one go.

Finally made it to the top before sunset! The restaurants are busy preparing for supper.

We settled for a guest house near the weather observation tower, there is no running water in any of the buildings.

Group photo at sunrise. It was about -15degC, changing lens was becoming a challenge.

The Eastern side of the mountain to catch the first glimpse of the sunrise.

The mountain range stretching ahead.


At the Jade Emperor Peak [玉皇頂] of the mountain, 1545 metres (5069 ft) tall. Many people lock their wishes near the sky.

After breakfast we stumbled upon a celebration, to this day I still don’t know what it is for.

Men & women in traditional gowns performing their dance routine despite the cold weather.



A view of the path we had travelled along yesterday.

Continuing in our brief stay in Jinan, we visited one of the most famous natural springs within the city.

A wide promenade surrounds the lakes and provides for area to stroll and exercise.

Sunset from the arched bridge. After that the temperature cooled down drastically.

Walk along the ‘Tasty’ Avenue, a narrow street filled with food vendors preparing various specialities.

In the morning we take the express train to Tai Shan City. Grabbed this shot as we were about to board the train.

Getting off the train. Paddy is scrambling to find the bus terminal while I just follow along and snap photos of the local vendors. Here they sell baked sweet potatoes.

Roasted chestnuts!

Tuk-tuk driver laughing at us as we wander around the train station.

Woman preparing green onion pancakes, a local staple for breakfast, from the back of her bicycle.

Finally we arrived at the foot of Tai Shan, preparing for the ascent!