One special German piece of architecture that is very popular and not far from the Qingdao Pier (Zhan Qiao Pier) is St. Michael's Cathedral. It's about a 7-10 minute walk from the pier and is located in the oldest part of Qingdao on 15 Zhejiang Road. It was built by German missionaries and resembles a German cathedral from the 12th Century.
According to Wikipedia, this cathedral has gone through a major historical journey. It began when the Germans had a strong presence in the Shandong Province during the 19th and 20th centuries. In the 19th Century, European powers forced China to trade with them. The Divine Word Missionaries built a church in the Jiaozhou Bay concession in Shandong in 1902, and constructed the cathedral in 1934, while it remained under their administration until 1964. The Japanese Army took control over it in 1942 and then gave it back to China, when they left Qingdao in 1945. In the early 1950s, all missionaries including the Bishop of Qingdao, were either imprisoned or expelled from China, and during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), the church was defaced and abandoned. In 1981, the Chinese government repaired and reopened it. In 1992, it was listed as a Provincial Historic Building in the Shandong Province. St. Michael's Cathedral is 2,740 square meters or 29,500 square feet.
As of 2008, 10,000 active Catholics attend services there. Mass is celebrated daily at 6:00am by Li Mingshu. Services are also on Sunday, Christmas and Easter. Services are held in Korean and Chinese with one Korean and several Chinese priests on site.
Tourist's Perspective: Two things were notable about this place. After being in London, I got a European presence when I got there. Although I haven't been to Germany yet, it definitely didn't feel like China when I reached the cathedral. Secondly, I was amazed to see so many couples getting their wedding pictures done there. I saw three sets of couples taking pictures and as I was leaving to the next destination, I saw two more sets of couples getting ready to find their spots to take pictures in front of the cathedral.
Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)
Instagram: l.a.seoulguy
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