Today Qingdao is in fact one of China’s most important economic cities and is the nation’s fourth largest port. Besides tourism, it features harbor, light industry & textile, home electrical appliance & electron, and scientific research on ocean. Qingdao is the largest ocean access in Yellow river drainage area as well as one of the hubs for information, finance and distribution to play the role of significant transportation hinge linking Asian-European Continental Bridge. It is also a well-known historic and cultural city, and a scenic tourist destination.
Surrounded by mountains and bordering the sea, Qingdao is a beautiful resort city. Red-roofs, green trees, blue sea, and azure skies produce a fabulous picture. It boasts 10 mountains and hills, including Mount Lao, an important Taoist location, with the highest peak along the Chinese coast. Such unique features attract numerous visitors from the world over.

Many companies choose to send their expatriates to China on a so-called look/see trip or familiarization trip where you will a first hand chance to experience the country before you make the decision to move here or not. It not only gives you the chance to find the best possible home but also to get a good understanding of the other criteria that are important for your family such as schools, medical facilities and etc.

While the housing and amenities cannot compare to those in Shanghai or Beijing, the situation has definitely improved greatly over the past 10 years and you can find some very good apartments and houses in the city though the supply of grade A villas is still low. In recent years, there are also more modern apartment buildings that are built for high demanding Chinese and foreigners. A new modernized western standard apartment is most foreigners’ choice for a long term staying.

Qingdao is a popular tourist city in China. The unique geographic location and historical background turned Qingdao into a tourist city and summer resort as early as the 1920s.

Qingdao has beautiful scenery and pleasant climate. A harmonious picture of mountains, sea and city is painted in which one can see the winding coastline, islands and beautiful buildings whose red-roofs are held in the embrace of verdant trees. These European-style buildings used to be home to many famous figures. Qingdao is a good choice for vacations, entertainment, business, conferences and exhibitions.

Qingdao shell arts and crafts are made from the shells of rare marine species and noted for their delicate designs and excellent workmanship. Shell products have a natural brightness and elegance and are in China widely accepted as gifts, home decoration and tourist souvenirs. 
Antiques are also offered, but remember that many pieces are copies. If the pieces are genuine, first of all they will be very pricy and second you should be looking for the official government seals allowing these to be exported out of China. 

The main shopping and commercial street runs along Zhongshan Rd with most of the shops here either clothing or food orientated. If it is your wardrobe that you are after then this road, along with the Longshan Underground Market (Longshan Dixia Shangye Jie) below Xinhaoshan park (Xinhaoshan gongyuan), is your best bet.

After you arrive in Qingdao, you may be concerned about your health and you should be extra aware of your hygiene. Wash your hands before meals and during the day. Also note that toilets in restaurants and public places can be very primitive so you should carry your own tissues. If you are desperate in the middle of the street and need to pay a visit to a toilet, you may consider stepping into one of the many McDonald’s or KFC’s or other big malls’ in the city.

Drinking water should never come from the tap unless your home or hotel has a water-cleaning filter system, and even then it may advisable to only drink bottled water. Bottled water is widely available all over China and of good quality. Furthermore, most houses come with one or more water dispensers as well and the management offices in the compounds usually provide delivery services of the gallons.