 Shandong
Province (Lu for short) is situated in the lower reaches of the yellow
River, covering an area of 150,000 square kilometers and with a population
of 85.8 million.
Lying in the eastern part of the North China Plain, 65% of Shandong's
total area are plains and low-lying land, while 35% hills and mountains. Its
rivers are part of the Yellow River, or Hai River or Huai River. The Yellow
River and the Grand Canal are its main waterways. It has a warm temperate
semi-humid climate. Major mineral deposits includes coal, petroleum, iron,
aluminium, and gold. The coastal area is abundant in fish and salt.
Shandong's industry covers oil extraction, and processing, machinery,
electric power, chemicals, foodstuff, textile, arts & crafts, papermaking
etc. In recent years, it has seen a rapid development in computer industry
and consumer electronic industry, holding an important place in China in
output value.
Shandong is a key production area for grain, cotton and oil crops. It
usually ranks first or second in production output. Shandong is also well
known for its tobacco, fruit, peanuts, tussah silks, meat, and marine
products.
While railway is its mainstay of transport, Shandong is one of the
Chinese provinces with the most dense highway network. It has seaports like
Qingdao, Yantai, Weihai, Longkou, Shijiu and Lanshantou etc.
Shandong is rich in historical and cultural resources, and gifted with
beautiful landscapes. Among its famous scenic spots and historical sides are
Mount Tai, Laoshan Mountain, seaside of Jiaodong penisular, Confucius family
Mansion, Confucius woods and Temple in Qufu etc. Renowned traditional
specialties include clocks and watches of Yantai, porcelain of Zibo, Kites
of Weifang, shell-carving and beer of Qingdao.
 Longdu International Hotel Jinan 
The Longdu International Hotel is located in the downtown business district of
Jinan and is only minutes away from the municipal building and railway station.
This 18-storey deluxe hotel has 91 guestrooms including presidential suites,
deluxe suites and standard rooms. Attentive room service is also available for
your conveniences. The in-house restaurants serve Chinese and western delicacies
for you to feast on. Business travellers can make use of the well-appointed
meeting rooms for seminars, conferences and other events. Recreational
facilities at the hotel include a billiards room, gymnasium, swimming pool and
sauna.
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Seaside Sojourn
It's not often church bells tell the time in Chinese cities. But then
Qingdao, both a seaside resort and China's fourth largest port, flaunts the
country's urban rules. 16 years of German authority starting in 1898, has
left bizarre juxtapositions of Bavarian architecture and modern shopfronts
and of course the Tsingtao brewery.
Antithesis is everywhere. Yellow buildings with green spires house
restaurants advertising: "Fish with Chinese sauerkraut." A Chinese flag
flies next to the clock tower of St Michael's Catholic Church. Red lanterns
hang in the arches of the imposing facade of the former German governor's
residence. A 30-minute taxi drive east of the old town marks a return to
modern China and the new city business district has the unmistakable gleam
of Olympic investment Qingdao is the venue for the sailing events in 2008.
But generally speaking, the tourist herds are not here to marvel at
cultural opposites. They are here for the sand and seafront strolls and, to
the foreign observer, the beach etiquette is a source of fascination. Men
sunbathe in suits and women use newspapers, tents and umbrellas to protect
themselves from the round yellow villain in the sky. A white belly is as
conspicuous as a boiler suit on a nudist beach.
Imaginatively named Beach No 2 is smaller and quieter than Beach No 1 as
it is further from the centre of the old town. The backdrop is typically
unexpected. To the right, is a new office tower; to the left is a German
castle. A soupy swimming area and the honks of passing tankers do not
inspire the donning of Speedos and it is mainly used for rowing boats
normally found on a placid park lake. Not that this puts off glamorous
newly-weds. The beach is the scene of painstaking photo shoots in which
brides in full western gear pout while hoping their makeup doesn't melt. The
marriage catwalk continues through the Eight Passes Area, inland from the
beach, which boasts supermodel streets of pink and white cherry blossom. It
is easy to find quiet lanes away from the camera click on the way back to
the old town.
Beer is an important part of Qingdao life and every corner shop is under
its influence. Kegs of Tsingtao and a couple of stools offer passersby a
pint of refreshment. But it seems a take-away is more popular and Qingdao is
the only place in the world I have seen beer being sold in plastic bags for
one yuan (US$0.12).
The brewery is well worth a look around mainly for free tastings of the
black stout although it is interesting to read how beer can play a major
role in the creation of a harmonious society. A trip to an English-style pub
on Saturday night might persuade the exhibition organisers otherwise. Given
the abundance of alcohol, nightlife is virtually non-existent in the old
town. But the Freeman cafe on Hubei Lu looks like it has been plucked from a
hutong in Houhai and is the place to relax. The new part of the city to the
east, offers a lot more options and appears to be the home of table football
in China. There are tables at the Corner Jazz Club (153 Minjiang Lu), which
is a favourite with foreign students, and at the Lennon Bar (20 Zhuhai Lu),
which is a two-floor shrine to the Beatles.
The choice of seafood restaurants borders on the ridiculous. Rows of
small eateries near the seafront display their fresh wares in tanks and
buckets and a typical meal might start with the owner catching your chosen
fish and killing it with a sharp thwack on the pavement. In the evening,
head to the right of the pier at Beach No 6 for the night market as pretty
much anything that can be found in the sea is covered in chilli and slapped
on the grill. If fish of the dried variety is more your thing then head to
the main street of Zhongshan Lu you can smell how many shops there are from
the parallel street.
Summer weekends in Qingdao are packed but if you wander away from the
seafront there is a village atmosphere in the streets leading off from Daxue
Lu. If you can find it, Guanhaishan Park, to the east of Anhui Lu, is a
quiet retreat on top of a small hill with great views over the old town and
out to sea. Further east is Xinhaoshan Park (Signal Hill Park), which is
remarkable for the sight of the spaceship-like building on its summit called
the mogulou (mushroom buildings). You can make out the navy museum in the
distance down by the water. It is well worth a visit if you have never been
inside an old Russian submarine.
 Equatorial Hotel Qingdao
The hotel is situated along Hong Kong Middle Road, right in the heart of the
City Centre. City and provincial government buildings, major commercial centers,
shopping malls and tourist attractions are all within minutes from the hotel.
The guestrooms are large, in good condition and well-appointed with all
necessary facilities and amenities in contemporary style. The hotel have a
choice of many dining options such as breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet,
sumptuous Cantonese and Szechwan specialties and other local Cuisines. The hotel
offers all the facilities the discerning traveler can expect from an
International first class superior hotel.
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