I Love My Neighborhood: Qingdao’s Shilaoren

In my new series, “I Love My Neighborhood”, I ask expats from across the globe to share the joys of local life they’ve found in their corner of the world.

If you’re just joining in now, check out the other cities in this series here.

Today’s guest post comes from Hugh in Qingdao, a seaside city in northern China often recognized for its famous beer, but which apparently has so much more to offer….

Hugh Grigg: Why I Love Shilaoren (青岛石老人)

Shilaoren (石老人 — “Stone Old Man”) in Qingdao is named after a large rock in the sea nearby. Apparently it looks like a hunched old fisherman standing in the water. The legend is that he lost his daughter at sea and is forever searching for her.

When I first came to Qingdao I wasn’t too sure where I should live, apart from that I needed to be near the university. I took the advice of an acquaintance and rented a little flat at Shilaoren. It was cheap and had a sea view, which was enough to convince me to hand over my student loan for six months rent.

At first I was a little dismayed to discover just how far I was from the city centre: more than thirteen kilometers! I wasn’t even that close to the university, either. However, I soon came to appreciate the numerous little advantages to location on the outskirts of the city.

The coast

Firstly, and probably the biggest joy, is just how close I am to the coast at Shilaoren. It’s about two-hundred metres from my bedroom window to the sea. And a gorgeous, long bathing beach is about ten minutes’ walk down the road. Looking from my window to the west, I can see right across the water to the city centre, and I’m treated to a deep red sunset going down behind the skyscrapers every evening.

The Street On An Evening
Another thing I love about the location of my flat is the little stretch of pedestrianised street that runs below it. Every evening there are people going to and from the restaurants and shops along the front, and a group of women come to practice taiqi and dancing few times a week. The highlight was when they decided to learn the moves for a techno dance routine. I was impressed.

The Seafood

The local restaurants are great as well. They’re outrageously cheap and all serve local seafood and draft Qingdao beer. The beer comes in bags at ¥20 (about $3) for a litre, and is perfect when sitting outside on summer evenings. My favourite dishes here are fried aubergine and a prawn, egg and bean shoot stir-fry. The Korean restaurant down the road is a bit more expensive, but a little classier too.

Being Known
Being the only European face around, I’m easy to recognise, and a few of the restaurant owners know me. One is even my neighbour. I always get a friendly welcome in their restaurants, and occasionally have to pose for photos with family and friends. Still working on that discount, though.

The Unfriendly Internet Guy
Another local I like is the grumpy Internet café owner, who seems to find it extremely irritating to enter my passport details when I want to use his computers (locals have electronic ID cards that can be swiped instantly). Sometimes he just refuses me outright. I like to give him a little wave whenever I pass the café.

The Scenery of Mount Lao

Shilaoren is in the Laoshan (崂山) district of Qingdao. My flat is between the beach and Mount Lao, the highest coastal mountain in China (the beer mentioned above is brewed using spring-water from the mountain). I didn’t know quite how high it was when a local friend invited me to walk up it together. I arrived in flip-flops. It went surprisingly well, and we made the top in a few hours (before getting the cable-car back down).

I’ll be back

Shilaoren already feels like home to me, and it’ll be strange to leave it behind at the end of the year. I probably won’t live here again, despite its charms. Shanghai is a more likely candidate for the long-term, but I know I’ll come back to visit Shilaoren for the nostalgia, the beach, and the sunsets.

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About Hugh: Hugh comes from a little village in North Yorkshire, England. Now he’s studying Chinese Language & Literature at Ocean University in Qingdao, and runs a website about it at http://eastasiastudent.net. He’ll be leaving China later this year, but will be coming back as soon as he can (the girl in the photo is waiting for him).

All photos courtesy of the author.