News

A unique recipe for real happiness

By Xie Chuanjiao and Zhang Zhao (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-05-23 14:59

Music Square lets people enjoy their entertainment with a comfortable sea breeze. Photo provided to China Daily

Qingdao is a port city in Shandong province with beautiful vistas, a laid-back atmosphere, and a robust business climate, and it is well on its way to becoming a more modern metropolis.

One reflection of that is the government’s statement that it wants a city that "makes everyone in it proud and satisfied".

"Not only is this unique city one of the happiest places to live, it also has some great career opportunities, a first-class public transportation system, top education and healthcare facilities, and a wealth of cultural attractions," said the city’s Party Secretary Li Qun.

"We don’t just want our people to be happy with the local conditions, we want them to feel proud to call Qingdao home," Li expounded.

"When a city cares for its people and the people care for their city, it’s a recipe for real happiness." 

This East China port city covers an 11,000-square-kilometer area and is home to around 8.5 million people. For many years, it has ranked among the top 10 Chinese cities in economic strength, and it was listed as one of China’s most livable cities in 2009.

It not only has great natural beauty, but also a social security system that covers housing, education, healthcare, and retirement.

As far back as the early 1890s, Qingdao was one of the most important trading centers in China. It now has the country’s largest cargo container berth and does business with about 150 countries and regions.

Last year, it handled 350 million tons of cargo and 12 million containers, putting it among the top 10 ports in the world.

Liuting International Airport handles nearly 100 domestic and 12 international airlines, with connections to Tokyo, Seoul, Paris, Hong Kong and Taiwan. It handled 11.1 million passengers last year, and 164,000 tons of cargo.

In the area of telecommunications, the city is the terminus of the China-US and China-Korea submarine optical cables.

Around 30 percent of China’s marine research institutes are in Qingdao, including Ocean University of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Marine Studies Institute. These organizations are home to 40 percent of China’s top ocean sciences researchers and scholars.

Half of China’s key ocean technology projects are developed in the city.

Sailing capital

Qingdao hosted the sailing events of the 2008 Olympics and Paralympics, and has some of the world’s top water sports facilities.

In the past two years, many international sailing competitions have been held here, such as the Volvo Ocean Race, the Clipper Round the World Race, and the Extreme Sailing Series.

Other major sailing events include International Sailing Week, held every August, since 2009.

And, there is the Olympic Sailing Museum, which opened in August, 2009, the first museum of its kind in the world.