I'm back from Qingdao and had a great time. Although we left the good weather back in Zhengzhou, Qingdao's a good place to hang-out for the weekend, even if the relaxed atmosphere occasionally means that most places are deserted - 'the' jazz club to go to didn't play jazz at all, and wasn't much busier than Zhengzhou's bars in midweek. Oh, and the four Starbucks are miles from the city centre.
The Tsingtao brewery was really cool, if a little heavy on the "look at all the important politicians who have visited". Still, there's plenty on the traditional methods brought over by the Germans (including original still-operational Siemens machinery from the 19th Century) and, of course, opportunities to taste the beer. The highlight has to be "The Drunken House" - a room with the floor at a 45 degree angle; it messes with your senses, see photos of us leaning at impossible angles. The lowpoint is in the "Environmental Responsibilty" exhibit, where global environmental catastrophes are listed. The London Smog is given (none apparently have occurred in China) but the photo showing a pavement with perhaps 4 feet visibility, is a shot from the set of the Sherlock Holmes film! You can see a camera man, holding the state-of-the-art steady-cam, the director in jeans and a t-shirt, and the actors in period dress!
Got back early this morning, had MaccyD's for breakfast and headed straight up to class.
Exhausted, but I'd recommend Qingdao to a friend.
Photos are online here.
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