1. “A Thousand Sail Boats Compete” in Fushan Bay

    The 5th Qingdao International Sailing Week kicked off

    The 5th Qingdao International Sailing Week, which will last for 11 days, kicked off in the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center, Fushan Bay on August 18th. More than 300 boats participated in the “a thousand sail boats compete" sea-cruising carnival, attracting a lot of citizens and tourists to stop to watch along the seaside.

    It is reported that this year, Qingdao International Sailing Week continued to launch the "Distinguished Sailor" celebrities’ activity and invited celebrities in the sailing field from both home and abroad. In addition, three parallel sessions have been set up in the Yinhai International Yacht Club, Huiquan Bay and the Third Bating Beach to launch interactive activities concerning the Sailing Week, Beer Festival and the International Horticultural Expo.

    Three competitions including the Mayor Cup International Sailing Boat Rally, the Qingdao International Sailing Competition, and the Qingdao International OP Sailing Camp and Competition continue to be held in Fushan Bay this year. During the Sailing Week, Qingdao International Sports Film Week will also be launched, and the Qingdao International Sailing Musical Festival will show the music strength of Chinese band, bringing a new visual shock for the fans.

    During Qingdao International Sailing Week this year, Qingdao signed memorandums of sailing exchanges and cooperation with three cities where international sailing is well developed; the cities are Kiel in German, Melbourne in Australia and Ulsan in South Korea. According to the memorandum, Qingdao will further strengthen communication and cooperation with these cities in sailing field and share resources and exchange experiences in aspects such as large sailing event organization, promotion of youth sailing, and mutual promotion. (Shot by Zhou Guanghui)

    2. 2013 Qingdao International OP Sailing Camp kicks off

    Attracts young yachtsmen from all over the world

    Recently, the Qingdao International OP Sailing Camp and Competition, a traditional event in the Qingdao International Sailing Week kicks off in the flag plaza of Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center.

    The 2013 Qingdao International OP Sailing Camp and Competition consists of yacht training in the sea, dialogue with yacht celebrities, visiting Olympic Sailing Capital, a big get-together party of the young yachtsmen from all over the world, and hosting international OP sailing competitions. More than 300 young yachtsmen from home and abroad participated in this year's International Youth OP Sailing Camp. Among them, over 100 young athletes are from more than 10 teams from Spain, Australia, Singapore, Korea, Beijing, Sanya, Nanjing, Weihai and Yantai and 200 young yachtsmen are from 93 sailing-featured schools in Qingdao.

    Of all the teams that participated in this year's camp, both the Spanish team and the Australian team are new comers. There are also world's top teams such as the Singapore team and the South Korea team. Qingdao also selected the top six athletes of various regattas in province- level and city-level sailing races from 93 sailing-featured schools to participate in the competition. (Photo: The annual OP sailing camp is always children's paradise.)

    3. Tourism + Culture = gold magnet effect

    Special museums and large-scale shows have attracted lots of tourists

    Besides the beautiful mountains and blue sea, the special museums and large-scale shows in Qingdao also are big attractions for tourists. Some tourism products with strong cultural backgrounds are taking shape this summer. Special museums are attracting more and more tourists, marketplace culture is becoming stronger and stronger, large-scale shows are getting better and better, which indicates that Qingdao tourism is becoming increasingly valuable in terms of culture.

    Enjoying exotic style: busy Governor House

    In many tourists’ eyes, the exotic style in Qingdao is especially attractive. This summer, the number of tourists who visited the Governor House has increased significantly. In the past week, the number of tourists reached 34,000, achieving a year-on-year growth of 56%. The museum usually opens at 8:30 am, and sometimes tourists will be waiting in queue at the door before 8:00. There are many tourists coming in teams as well as individual tourists. Currently, there are more than a dozen full-time guides in the museum. Many audio guiding devices have been added this year, but they are far from meeting the tourists’ needs.

    In the Governor House, tourists can enjoy the interior decoration which is full of German style, such as the fireplace inlaid with gleaming jade, the bronze crystal chandelier, which weighs one ton, the piano produced by German in 1876, and German-made furniture. Outside, tourists can also see the unique style of German architecture. Some tourists can stay here for as long as one hour. According to a staff member in the museum, the Governor House receives nearly 5,000 tourists every day. But as a cultural relic protection unit, its best accommodation should be around 3,000 tourists. Tourist flow has far exceeded the museum's reception load, and sometimes they have to limit the number of tourists.

    In addition, Qingdao Beer Museum receives about 4,000 tourists every day at present, achieving a year-on-year growth of about 10%.

    Walking along the streets: prosperous Taidong business area

    Local citizen Mr. Ma invited his friend from another city to taste the authentic Qingdao food in Pichaiyuan (also called Jiangning Road) last weekend. But when they reached there at eight in the evening, there were still many people and every restaurant was full of guests. Finally it took them half an hour to find a table in Jiangning Guild Hall. According to staff in the Qingdao Huaqing International Travel Service, now many travel agencies regard Pichaiyuan as an important marketplace tour attraction in Qingdao, because Pichaiyuan can reflect the marketplace culture in Qingdao, it has become a window for tourists to understand Qingdao.

    The Taidong business area is one of the most popular shopping areas now, and it also enjoys a lot of fame outside Qingdao. Many tourist groups who are coming from places like Beijing, Shanghai and Jiangsu always save some time to hang out in the Taidong business area without it even being recommended by the tour guide. They know the Taidong business area is a distinctive shopping area in Qingdao either by learning from the Internet or their friends; therefore they all want to take a look.

    Watching the show: "Blue Fantasy" enjoys high attendance rate

    Large-scale shows have gradually come to maturity this summer. "Blue Fantasy" launched by the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center has undergone a comprehensive revision and update; it takes “memory of the sailing capital” as the plot and Qingdao marine culture as the main content. The show reflects the relationship between Qingdao and the sea and yachts. According to reports, the new version of "Blue Fantasy” which is shown at the Olympic Sailing Theater enjoys an attendance rate of 80% every night; the show has become an important choice for many tourists during their night tour.

    The large-scale magic dance drama "Returning to Qingdao in dream", which was launched by China Travel Service HK (Qingdao) Ocean Spring Resort, located in Jimo, has become one of the five core products in the resort, whose attendance rate continues to rise.

    The maturity of Qingdao tourism shows this summer not only filled the blank of high-end tourism show market in Qingdao, but also fully integrated the sea in Qingdao with its culture, which reflects the rich history culture and show culture of Qingdao, becoming a tourism product with distinctive culture. (Photo: Taidong business area is hustling and bustling in the evening.)