Our August 2015 Qingdao Road Trip
The long-awaited Qingdao road trip begins, bringing along the elderly and kids for a spontaneous adventure. Photos were casually snapped with a Samsung phone. On July 31, 2015, right after work at 5:45 PM, we set off from Wenzhou, got on the highway at 6:20, and arrived at a hotel in Xiaoshan, Hangzhou, by 10 PM. Day's expenses: gas 245 + Wenzhou–Xiaoshan toll 165 + other 256. Total today: 666 yuan.
We left Xiaoshan at 7:50 AM, heading for Rizhao. The route cut north–south straight through Jiangsu Province before entering Shandong and exiting at Huangdao. We drove through the Jiaozhou Bay Undersea Tunnel, taking 14.5 hours in total. August is peak season in Qingdao—hotels were fully booked. Even ones we found online were packed when we called. We searched from the south to the north of the city before finally checking in. Expenses: other 972, Xiaoshan–Jiaonan exit toll 390, gas 432, Jiaozhou Bay Undersea Tunnel 10 yuan. Today's total: 1,804 yuan.
Toll: 10 yuan.
First sightseeing day, no need to rush—leisurely and relaxed. Badaguan – Huashi Building – Princess Building – No.2 Bathing Beach – Seaside Boardwalk. Badaguan's shady tree-lined lanes, flanked by distinctive old buildings, are elegant and quiet. You see newlyweds taking wedding photos everywhere. After strolling Badaguan, we followed the boardwalk towards Zhanqiao Pier. Along the way, we tried Olympic sailing—unpowered sailboats that glide surprisingly fast with the sea breeze. Price: 150 yuan for two adults and two kids, 30 minutes. We saw many sailing students, around 10 years old, skippering adorable scaled-down boats. Seagulls wheeled above, crying, diving sleekly. We ran out of time and didn't make it to Zhanqiao Pier. For meals, Pichai Yuan was planned, but our driver rated it poorly, saying it's a tourist trap, so we opted for affordable seafood near the hotel instead. On Sunday, No.1 Bathing Beach was as crowded as a pot of dumplings. Expenses: 558 yuan.
Today's itinerary: Laoshan – Taiqing Palace – Mingxia Cave – Old Man Beach. At Laoshan, you transfer to a scenic bus at the ticket office. Touts at the gate claim they can arrange a permit to drive yourself in, but we ignored them. Tickets: 130 yuan per person. First stop: Taiqing Palace. Early morning, it was a bit quiet and deserted, but its long history and many trees over 1,000 years old made it worth visiting. Bus to the second stop: Yakou cable car, ticket 80 yuan, about 10 minutes up. There are Shangqing Palace and Mingxia Cave on the mountain. Shangqing Palace was a bit far, so we turned back halfway; Mingxia Cave ticket 6 yuan, somewhat disappointing. Laoshan doesn't have many attractions—if you don't go, you'll regret it; if you do, you'll regret it even more. Not recommended. Old Man Beach is free, vast, with fine sand and big waves, great for surfing. Today's expenses: 1,157 yuan.
Free entry, shower fee: 20 yuan.
Today's route: Zhanqiao Pier – Yishui Road German-style buildings (Catholic Church, Protestant Church, apartments) – Signal Hill – Tianmu City – Beer Street. Zhanqiao Pier was so mobbed that every photo background was a sea of people, which really killed the mood. We detoured to the Catholic Church on Zhejiang Road, ticket 10 yuan. It's imposing yet quaint and elegant, with great ambiance—worth a visit. The Protestant Church, also 10 yuan, lacked that atmosphere. Signal Hill, in my opinion, was nothing special. Tianmu City's artificial sky dome was practically deserted. In the evening, we hit the market for seafood: incredibly cheap live oysters at 4 yuan per jin and conch at 16 yuan per jin. Back at the hotel, just boil for 2 minutes and they're ready to eat. Today's expenses: 2,579 yuan.
Next stop: Tai'an, via the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, a mega sea-crossing bridge designed, constructed, and built completely by Chinese engineers. In 2011, it was named one of the "World's Best Bridges," alongside the USA—an honor well worth seeing. That afternoon in Tai'an, we visited Dai Temple. Together with Beijing's Forbidden City, Qufu's Three Kongs, and the outer temples of Chengde Mountain Resort, it's one of China's four great ancient architectural complexes. Emperors and officials would first pay respects here before entering for the formal ceremony of worshipping Mount Tai. Worth a look. Tolls: 160, other: 1,795. Today's total: 1,955 yuan.
Climbing Mount Tai takes courage. Known as the "Foremost of the Five Sacred Mountains" and "The First Mountain Under Heaven," it has been revered by Chinese people since ancient times, with sayings like "If Mount Tai is at peace, all is well." We'd planned to start from Zhongtian Gate, but mistakenly booked the Red Gate entrance that evening. Seeing so many hikers on the trail at Red Gate, I felt a strong urge to give it a try. Hiking up wasn't as hard as I'd imagined. The weather was mild and overcast at first, and in 1 hour 50 minutes, our family of three reached Zhongtian Gate. Heading up from there, it got gloomier; soon, mist shrouded the whole range. Higher up, the mist turned to heavy moisture, and at the steep Eighteen Bends, a thunderstorm struck. Temperature plummeted. This section was packed—basically a queue up the mountain. At 1 PM, we finally made it to Nantian Gate after 4 hours total. Around 3 PM, the sky cleared, and we were lucky to witness a rare sea of clouds from Riguan Peak, truly seeing how capricious nature can be. Bus from Tianwai Village to Zhongtian Tower: 30 yuan/person; cable car from Zhongtian Gate to Nantian Gate: 100 yuan/person. Today's expenses: 1,924 yuan. Route: Red Gate – Wanxian Tower – Doumu Palace – Hutian Pavilion – Zhongtian Gate – Dongyue Temple – Eighteen Bends – Nantian Gate – Heavenly Street – Riguan Peak – Jade Emperor Peak – Zhanlu Terrace.
Qufu is famed for the Three Kongs: Confucius Mansion, Confucius Temple, and Confucius Forest—the hometown of Confucius, the great ancient thinker, educator, and founder of Confucianism. The temple, with its sheer scale, grandeur, age, and intact preservation, is hailed by architect Liang Sicheng as a "unique example" in world architectural history. Well worth seeing, ticket 90 yuan. Confucius Mansion, east of the temple, was the residence of Confucius's direct descendants. Average sights, ticket 60 yuan. Confucius Forest spans over 3,000 mu, the exclusive burial ground of Confucius and his family for over 2,500 years—the world's longest-lasting and largest clan cemetery. What amazed us was learning that descendants of the Kong family can still be buried here today. In an era of skyrocketing cemetery plots elsewhere, this hereditary privilege is remarkable. Tolls: Qingdao–Qufu 25 yuan, other 880. Today's total: 905 yuan.
Next: Nanjing's Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. The mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the great forerunner of China's modern democratic revolution, along with its memorial complex, covers over 80,000 square meters. Tolls: 295, gas: 418, other: 514. Today's total: 1,227 yuan.
Return trip via Yixing Taihu Lake. Other: 82, tolls: 230. Today's total: 312 yuan. Trip summary: total distance 2,698 km, tolls 1,265, gas 1,325, other expenses 10,700. Overall expenditure: 13,290 yuan.
