China’s Most Revered Pier: A City Landmark and Viral Photo Spot
Red roofs, green trees, blue sea, and clear skies—Qingdao has always left a wonderful impression on me. The scenery is beautiful, the climate pleasant. The lush Badaguan, the quaint Pichaiyuan, the blue sea and silver sands of Qingdao Bay, along with red reefs, gentle waves, colorful sails, and golden beaches—all come together to create an enchanting coastal landscape.
As a renowned historical and cultural city, Qingdao not only boasts beautiful coastal scenery but also many scenic spots and historical sites. Notable ones include the Qi Great Wall Ruins, Sanlihe Ruins, Dongyueshi Cultural Site, Nanqian Ruins, Langyatai, the Tomb of the Five Hundred Martyrs of Tianheng, Laoshan Mountain, Tianhou Palace, Qianhai Pier, Little Qingdao Isle, and Badaguan. Among these, the most representative structure is the pier located in Qingdao Bay.
According to my travel companion Kong Jun, a 73rd-generation descendant of Confucius, Qingdao Zhanqiao Pier is the same age as Qingdao city, with construction starting in the autumn of 1892. It was the earliest military-purpose artificial dock in Qingdao, designed and built by the Chinese independently. The pier was constructed to guard Jiaozhou Bay as the sole maritime ammunition supply line. From the day it was completed, it became the lifeline of the city—so vital that a slight move in one part could affect the whole, irreplaceable and indispensable.
Qingdao Zhanqiao Pier is 440 meters long and 8 meters wide, with a reinforced concrete structure. However, when first built it was only 200 meters long, with a stone foundation and a gray surface, equipped with iron railings on both sides. In the 20th year of the Guangxu reign, Li Hongzhang, Governor-General of Zhili, memorialized the throne: 'Zhang Gaoyuan, Commander-in-Chief of Dengzhou, has completed the bases for various batteries. Circuit Intendant Gong Zhaoyu has also built a large iron dock in front of Qingdao. It is now planned to construct a torpedo camp behind the iron dock, tightly guarding the entrance. Currently, the defenses of Yantai and Jiaozhou are being arranged, and each should have a torpedo camp and a minelaying ship.'
The pier later witnessed many important events. For example, in 1897, the German army, under the pretext of exercises, landed at Qingdao Bay where the pier stands and occupied Qingdao by force, making the pier a witness to the German invasion. On August 27, 1914, the Japanese Second Fleet arrived in the waters off Qingdao and blockaded the sea. The Japanese army, imitating the Germans, held a military parade on the pier to assert their 'full sovereignty' over Qingdao.
In December 1922, after the Beiyang Government of China recovered Qingdao, Chinese sailors also held a parade on the pier to demonstrate the restoration of Chinese sovereignty. In September 1931, the Qingdao municipal authorities allocated 258,000 yuan and contracted the German firm Schomburg & Co. (Xinli Yanghang) to expand the pier, extending it to the current 440 meters. The original steel and wood structure was partly replaced with reinforced concrete. A park was built along the shore at the northern end of the pier, an arrow-shaped breakwater was added at the southern end, and on the breakwater, the Hui Lan Pavilion (Wave-Returning Pavilion) in ethnic Chinese style was constructed, creating the iconic Zhanqiao Pier scene we see today.
From then on, Qingdao Zhanqiao Pier fulfilled its military mission and became a scenic dock. Because of the eventful history it has witnessed, it has become the best symbol of Qingdao's sovereignty and the most representative landmark building. For Qingdao, it is not just a pier but a living history book.
When we arrived, the weather was not good. Qingdao Bay was shrouded in thick fog. The buildings in the photos may look clear, but that’s thanks to de-fogging post-processing. I wanted to capture a panoramic view of the pier with a drone, but when the drone rose above 200 meters (flying too low couldn’t capture the full 440-meter length), everything below was a misty blur, nothing to be seen. Even later software processing couldn’t salvage it.
For Qingdao, Zhanqiao Pier is a spiritual monument of the city. For tourists, however, it has become a famous Instagram-worthy spot. Many people come here to take a photo as a keepsake when visiting Qingdao. Some mobile apps even use its aerial footage as a startup animation—you’ve probably seen it while scrolling, right? So if you come to Qingdao, be sure not to miss Zhanqiao Pier.
