At her noon break, Mrs. Chen, who works in Qingdao Software Park, takes an only ten minutes’ walk to arrive at Xinjiazhuang Beishan Park. “Beishan Park has distinctive maple trees, fitness equipment and athletic fields. I like taking a stroll in the park.”

More than 370,000 notes will pop out once you search for “parks in Qingdao” on Xiaohongshu, a lifestyle platform. Parks recommended are located across the city. Some are located by the sea, some inland. Xiaomaidao Park, Xinhaoshan Park and Yanerdao Mountain Park are included among the 2024 must-see tourist destinations in Qingdao.

Parks in Qingdao are distinct from what parks usually look like in people’s mind. They harness mountainous conditions and are usually located by the sea, presenting a captivating picture.

You can depart from Qingdao Haizhilian Park and move southward along the plank road by the sea. You can pass via Xiaomaidao Park, Yanerdao Mountain Park, Lover’s Dam until May Fourth Square. You can continue marching and arrive at Taipingjiao Park and Zhongshan Park. This Citywalk route for visiting parks by the sea recently went viral on social media. Yanerdao Mountain Park surrounded by mountains, seas and a profuse of vegetation is reputed as Howl’s Moving Castle in reality.

The pedestrian road by the sea is tantamount to a natural pearl necklace. Lengthy and picturesque plank roads in Taiping Mountain Central Park and Fushan Forest Park can enable citizens to enjoy park cultural leisure conveniently.

Parks across the city resemble scattering jade beads. Sanlihe Park, Licang Culture Park, Xiaoyushan Park, Tangdao Bay National Wetland Park and Chengyang Xiangmao River Park exist among the hustle and bustle of the city. You can put up a hammock between two trees, play Tai Chi Boxing on a square, or angle by a river. According to Mr. Wan, who was camping and taking a picnic in a park, it was pleasant to embrace nature, play games and go cycling with his children.  (Cui Yan)

Xiaomaidao Park.  By Wang Lei