Qingdao: Sea, Woods, and Stories of Literary Figures

Composed by blue sea, green trees, yellow sand, azure sky and many other fine components, Qingdao is a city where the natural landscape amazed many literary figures in the history of China, making them stop by the sea and embrace the local scenery. The city is therefore a nice choice for those who want to know more about the literary figures of China's modern era.

(Source: quanjing.com)

As a reformer who aspired to save this country in the late 19th century, Kang Youwei chose Qingdao as his place of residence in his later years. In his German-style residence which Qingdao is now a museum, visitors can see the furniture Kang Youwei used during his lifetime, admire his calligraphy, and learn about his trip to Svalbard Archipelago as the "First Chinese Man to Enter the Arctic".

(Source: quanjing.com)

Most people who are familiar with modern Chinese literature know "Camel Xiangzi", a novel that reflects the life of the impoverished people in the early 20th century, completed by its author Lao She in Qingdao. At the Camel Xiangzi Museum based on the former residence of Lao She, one can get a glimpse of this literary master's lifestyle and also learn about Lao She's experience in martial arts through the cold weapons displayed inside. The "Camel Xiangzi" comic strip on the wall in the backyard gives visitors who have never read the novel a first glimpse of Lao She's story of a rickshaw man - if they can read Chinese.

(Source: quanjing.com)

There are also many former residences of literary figures on Yushan Road in the city's Shinan District, which, although not open to the public, still allow visitors to imagine what Qingdao was like nearly a century ago from their architectural styles.