According to Qingdao-Adventure.com, Zhanqiao Pier is the symbol of Qingdao. Chinese people commonly just refer it as Zhanqiao.
"Hui Lan Ge", or Huilan Pavilion is at the sound end of the pier and is one of the Ten Scenics in Qingdao. It's a Chinese style octagon pavilion standing in contrast to the European buildings in the background. Some art exhibitions are often held there.
According to ChinaTravel.com, Zhan Qiao was originally built in 1891 as a naval pier and the construction is as old as the city of Qingdao.
During the Qing Dynasty, the imperial envoy Li Hongzhang decided to make coastal Tsingtao (Jiao'ao) a defense base against naval attack and begin to improve Qingdao's existing fortifications. German naval officials observed and reported on this Chinese activity during a formal survey of Jiaozhou Bay in May 1897.
Subsequently, German troops seized and occupied the fortification. It thus resulted in a temporary pier, which was built at a length of 200 meters (656 feet) and a width of 10 meters (33 feet).
The pier was the original Zhan Bridge, which was in use during the following decades. China conceded the area to Germany the following year, and the Kiautschou Bay concession, as it became known, existed from 1898-1914. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, a modern deep water port was built in the Qingdao area; Consequently the bridge was abandoned. That's just a small tidbit of historical background.
Today, you can get a nice view from the pier of downtown Qingdao, especially on a less cloudy day than the day that I went there. You can even see the two hemispheres of the Qingdao Opera building (on your left in the picture below).
It also has become a famous scenic spot thanks to the renovation in recent years. It's 440 meters (1444-feet) long and 10 meters (33 feet) wide with giant granite supports. Lotus-shaped lamps provide illumination and decoration.
People even dig through mud to find shellfish and other kinds of fish (see picture below). People even go as far as to wearing wet suits and dive for all kinds of seafood.
A Tourist's Perspective: I happened to go there during the Mid-Autumn holiday, so it was crowded and very cloudy on that day. Therefore I was a bit underwhelmed by the pier. You can't do a lot there except read some history of the pier in Huilan Pavilion, but I got to take some cool shots of the surrounding area and made my way to the Catholic church which was about 10 minutes away on foot.
Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)
Instagram: l.a.seoulguy
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