Regional Characteristics

Shinan district is a well-known tourist destination boasting its beautiful environment, picturesque landscape and ocean scenery. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] 

Administration center area

Administrative departments including Qingdao Municipal Committee of the CPC, the Qingdao municipal government and its subordinate units, and the Qingdao administrative approval service and public resources trading centers are located near Hong Kong Middle Road of Shinan district.

Tourist center area

The Seaside Scenic Spot of Qingdao was among the first national tourist attractions released by the State Council in 1982. The entire coastal area of Shinan district is included in the scenic spot, and is the main body of the scenic area. It has nearly 50 attractions.

The policies of reform and opening-up and eastern development promoted the exploitation of Shinan's abundant natural tourism resources and cultural landscapes. The sea, mountains and coastal scenery make Shinan a famous summer resort.

The middle and western part of Shinan features a combination of ancient architecture and modern skyscrapers. And the eastern part features a prosperous modern and international city thanks to the eastern development and opening-up of Qingdao.

The Shinan district government has focused on developing tourism economy since 2003. Taking advantage of its geographical location, its status as a sub-venue of the 2008 Olympic Games, and its abundant resources, it highlights urban scenery and coastal tourism. It has built an eastern tourist and shopping scenic area featuring urban scenery, Olympic Games facilities, commercial culture and commercial tourism, a middle and western entertainment scenic area featuring red tiles and green trees, and European-style architecture, as well as a coastal sightseeing scenic area featuring seaside walkways to promote the development of the local tourism industry.

About 80 percent of Qingdao's tourist attractions, well-known architecture, and former residences of celebrities are located in Shinan district.

Landmarks: Zhanqiao Bridge, Small Qingdao Island, and a large-sized sculpture named May Breeze. 

Seaside attractions: Qingdao Bay, Temple of the Queen of Heaven, Qingdao Navy Museum, Huiquan Bay, Lu Xun Park, Qingdao Museum of Marine Products, the First Bathing Beach, Xiaoyushan Park, Huiquan (former site of Fort Barbette), the 2nd Bathing Beach, Taipingjiao Park, Zhanshan Temple, Fushan Bay, a coastal sightseeing walkway. 

Gardens: Zhongshan Park, Celebrity Sculpture Park at Baihua Garden, May Fourth Square, Music Square, Qingdao Zoo, Qingdao Botanical Garden, Guanxiangshan Park, Xinhaoshan Park, and Qingdaoshan Park.

Famous architecture: Jiao'ao Governor's Palace, St. Michael's Cathedral, the Christian Church, Donghai Hotel, Princess Building, Huashi Building, and Qingdao Observatory.

Former residences of the following celebrities: Kang Youwei, Shen Congwen, Hong Shen, Wen Yiduo, Lao She, Liang Shiqiu, Wang Tongzhao, and Xiao Jun, Xiao Hong, and Shu Qun.

Other attractions: Qingdao Museum, stone sculpture of Northern Dynasty, Memorial of Revolutionary Martyrs.

Cultural center area

Qingdao's commerce and trade, urban construction, tourism, education, and foreign exchanges began to thrive in the early twentieth century, and culture and entertainment industries such as theaters, cinemas, theatrical stages, libraries, newspaper offices, literature clubs, drama clubs, art clubs, and music clubs sprang up, most of them located in the current Shinan district. Many cultural celebrities came here too, and their legacy and former residences enrich Shinan's cultural landscape. Thanks to these cultural characteristics, Qingdao became one of the three cultural center cities in North China in the 1930s.

Major cultural facilities: May 4th Square, Music Square, Badaxia Square, Zhanshan Square, Lao She Park, Huiquan Square, and Railway Station Square.

Cinemas: Red Star Cinema, China Cinema, and Huiquan Cinema.

Auditoriums: Qingdao Hall of the People, Qingdao International Convention Center, Qingdao Gymnasium, and Qingdao Municipal Authorities Convention Center.

Shinan district boasts a developed economy and financial industry. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Financial Center Area

Qingdao is an important financial center of Shandong. Shinan's Hong Kong Middle Road, Hong Kong West Road, Shandong Road, Fuzhou Road, and surrounding areas serve as the city's financial hub. All the headquarters of State-owned banks, foreign-invested banks, and non-banking financial institutions such as insurance, securities and trust fund firms, and credit cooperatives are located in Shinan. The district now has a sound financial organization system, complete financial market functions, strong financing capacity, and wide-ranging financial businesses. The district inked deals with the Qingdao Branch of People's Bank of China, the China Banking Regulatory Commission Qingdao Bureau, the China Securities Regulatory Commission Qingdao Bureau, the China Insurance Regulatory Commission Qingdao Bureau, and the Qingdao Municipal Commission of Economic and Trade to accelerate the construction of the regional financial center. Hong Kong Middle Road was named the Financial Street of Qingdao by the municipal government.

The district's GDP topped 157.78 billion yuan ($21.94 billion) in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 5.5 percent. 

Scientific and technological center area

Western science and technology involving meteorology, oceanography, mariculture, medicine, urban construction, and architecture has been applied in Shinan district since 1897, which has laid a foundation for the development of multidisciplinary science and technology in Qingdao and led to a number of scientific achievements.

More than 20 research institutes successively settled down in Shinan after October 1949, including the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Ocean University of China, Shandong Provincial Aquafarm, the First Institute of Oceanography of National Bureau of Oceanography, the Institute of Marine Geology of Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources, the Institute of Marine Coatings of Ministry of Chemical Industry, the Institute of Chemical Industry Labor Protection of Ministry of Chemical Industry, and the Qingdao Institute of Marine Meteorological Science. A total of 227 companies have been recognized as hi-tech enterprises, by 2020. And 3,740 patents have been applied for, more than any other regions in the city.

In 2001, the Qingdao municipal government rolled out some preferential policies for the development of the software industry, and set up the Qingdao Software Park centering on Shinan District Park and hi-tech park.

Shinan Software Park, located in the south of Qingdao, covers an area of about 10,000 sq m with Taipingjiao Six Road to the east, Yangji Road to the south, and Qingdao University to the west. The region has a beautiful natural environment and full-fledged service facilities.

The software park is composed of multiple buildings and one core area. A 13,000-sq-m software building, located at 172 Minjiang Road, has been fully-occupied in less than half a year since its opening on April 29, 2001. Companies moving into the building are leading ones including the digital and smart service provider Yonyou, Kingdee, and Beijing Talent Technology. A 10,000-sq-m science and technology building, located at 116 Hong Kong Middle Road, started operation in April 2002. The core area, located on the west of Qingdao University, covers 140,000 sq m, and plans to build a multifunctional national software R&D base integrating production, R&D, talent cultivation, company incubation, technology transactions, investment, and financing within two years. In 2004, the first-phase 200,000-sq-m construction of the software industrial base was completed and an area of 102,000 sq m was put into service. The second phase project proceeded well, and the displacement and resettlement work has been finished. Top software companies such as Microsoft, IBM, Haier-Qingdao University Software Co, and Hisense Hiview Technology moved in the park, making the number of software companies grow to 220. All the buildings that have been put into use for R&D have been fully occupied at the software base. And the software base has become one of the ten advanced industrial parks in China. Buildings such as the Sunshine Building, Word Trade Center, Time Square, and Shenye Building also house many software enterprises.

The Shinan Software Park is developing into a national software industrial base that has software R&D and software export as major businesses and information technology service as minor business. It depends on universities and research institutes, targets private tech companies, takes advantages of preferential policies, and gives guarantees to the companies by providing high-quality services.