Qingdao (青岛), sometimes called "Tsingtao", is located on the southern coast of the Shandong Peninsula in Shandong Province on the east coast of China. In Chinese the name means "Green Island." From 1897 to the First World War the city was controlled by Germany and there is still German architectural influence though the city is rapidly modernizing. China's best-known beer, Tsingtao, is brewed here. Qingdao has a strong economy and its wages are among the highest in China.

• Area: 10,654 sq. kms.
• Population: 7 million; 2.6 million of whom live in the urban area.
  • Koreans: over 60,000 in 2005.

[edit] Getting there

• Air - Qingdao is a one-hour flight from Seoul:
  • Flights from Seoul to Qingdao, China
  • Flights from Qingdao, China to Seoul
• Boat - ferries run from Korea to Qingdao and to other cities on the Shandong Peninsula.

[edit] Banking and commerce

• Korean banks:
  • Hana Bank
  • Shinhan Bank
• Korean businesses: at Starbucks and Korean businesses one can obtain a Korean-language guidebook to life in Qingdao including almost 20 pages of phone number listings for businesses in Korean.