When it comes to coastal cities, Qingdao, with its serene and elegant atmosphere, may come to mind, like a painting from a poem. Or perhaps Sanya, with its magnificent scenery where the water meets the sky, refreshing one’s mind and soul.
And then there’s Beihai, filled with a strong artistic ambiance, where every corner is brimming with romance and poetry.
However, in the north, there lies a hidden small city with stunning scenery. Situated at the easternmost tip of the Shandong Peninsula, its geographical location is unparalleled, as if it were a gem meticulously crafted by nature.
In the summer, there’s no scorching heat to endure. The average daytime temperature is only 23°C, and at night, you even need to cover yourself with a thin blanket to enjoy the cool breeze. Some have praised this city as a microcosm of China’s topography, with undulating mountains, vast seas, dotted islands, winding rivers, and an interplay of cities and villages, forests and farmlands creating a delightful scene.
This city possesses every beauty you can imagine, with each scenic spot captivating and unforgettable. What’s even more surprising is that this city is the closest to South Korea, separated by just a sea, yet seeming like a confluence of two worlds.
The northern sea is often considered inferior to the south, but this city has broken people’s stereotypes. Its coastline stretches for nearly 1,000 kilometers, with crystal-clear seawater, lush pine forests, and soaring seabirds. Even more stunning is that the most beautiful silver beach in China is located here, with its fine sand and shimmering sea surface, immersing visitors in its charm.
Apart from the sea, this city also boasts lush green mountains, rows of buildings, and wide, clean streets. Walking here feels like being in a two-dimensional world, so beautiful that it takes one’s breath away. Hence, this city has been praised as having “the sea in the city, the city in the forest, the forest in the mountains, and people in the greenery,” with a harmony and beauty that is hard to forget.
If Shandong were compared to a seagull spreading its wings towards the sea, ready to fly, then this city would undoubtedly be the beak of the seagull. It is located at the easternmost point of China’s mainland, where the sun rises the earliest. Every morning, when the first rays of sunlight fall upon this city, the romance and warmth seem to soothe the entire soul.
This city is Weihai in Shandong, a place that captures the heart and mind.
When it comes to Weihai, one cannot miss the enchanting “Torch Eighth Street.” At one point, it went viral online, becoming a dream destination for countless people.
Walking along Torch Eighth Street feels like being on a street in Kamakura, Japan. The long downhill slope, like a passage leading to the horizon, connects with the sea, truly embodying the romance of “the end of the road is the sea.” Around it, the colorful houses are scattered in a pleasing arrangement, like a vivid painting that makes one linger.
Standing at this intersection, chasing the sunlight and the waves, one can feel the endless romance. The sea breeze gently caresses the cheeks, bringing a touch of coolness; the waves gently lap the shore, making a pleasant sound. Everything seems so harmonious and beautiful, captivating the heart and mind.
Intersecting with Torch Eighth Street is the charming “Coastal Road.” This road, like a spiritual vein of Weihai, has attracted countless people to fall in love with it. Along the winding coastline, the Coastal Road is like a black ribbon, shuttling between the green mountains and the sea.
Cycling on it, accompanied by the blue sky and white clouds, embraced by the green mountains, and caressed by the sea breeze, the sense of ease immersed in the mountains and sea makes one forget the troubles of the world. And the sea ahead is boundless, like a beautiful girl wearing a blue gauze dress, gently swaying in the breeze.
The blue is so vibrant, like a piece of brocade fluttering in the breeze, enchanting the heart and soul. Standing by the sea, feeling the inclusiveness and vastness of nature, it seems that all worries vanish in this moment.
Weihai, this beautiful city, attracts every visitor with its unique charm. Torch Eighth Street and the Coastal Road are the two calling cards of this city, making people linger and hard to forget.
Shuangdao Bay
“The Romantic Heart-Shaped Island”
Weihai, apart from its fresh and artistic atmosphere, is also an extremely romantic place. Hidden on this land is a brilliant pearl – the Heart-Shaped Island.
