Listed as "the most beautiful bay in the world," it actually has "10 oddities"!

Qingdao, a coastal city on mainland China, has held an important economic position since ancient times. While exuding an elegant traditional Eastern charm, it has also developed an urban style with European flair. (Photo provided by Shutterstock)

In celebration of the Qingdao International Beer Festival, the local "beer jungle" made of 30,000 beer bottles has attracted particular attention. (Photo provided by China News Service) ★ E-newsletter cares about you: Excessive drinking is harmful to health!

When it comes to Qingdao, nothing is more famous than Qingdao Beer. Whether you drink or not, you should visit the century-old Qingdao Beer Museum to explore its German-style industrial architecture. Moreover, beyond just drinking, Qingdao also has unique drinking habits that are considered "oddities" by first-time visitors; the official Weibo account of Qingdao Tourism recently shared the "10 Oddities of Qingdao." Let's take a look at some of the local special cultural practices below.

Red tiles, green trees, blue sea, and blue sky are the most beautiful descriptors of Qingdao’s scenery, which is why it has been rated as "the most beautiful bay in the world." The coastal city of Qingdao on mainland China has held an important economic position since ancient times. While exuding an elegant traditional Eastern charm, it has also developed an urban style with European flair. Among them, the Qingdao Beer Museum, the former German Governor's Residence Museum, the Qingdao Post and Telecommunications Museum, Liangyou Bookstore, and the Light and Shadow Club are all typical German buildings of great historical significance. Also, because these old buildings differ from Eastern styles, they are listed as the first oddity of Qingdao.

Qingdao’s seasonal scenery varies—cherry blossoms in spring, water activities in summer, maple leaves in autumn, and snow exploration in winter. (Photo provided by Shutterstock)

Qingdao’s Jiayuguan Road in early winter is colorful and enchanting. (Photo provided by Xinhua News Agency)

Moreover, in Qingdao, the local way of drinking beer is also quite distinctive. It’s not uncommon to see yellow liquid-filled plastic bags on the streets—a phenomenon that may seem strange but is simply locals buying “bulk beer” after work. Also, due to Qingdao’s hilly terrain, “cycling isn’t necessarily faster than walking.” In addition, during autumn and winter, residents in the old town can be seen drying salted fish outside their homes. And then there's Qingdao’s unique road design, the “spiral alleys,” whose street scenes are comparable to Beijing’s hutongs and courtyard houses.

Qingdao not only has local street scenes that seem odd to outsiders, but even phenomena like “a high number of A-list celebrities,” young girls commonly being called “Xiao Z” (a play on the word for “handsome”), and China’s most concentrated area of German-style restaurants have all made it onto the list of ten oddities. Additionally, streets in Qingdao rarely point directly north or south, making it easy for people to lose their sense of direction. The world-shocking “facekini,” the article points out, is a head cover invented by Qingdao aunties and is a special sun protection accessory for playing by the sea.

★ E-newsletter cares about you: Excessive drinking is harmful to health!