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Little Qingdao isle and Taoist palace
By Pan Zheng |
July 17, 2010, Saturday
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Print Edition
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Among Qingdao's many attractions, Little Qingdao Island with its old German lighthouse and the Taoist temples on Mt Laoshan offer spectacular views and tranquil settings. Pan Zheng reports.
Qingdao, the coastal and mountainous city, provides many spectacular views of the city, the mountains and the sea.
Little Qingdao Island and Taiqing Palace in the mountains, where Laoshan Taoism is originated, are well worth the visit and the views.
Little Qingdao Island
This small island is definitely the best place from which to look at the stunning city and port with mountains in the background.
The island in Qingdao Bay near Jiaozhou Bay estuary is really very small, just 0.012 square kilometers. It's 721 meters from the coast and a long causeway connects it with the land.
Since it's shaped like a qin (an ancient Chinese plucked zither), it's sometimes known as Qin Island.
An octagonal white lighthouse stands 15.5 meters high and still serves as an important beacon for shipping in and out of Jiaozhou Bay. It was built using white marble.
It was built by German army in 1900 and was reconstructed for many times. The huge crystal reflector is electric powered and the light can be seen more than 22 kilometers out to sea.
At sunset, the lighthouse beacon sends out light that appears to flow like silk as it is reflected on the waves that catch the colored sunset.
This is one of the most famous scenes in Qingdao.
In 1988, Little Qingdao Island became a public park and the island is planted with pines, sakura and other trees and flower plants, such as hibiscus and crape myrtle.
In the southern part of the small island stands a famous statue of a girl playing a zither. It is said she is waiting for her husband's safe return from the sea, hoping her melody will act as a charm.
In 2002 the statue was selected as the symbol of the city of Qingdao and small replicas are presented as official gifts to foreign guests.
Taiqing Palace
The Taiqing Palace in the Mt Laoshan is considered the origin of Laoshan Taoism, one of its most important branches of the philosophy.
It was built 2,000 years ago and has been reconstructed over the years in almost every dynasty. Today it is largely a Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279) structure, which is unusual in Chinese construction of religious sites.
The site covers more than 30,000 square meters. The palace contains the Sanguan Pavilion, Sanqing Pavilion and Sanhuang Pavilion.
Sanguan Pavilion is the oldest Taoist pavilion of Mt Laoshan and its gates face east. In northern China, the gates of most temples and pavilions face the south because that is considered the direction of authority. However, Taoists do not pursue power and authority, so they chose the east, sunrise-facing gate to show respect to guests.
The pavilion is mostly made of stone and brick with black tiles covering the roof. As a typical Taoist pavilion, it is not heavily gilded and magnificent as other temples, but it is dignified.
Sanguan Pavilion contains a rectangle courtyard surrounded by three pavilions, a main pavilion and two side halls.
Qingdao, the coastal and mountainous city, provides many spectacular views of the city, the mountains and the sea.
Little Qingdao Island and Taiqing Palace in the mountains, where Laoshan Taoism is originated, are well worth the visit and the views.
Little Qingdao Island
This small island is definitely the best place from which to look at the stunning city and port with mountains in the background.
The island in Qingdao Bay near Jiaozhou Bay estuary is really very small, just 0.012 square kilometers. It's 721 meters from the coast and a long causeway connects it with the land.
Since it's shaped like a qin (an ancient Chinese plucked zither), it's sometimes known as Qin Island.
An octagonal white lighthouse stands 15.5 meters high and still serves as an important beacon for shipping in and out of Jiaozhou Bay. It was built using white marble.
It was built by German army in 1900 and was reconstructed for many times. The huge crystal reflector is electric powered and the light can be seen more than 22 kilometers out to sea.
At sunset, the lighthouse beacon sends out light that appears to flow like silk as it is reflected on the waves that catch the colored sunset.
This is one of the most famous scenes in Qingdao.
In 1988, Little Qingdao Island became a public park and the island is planted with pines, sakura and other trees and flower plants, such as hibiscus and crape myrtle.
In the southern part of the small island stands a famous statue of a girl playing a zither. It is said she is waiting for her husband's safe return from the sea, hoping her melody will act as a charm.
In 2002 the statue was selected as the symbol of the city of Qingdao and small replicas are presented as official gifts to foreign guests.
Taiqing Palace
The Taiqing Palace in the Mt Laoshan is considered the origin of Laoshan Taoism, one of its most important branches of the philosophy.
It was built 2,000 years ago and has been reconstructed over the years in almost every dynasty. Today it is largely a Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279) structure, which is unusual in Chinese construction of religious sites.
The site covers more than 30,000 square meters. The palace contains the Sanguan Pavilion, Sanqing Pavilion and Sanhuang Pavilion.
Sanguan Pavilion is the oldest Taoist pavilion of Mt Laoshan and its gates face east. In northern China, the gates of most temples and pavilions face the south because that is considered the direction of authority. However, Taoists do not pursue power and authority, so they chose the east, sunrise-facing gate to show respect to guests.
The pavilion is mostly made of stone and brick with black tiles covering the roof. As a typical Taoist pavilion, it is not heavily gilded and magnificent as other temples, but it is dignified.
Sanguan Pavilion contains a rectangle courtyard surrounded by three pavilions, a main pavilion and two side halls.
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