From a bird’s-eye view, it resembles a huge emerald, meticulously carved to present a perfect “heart-shaped” outline. It lies quietly on the jade-like ocean, as if it were a unique gift bestowed upon Weihai by nature.
Strolling in Weihai’s Shuangdao Fishing Port, the sea breeze gently caresses your cheeks, bringing a faint salty taste, a scent unique to the sea. Before your eyes is a busy yet orderly fishing port, with small boats gently swaying with the waves, as if whispering the stories of the sea. They carry the diligence and hope of the fishermen and bear witness to the abundance and beauty of the waters around Weihai.
Here, you can feel the unique romance and warmth of Weihai.
Whether it’s the dazzling Heart-Shaped Island or the bustling yet tranquil fishing port, both make people linger and indulge in this beautiful land. Weihai, a captivating and romantic place.
The sky in Weihai is as blue as a painting, as if it were a color meticulously mixed by nature, making people feel refreshed and joyful.
The water is crystal clear, like a mirror reflecting the blue sky and the softness of the white clouds.
Here, the air quality is exceptional, reaching China’s first-class standard for more than half of the year. This freshness and purity, as if it were nature’s most precious gift to Weihai, has been praised as air that can be exported in its original state.
Weihai, like a pearl lost in the vast sea, is dazzling and shining with a charming luster.
She is also like a “sea reception room” extending into the depths of the ocean, neighboring the sea and inviting every visiting guest to share this unique beauty and tranquility.
Here, you can feel the vastness and depth of the sea, and also taste the unique charm and flavor of Weihai.
Whether it’s admiring the blue sky and white clouds or feeling the fresh sea breeze, Weihai will bring you an unforgettable travel experience. She awaits your arrival, to explore this beautiful sea area together and leave your precious memories.
The Popular Rongcheng
Weihai, this beautiful city, has too many places that have become popular.
In addition to the enchanting Heart-Shaped Island and the charming Torch Eighth Street, the hottest spot has to be the magical land of “Rongcheng.”
Rongcheng, as a county-level city of Weihai, although not large in area, every inch of land is full of endless charm and essence.
It is located at the easternmost end of the Shandong Peninsula, surrounded by the sea on three sides, with a 500-kilometer-long coastline that winds like a giant dragon.
Facing Korea across the sea, it is the region in China closest to Korea, full of mystery and charm.
Speaking of Rongcheng, many people first think of those unique seaweed houses.
These fluffy grass houses face the rippling sea, with the clear blue sky above and the lush green grass around, as if in a fairy tale world.
If not seen with one’s own eyes, who would have thought that such beautiful scenery would appear on Chinese land, making people mistakenly think they had crossed into New Zealand?
Don’t underestimate these seaweed houses. They are one of the world’s most representative ecological dwellings, with stone walls and seaweed roofs, rustic and thick in appearance, yet exuding a kind of honest and lovely atmosphere.
The gray-brown seaweed is thatched into a 50-degree herringbone roof, thick and towering, with a ridge height twice that of ordinary brick and tile houses.
Coupled with the saddle-shaped ridge made of yellow clay, under the setting of the blue sky, green sea, and green trees, it appears even more rustic and steady, as if telling the vicissitudes and depth of history.
The first place in Rongcheng to become popular was the enchanting “Swan Lake.”
It is one of the world’s famous winter habitats for swans and has been praised by experts and scholars at home and abroad as the “Oriental Swan Kingdom.”
Every year from November to April of the following year, tens of thousands of swans fly thousands of miles from Siberia, Inner Mongolia, and other places in China to spend the winter here. Their arrival makes the winter in the city of Weihai even warmer and more vibrant.
Next to the seaweed houses with curling smoke, on the shore, photographers raise their lenses, and painters wield their brushes, recording this tranquil yet lively painting.
As the saying goes, “Fish nets hang high on trees, vegetable gardens separated by low walls, smoke rises from the fishermen’s houses, fragrance surrounds the seaweed houses.” This scene, this artistic conception, makes people linger and indulge in it.
