Qinhuangdao

Qinhuangdao

　　Qinhuangdao, literally Qin Emperor’s Island, was named after an emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), who came to this area looking to discover pills of longevity. History has witnessed the huge development of this place from a tiny fishing village into one of the biggest ports in northern China. The area was opened as a seaport in 1898, mainly for foreign shipping and the city has not looked back. Bordering the Bohai Sea, Qinhuangdao has been infiltrated by large scale industrialisation, a shame for tourism, since now the cities two main beaches are fairly polluted, and sights are limited. The main reason to visit the city, is to catch transport on to either Shanhaiguan or Beidaihe. Shanhaiguan is noted for its geographical location, as it lies at the easternmost end of the Great Wall, before this fortification collides with the sea. Centuries ago, this place was a garrison town and the features that this left behind, including the town walls, small hutong courtyards and views of the winding Great Wall, can still be appreciated. It is this last feature, Qin Shihuang’s magnificent, yet absurdly impragmatic, defense system that remains the main reason to visit here, with the sea views at the Old Dragon Head, and the Mengjiangnu Temple, with its tragic fable, well worth seeing.
　　While Qinhuangdao at the end of the nineteenth century was a seed of the seaport that it was to become, Beidaihe was growing on a different path. Wealthy expatriates and rich Chinese chose the area as the ideal sea resort from the crowded and hot cities of Beijing and Tianjin. After the communists came to power, the government rebuilt various villas that had been destroyed and built new stalinist versions, meant for higher level cadres and important Chinese. The area has now been opened up for tourism, allowing the Chinese from Beijing and Tianjin to repeat history by pouring to cover the 35km of beaches that make up this town. The beaches remain nice, if sometimes a little too overcrowded, with golden sands and fairly clean waters.