Yantai: A wide angle
Yantai is mainly a contemporary city with many of the facilities and cafes I would find anywhere across China today. However, I have noticed how over the vastness of the country there are many local variants in architecture with Yantai being no exception. I was looking for original design not influenced by 19th century European styles. This I came upon by chance as I walked down from Nanshan Park. I entered a narrow alley leading to a maze of lanes centered around Suochengli Street. A compact small area, it was crisscrossed with byways often too tight for vehicle access, suited only for walking or possible horse transportation. The narrowness often reflected the need historically for internal defense within such settlements along with protection from exposure to winter storms. However, with its stone built buildings, whose walls and doors were often brightly painted, it was in a way picturesque despite lacking many modern facilities.
