The first batch of sea gulls from Siberia have recently set their feet on Qingdao. Thousands of red-billed gulls fly up and down and interact with tourists in Zhanqiao Pier, a landmark in Qingdao. Their pure white wings and graceful flying movements add vigor and romance to the scenery of Qianhai.

“We’ve arrived early in the early to watch sea gulls and feed them bread.” Li Zihan, a citizen of Qingdao, took her family to see the gulls.

As early as the winter of 1994, Qingdao took the lead among China’s coastal cities in launching a campaign to have sea gulls stay over and reproduce, which has drawn the active participation of citizens and tourists, and persisted for three decades till now. The initial 2,000 sea gulls that came to Qingdao to spend winter have proliferated to more than 100,000 in over 20 species.

Over the three decades, fluttering sea gulls are a must-visit attraction in Qingdao. Pure white sea gulls, lithesome and graceful, sometimes fly as quickly as lightning, sometimes slide slowly. They look like little elves on the sea as well as a group of elegant dancers, and are so adorable that people cannot stop feeding them.

 (Cao Sen)

Red-billed gulls from Siberia arrive at Qingdao Zhanqiao Pier. By Wang Lei

Citizens and tourists have a good time feeding sea gulls.  By Wang Lei