Guo Jianlu: Come See the Green Sea

A city becomes famous for a reason. Qingdao is a beautiful coastal city, famed for its mild winters and cool summers and pleasant climate. It is renowned for its enchanting red-roofed, green-tree, blue-sea scenery; for international brands like Haier, Hisense, Tsingtao Beer, and Aucma that are well-known both at home and abroad; and for successfully hosting the Olympic Sailing Regatta and the SCO Summit, which made it known worldwide.

Every summer, Qingdao enjoys cool and pleasant weather. Tourists flock to its seaside to escape the heat, and the beaches are always packed with people taking a dip in the sea. The sounds of laughter, waves, and chatter blend into a lively summer seaside scene. Since Qingdao’s successful hosting of the 2008 Olympic Sailing Regatta, its fame has soared, and along with the arrival of green algae (hutai), it attracts visitors from home and abroad every year to enjoy the scenery, cool off, and see the green sea.

Green algae drifts with sea winds and eventually settles along the coast. In the warm 20°C water, it grows and reproduces rapidly during its drift, forming a green oasis at sea. Since 2008, like migratory birds, the algae has arrived every July and August, lingering for nearly two months. Thriving like spring grass, it grows vigorously day by day, causing considerable inconvenience to boat traffic, marine life, and swimmers in Qingdao. As a result, the government invests substantial manpower, resources, and money every year to clean it up. However, because the algae’s arrival coincides with Qingdao’s peak tourist season, many visitors escaping the heat are eager to get up close with it on the beach. Some build their favorite structures with algae, some use it to "write" and express their feelings, some have playful algae fights, some wade through algae-filled waters in delight, and some can’t resist posing for photos with it—even dogs love rolling and frolicking in the algae. While the algae causes much trouble, it also brings a bit of fun to those cooling off in summer, accompanying people through one joyful, refreshing summer after another. Year after year, without us noticing, the algae has been with us for over a dozen summers—causing inconveniences but also providing enjoyment.

Nowadays, coming to Qingdao in summer to escape the heat, admire its mountain-and-sea scenery, and see the lush green sea has become a habit for many. It is believed that as science and technology advance day by day and people’s expectations for a clean environment rise, the algae will gradually diminish and eventually disappear. Then, coming to Qingdao to see the green sea in summer will become a fond memory.

On June 29, 2013, seeing the No. 6 Bathing Beach so thickly covered with algae that swimmers and tourists could barely enter the water, a monk voluntarily took up tools to clear the algae from the shore.

On June 29, 2013, at the No. 6 Bathing Beach near Zhan Bridge in Qingdao, workers were busily clearing algae while tourists on the sand watched the green sea blanketed by algae.

On June 27, 2014, the algae again spread along Qingdao’s coast. Manual cleaning alone was slow, inefficient, and costly, so a combination of mechanical and manual cleanup was adopted, yielding good results.

On July 7, 2014, a bird’s-eye view of the Little Qingdao sea area during peak tourist season: boats shuttling to and fro, bustling crowds of tourists, and the green algae in the distance together created a beautiful picture.

On July 21, 2015, in the waters off Shazikou in Laoshan District, Qingdao, white clouds drifted lazily, distant mountains were silhouetted in indigo, and the nearshore water was covered in green algae. Passersby couldn’t help but capture the enchanting scene with their phones.

On July 26, 2015, under the blazing sun, two women were clearing algae from the shore in the Badaguan Scenic Area.

On July 26, 2015, a mother and son posed for a photo at a cleanup site near the Sculpture Park.

On July 27, 2015, a tourist from out of town and his granddaughter had great fun on the algae-covered shore at Shilaoren Beach.

On July 27, 2015, a child playfully dashed and frolicked on the algae at Shilaoren Beach.

On July 31, 2015, children on holiday came to swim and joyfully played in the sea, which was dotted with green algae.

On July 31, 2015, tourists braved the scorching sun and heat to cool off at the No. 6 Bathing Beach near Zhan Bridge, getting up close with both the sea and the algae.

On July 31, 2015, the shore at the No. 3 Bathing Beach in Badaguan, Qingdao, was covered in algae.

On July 31, 2015, the shore at Shilaoren Beach in Qingdao was thick with lush algae, hindering boat movement, so people had to work together to push boats out of the algae zone.

On August 9, 2015, a dog was rolling and frolicking in the algae at Shilaoren Beach.

On August 26, 2015, on a whim, a tourist used the sand as paper and algae as ink to write a love vow for someone dearest.

On July 22, 2016, the algae arrived on schedule. Qingdao’s Zhan Bridge seaside was covered in algae, a green expanse as far as the eye could see. Tourists joked that you could come to Qingdao to beat the heat, enjoy mountain-and-sea scenery, savor European charm, and even see a "great prairie" on the sea.

On July 22, 2016, an endless stream of visitors came to Qingdao Bay to enjoy the beautiful scenery and gaze at the green sea.

On July 23, 2017, early in the morning, workers on the Zhan Bridge beach were busy clearing algae and seaweed to create a clean environment for visitors.

On June 28, 2019, workers were intensively clearing algae at the No. 3 Bathing Beach by Huiquan Bay in Qingdao.

On July 9, 2020, the algae was relatively less that year, but the staff at Shilaoren Beach still took the cleanup very seriously, using a combination of heavy machinery and manual labor to clear the algae with high efficiency, speed, and good results.

On June 28, 2021, a swimming enthusiast walked along the algae-covered shore at the No. 3 Bathing Beach.

On July 2, 2021, fishing boats were collecting algae at sea while a couple posed for photos on the rocks.

On July 2, 2021, stylish girls were taking group photos on the algae-strewn shore of Xiaomaidao Park.

On July 2, 2021, the sea off Xiaomaidao Park was covered in algae, a stunning expanse of green as far as the eye could see. Handsome men and pretty women happily took photos.

On July 3, 2021, even strong winds and sudden downpours couldn’t stop tourists from coming to the Xiaomaidao waters to see the sights and the algae.

On July 3, 2021, a female tourist came to the seaside in the rain to see the algae and take souvenir photos.

Special Photographer for Jinmen.com, Guo Jianlu.