Qīngdǎo History

History

Before catching the acquisitive eye of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Qīngdǎo was an innocuous fishing village, although its excellent strategic location had not been lost on the Ming, who built a battery here. German forces wrested the port town from the Chinese in 1898 after the murder of two German missionaries, and Qīngdǎo was ceded to Germany for 99 years. Under German rule the famous Tsingtao Brewery opened in 1903, electric lighting was installed, missions and a university were established, the railway to Jǐ’nán was built, the Protestant church was handing out hymnals by 1908, a garrison of 2000 men was deployed, and a naval base established.

In 1914 the Japanese moved into town after the successful joint Anglo-Japanese naval bombardment of the port. Japan’s position in Qīngdǎo was strengthened by the Treaty of Versailles, and they held the city until 1922 when it was ceded back to the Kuomintang. The Japanese returned in 1938, after the start of the Sino-Japanese war, and occupied the town until defeated in 1945.

These days, Qīngdǎo is the fourth-largest port in China and the second-largest city in the province of Shāndōng. Booming industry and an entrepreneurial spirit have successfully carried the city into the 21st century, making it a clean, modern and thriving town.