Chengshantou
“China’s Cape of Good Hope”
Chengshantou, a magical place known as the “end of the world,” is named after its location at the easternmost end of the Chengshan Mountain Range, as if it were the end of the earth, connecting with the horizon.
It is surrounded by the sea on three sides and connected to land on one side, only 94 nautical miles away from South Korea, like a lonely gem embedded in the vast blue sea.
This is the earliest sacred place to welcome the sunrise over the sea. When the first ray of sunlight rises from the horizon and shines on this land, Chengshantou is bathed in a golden glow, and has been known since ancient times as “the place where the sun rises.”
In the Spring and Autumn period, it was called “Chaowu,” like a dancer gracefully dancing to the morning sun, elegant and moving. It is also known as “China’s Cape of Good Hope,” highlighting its unique geographical location and important strategic significance.
Chengshantou, surrounded by the sea on three sides and connected to land on one side, has lush green peaks, a vast blue sea, towering cliffs, and huge waves hitting the shore like flying snow, with a magnificent and majestic atmosphere.
Every surge of the waves seems to be telling the thousand-year vicissitudes and legends of this land.
Shidao
“Little Hong Kong”
When it comes to Shidao, this small city known as “Little Hong Kong,” it has a unique charm.
Mr. Sun Yat-sen mentioned Shidao twice in his “The Fundamentals of National Reconstruction,” listing it along with Shanghai and Guangzhou as one of the three major ports in eastern China, showing its important position.
Shidao is surrounded by the sea on three sides, with a unique peninsula topography, offering both the wonders of the mountains and the gifts of the sea.Chishan, the fairy mountain located on Shidao, Weihai, is famous for its magnificent natural scenery and rich cultural history, and is known as “the bay in the forest, the明神 (Ming god) in the bay.”
Here, you can not only enjoy the magnificent scenery of being surrounded by the sea on three sides, but also feel the strong religious atmosphere.
The Chishan Ming Statue, Fahua Temple, Bodhisattva Realm, Chishan Zen Temple, Fahua Pagoda, and Tianhou Palace are all excellent places for people to pray for blessings.
Among them, the most famous is the thousand-year-old Chishan Fahua Temple, which is not only a sacred place for praying for blessings but also a witness to history, telling the thousand-year vicissitudes and legends.
In addition, there is also the world’s largest statue of the sea god – the Chishan Daming God.
The Chishan Ming God, as the protector of northern China, is world-famous, with countless merits and virtues, and has been widely respected and revered by the people for a long time. Whenever people come to Chishan, they devoutly pray for the blessings and protection of the gods.
Shidao’s Huacun (Flower Village) is also famous for its flowers. The mountain is covered with sandy black soil, and mountain springs flow all year round, so there are countless wild flowers on the mountain. Every spring, the flowers bloom in a riot of colors, competing for beauty, like a beautiful painting unfolding before people’s eyes.
The bay has brought a long coastline to Shidao, and the vast coastal area provides unlimited space for the creation of the sea.
The surging waves transport and deposit small particles in the seawater to the shore, forming soft, silver-shining sandy beaches. These beaches are not only great places for people to relax and have fun, but also precious gifts bestowed upon this land by nature.
Whether it’s the sunrise and sunset at Chengshantou or the mountain and sea scenery of Shidao, they all make people linger and indulge in this beautiful land. Here, it is a masterpiece of nature, a witness to history, and a spiritual home for people.
Hailü Island
“Fairy Mountain and Bird Island”
This island is like a skinny donkey, lying leisurely on the blue sea, with a unique shape, hence the name Hailü (Sea Donkey) Island.
Every spring, from April to the golden autumn of October, this island ushers in its lively moments.
Tens of thousands of seagulls and other seabirds flock to this place, where they build nests, reproduce, and live a leisurely life.
The seagulls soar high in the sky, and the flocks of birds gather, blocking out the sun and seemingly draping a pure white feathered garment over this sea area. Therefore, Hailü Island has also earned the reputation of being the “Seagull Kingdom.”
The rocks surrounding the island have been hammered and chiseled by the waves, carved into towering peaks, like the supernatural workmanship of nature.
