According to the newly-issued Qingdao Plan on Conservation of Culturally and Historically Famous Urban Areas, which includes Qingdao’s all seven districts and three county-level cities in the scope of planning, Qingdao will promote the conservation of culturally and historically famous urban areas based on “one core, five routes, five districts and multiple sites”, highlighting its cultural and historical features.

“One core” refers to the core zone of cultural and historical heritage protection, mainly composed of historical urban areas in Qingdao; “five routes” consist of Dagu River, Jiaolai Canal, the Great Wall of Qi, Jiaozhou-Jinan Railway and southeast coastal areas; “five districts” include Laoshan Mountain, Jinkou Port in Jimo, Langyatai-Dazhu Mountain, Sanli River in Jiaozhou and Daze Mountain, where culture and history abounds; furthermore, efforts need to be made in the conservation of culturally and historically famous towns and villages, traditional villages, cultural relics and historic sites and intangible heritage, mountain ranges including Laoshan Mountain, Daze Mountain, Zhushan-Tiejue Mountain, the river system composed of Dagu River, north Jiaolai River and coastal rivers, as well as the natural environment in Jiaozhou Bay, Aoshan Bay, Lingshan Bay, etc.

According to the Plan, Qingdao will expand the scope of conservation, make overall planning, and dig into valuable elements that require conservation and embody different eras and fields, including industrial heritage, revolutionary cultural relics, former residences of celebrities, for the purpose of revitalization and utilization. (Wang Bingjie)

An aerial view of Qingdao’s historical urban areas.  By Liu Dong