The beauty of Qingdao architecture
Qingdao began to thrive as a city during modern times. The basic layout of Qingdao as a modern city was mapped out by the German colonial government in 1900, and was clearly influenced by then popular European urban city planning concepts of "zonal city" and "garden-style residence." Taking into consideration the topography of the island city, the colonial government devised networks of roads and buildings according to the make-up of the natural coastal lines and mountainous terrain to advocate the picturesque, lively and carefree styles of city-planning in medieval European cities.
Although the Germans ruled Qingdao for less than 20 years, they left behind a great legacy of German-style buildings. The city center of the Qingdao region, with a central axis measuring about 200 meters, was located on the foot of the southern slope of Guanhaishan Hill. Located on the northern end of the city center was the Governor's Office while the Joeskee Memorial Tower could be found by the sea bay located at the southern end. Surrounding the city center were landmark buildings such as the Jiao'ao Court of Law (1912), the British Consulate (1907), the Hotel Wirtshaus Fur Katz and the Hotel Prinz Heinrich (1911).
At the same time, there were also buildings based on the new Renaissance architectural styles of Germany, including the Qingdao Railway Station (1902), Jiao'ao Police Station (1905), Jiao'ao Post Office (1910) and the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank (1906).
The "Red House" bore the style of the New Arts Movement while the Beach Hotel (1904) with its bare wooden framework and the Marine Club (1899) were also important landmarks in Qingdao.
About the book
Chinese Architecture Written by Cai Yanxin Published by China Intercontinental Press, Beijing, 2018
Qingdao began to thrive as a city during modern times. The basic layout of Qingdao as a modern city was mapped out by the German colonial government in 1900, and was clearly influenced by then popular European urban city planning concepts of "zonal city" and "garden-style residence." Taking into consideration the topography of the island city, the colonial government devised networks of roads and buildings according to the make-up of the natural coastal lines and mountainous terrain to advocate the picturesque, lively and carefree styles of city-planning in medieval European cities.
Although the Germans ruled Qingdao for less than 20 years, they left behind a great legacy of German-style buildings. The city center of the Qingdao region, with a central axis measuring about 200 meters, was located on the foot of the southern slope of Guanhaishan Hill. Located on the northern end of the city center was the Governor's Office while the Joeskee Memorial Tower could be found by the sea bay located at the southern end. Surrounding the city center were landmark buildings such as the Jiao'ao Court of Law (1912), the British Consulate (1907), the Hotel Wirtshaus Fur Katz and the Hotel Prinz Heinrich (1911).
At the same time, there were also buildings based on the new Renaissance architectural styles of Germany, including the Qingdao Railway Station (1902), Jiao'ao Police Station (1905), Jiao'ao Post Office (1910) and the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank (1906).
The "Red House" bore the style of the New Arts Movement while the Beach Hotel (1904) with its bare wooden framework and the Marine Club (1899) were also important landmarks in Qingdao.
About the book
Chinese Architecture Written by Cai Yanxin Published by China Intercontinental Press, Beijing, 2018
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