They complement the surging tides, the turbulent sea, and the dancing seagulls and egrets, together creating unique island landscape paintings.
Here, the wonder and harmony of nature are displayed to the fullest, making people feel as if they are in a magnificent painting, lingering and forgetting to return.
Gangxi Town
“The Earth’s Color Palette”
In Gangxi, there is a historic salt field that seems like a fairyland lost in the human world. From an aerial view, a stunningly beautiful painting unfolds before your eyes.
On the snow-covered ground, the square salt fields are dotted and densely arranged, like the Milky Way falling to the earth, shining with a dazzling light.
The colors of these salt fields are dazzling, like nature’s palette, cleverly blending various colors such as blue, yellow, red, and white. They interweave and overlap, dressing the earth in a colorful garment.
Under the sunlight, these salt fields are even more dazzling, shimmering with a charming luster that makes people can’t help but fall in love with them.
Walking in this salt field is like being in a fairy tale world. Every step is on the colorful salt crystals, feeling the wonderful touch they bring.
The air is filled with a faint scent of sea salt, fresh and pleasant. Occasionally, you can hear the sound of seagulls in the distance, adding a touch of life and vitality to this tranquil salt field.
This place is not only a fairyland on earth but also a masterpiece of nature. It has witnessed the passage of time and the beautiful vision of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.
In this colorful salt field, people seem to be able to feel the magical charm of nature and appreciate the infinite power of human wisdom.
Jiming Island
For those audiences who have been intoxicated by “Where Are We Going, Dad?”, the name Jiming Island is undoubtedly as familiar as an old friend.
It is the filming location of the fourth stop of the first season, a place like a poem and a painting. The island is lush with trees, as if it were a green painting carefully drawn by nature; the grass is green and the flowers are fragrant, and every breeze carries the fragrance of nature.
The houses are neatly arranged, and the environment is elegant and quiet, as if time has slowed down here. What’s even more precious is that this place is sparsely populated and isolated from the world, as if it were a hidden paradise on earth, waiting for destined people to visit.
Weihai, this beautiful coastal city, not only has intoxicating natural scenery but also carries a heavy history.
Liugong Island is a witness to the historical culture of this city. It is like a natural barrier to Weihai City on the sea, solid and majestic, occupying a pivotal position in national defense.
Known as the “Dongyu Pingfan” and “Unsinkable Battleship,” Liugong Island sits on the blue waves of Weihai Bay, like a small boat floating in the smoke and waves or like a vast wave cupping a bright emerald pearl, shimmering in the light.
When the waves come, Liugong Island is more like a sea dragon raising its head, leaping out, suppressing the angry waves with its soul, showing its unyielding tenacity and strength.
Speaking of Weihai, I can’t help but think of the song “The Coastal Town of Weihai” composed and sung on the spot by Mr. Gu Jianfen.
Whenever that familiar melody starts, “The sky is blue, the sea is blue, my home is by the sea, the coastal town of Weihai, her stories are endless,” I am filled with endless curiosity and longing for this small town.
And when I really set foot on this land, I found that it is indeed a paradise on earth.
The entire Weihai is like a big garden, the seawater always maintains a emerald green color, together with the blue sky, white clouds, and soft fine sand, forming a beautiful painting.
Walking on the small path surrounded by green trees and fresh flowers, gazing at the blue sea in the distance, all the troubles in my heart seem to vanish, leaving only tranquility and peace.
The quality of life in Weihai is even more delightful. The pace here is slow and orderly, and every morning and evening, there are beautiful scenes of people living in harmony with nature.
In the morning, people walk by the sea, enjoying the beautiful scenery at sunrise; in the evening, people sit in cafes by the sea, listening to the sound of the waves and enjoying the comfort brought by coffee. This leisurely lifestyle seems to take people back to that innocent era when there was no conflict with the world and no disturbance by materialism.
So, if you have time, why not come here for a walk? Let your soul get a moment of tranquility and relaxation on this beautiful land, and feel the perfect fusion of nature and historical culture.
