Mountains and waters are rich in poetic flavour. In Qingdao’s rural areas in early winter, the period of a year with the most bright-colored scenes, nostalgic red leaves appear to dance trippingly, and mellowness of the season is hidden amid luxuriant forests.

By having a homestay, making a sightseeing tour, tasting delicious food, appreciating culture or enjoying fine scenery, tourists can take pleasure in the charm unique to rural areas in Qingdao.

Poetic dwelling nearby mountains and waters is a pleasant experience that tourists cannot miss. Included among Shandong provincial tourism homestay gathering areas in 2023, the “Shazikou Shanhai Xianju” homestay gathering area in Laoshan District features a harmonious integration between mountains, seas and the city as well as the peaceful co-existence of islands, beaches and bays, which is now home to up to 262 featured homestay hotels, constituting a rare recreation resort. A wide range of well-established tourism products are made available, including sightseeing and vacationing by Liuqing River, art and wellness travel in Nanjiushui, intangible folk cultural heritage in Laoshan, leisure and recreation on Liuqing beaches, rural homestays in Dongmaiyao Village, delicious food in Laoshan Academy of Learning and a wide range of festival celebrations.

Mianhua Village in Xifu Neighborhood, Chengyang District boasts of fine rural scenery all the year around, such as admiring the beauty of flowers, picking fruits and mountain climbing. The village along with Yangjia Shanli No. 1 Village in Tieshan Neighborhood, West Coast New Area, Nanbeiling Village in Beizhai Neighborhood, Laoshan District and Shanghui Village in Dianzi Town, Pingdu City were recently included among the 2023 key village for rural tourism in Shandong Province.

Qingdao is home to 13 villages that made the recently-unveiled fourth batch of villages with fine scenery in Shandong Province. Wanggezhuang Neighborhood and Beizhai Neighborhood in Laoshan District and Shuiji Neighborhood in Laixi County-level city have been selected as the 2023 towns famous for cultural tourism (key towns for rural tourism) in Shandong Province.

In September this year, Qingdao put forward a proposal to take advantage of the Beautiful Countryside Initiative and the campaigns on building beautiful rural residences and villages with fine scenery to incorporate its distinctive culture and indigenous elements throughout rural tourism projects and consumption, build up charming villages with distinctive characters and promote the conglomeration of tourism villages. Qingdao aims to build up 10 key villages for rural tourism and 6 towns famous for outstanding cultural tourism.  (Ma Xiaoting)

Dongmaiyao Village in Laoshan District, Qingdao is home to many rural homestay hotels with distinctive features.  By Wang Lei