Qingdao – where ancient tradition meets business innovation

Known as the ‘Pearl of the Yellow Sea’, the Chinese coastal city of Qingdao sits in a sweeping bay at the southern tip of the Shandong Peninsula. Flanked by beaches, its skyline is pierced by vertiginous glass towers and, beyond that, cloud-topped mountains.

The highest, Mount Laoshan, sits 1,133 metres above sea level and is famous as a birthplace of Taoism – a religion and philosophy from ancient China, which holds that humans and animals should live in balance with the Tao, or the universe. A serene and sacred place, it was revered by emperors millennia ago and is still dotted with temples to this day.

Qingdao’s cultural and scientific achievements include a flourishing film and TV industry and several important marine research centres. The legacy of its colourful past, including a period under German rule, is evident in its curious mix of architecture, not to mention the world-famous Tsingtao (an alternate spelling for ‘Qingdao’) brewery.

A major port city, with a metropolitan population of nearly six million, the city presides over seven districts, which make up a total area of 11,000 square kilometres. In addition to its popularity as a holiday resort, Qingdao is fast becoming an international business hub, with 172 companies from the Fortune Global 500 list – including Nokia, Panasonic and IBM – currently investing in the city.

Summits and conferences held in Qingdao attract business leaders from all over the world. Held for only the second time in 2021, the Qingdao Multinationals Summit attracted 10,000 attendees and over 500 industry leaders.

Other major meetings and events to take place in the city in recent years include the World Horticultural Expo in 2014; the sailing races for the 2008 Summer Olympics; the