Qingdao History

Ancient Times:
The earliest history of Qingdao City can be traced back to 6,000 years ago when this area had Human Beijing settled down here, which called Dongyi nationality,it is one of the important origins of the Chinese nation. They live there and created the culture of Longshan,Dawenkou and Dongyeshi.The area in which Qingdao is located today was named Jiao'ao when it was administered by the Qing Dynasty on 14 June 1891.

German colonial period and Japanese occupations:
In 1891, the Qing dynasty Imperial Chinese government decided to make coastal Tsingtao (Jiao'ao) a defense base against naval attack and began to improve Qingdao's existing fortifications. Imperial German naval officials observed and reported on this Chinese activity during a formal survey of Jiaozhou Bay in May 1897. Subsequently, German troops seized and occupied the fortification.The unmodernized and ineffective Qing Empire was forced to concede the area to Germany the following year, and the Kiautschou Bay concession, as it became known, existed from 1898 to 1914. Upon gaining control of the area, the Germans outfitted the impoverished fishing village of "Tsingtao" (Qingdao) with wide streets, solid housing areas, government buildings, electrification throughout, a sewer system and a safe drinking water supply, a rarity in large parts of Asia at that time and later.

After a minor British naval attack on the German colony on Shandong in 1914, Japanese Empire troops occupied the city and the surrounding province during the Siege of Tsingtao after Japan's declaration of war on Germany in accordance with the Anglo-Japanese Alliance.China protested Japan's violation of her neutrality but did and was not able to interfere in the military operations.The decision of the Paris Peace Conference and the Versailles Treaty negotiations not to restore Chinese rule over the previous foreign concessions in Qingdao after the Great War triggered the May Fourth Movement (May 4, 1919) of anti-imperialism, nationalism and cultural identity in China.

The city reverted to Chinese rule in December 1922,under control of the Republic of China (R.O.C.) established 1912 after the Chinese Revolution the year before.Japan re-occupied Qingdao in 1938,and returned after the Japanese surrender in September 1945. On June 2, 1949, shortly before the founding of the communist People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949 the city was taken by Chairman Mao Zedong and his troops.


Qingdao City Planning and Development
The development of Tsingtao urban space during Germany-occupied period (1891–1914) originated from the port area. Large scale urban construction began in 1898 with the relocation of Chinese dwellers along the coast.
The development of Tsingtao urban space during the first Japan-occupation period (1914–1922). In 1914, Tsingtao was taken over by Japanese and served as a base for the exploitation of natural resources of Shandong and northern China.

The development of Tsingtao urban space during the ROC-ruled period (1922–1938). This period saw the substantial progress of the urban development of Tsingtao. The government engaged itself in mass construction that gave birth to villa districts at the beach and bank groups in CBD.

The development of Tsingtao urban space during the second Japan-occupied period (1938–1945). Japan staged a comeback to Tsingtao in 1938 and started to strive for the construction of the Greater Tsingtao in the following June. Accordingly, they worked out the City Planning of the Greater Tsingtao and the City Planning of the Mother Town (Tsingtao City Proper), even though they had not had the opportunity to realize them respectively.


Past World War II
After World War II the KMT allowed Qingdao to serve as the headquarters of the Western Pacific Fleet of the US Navy in 1945. On 2 June 1949, the CCP-led Red Army entered Qingdao and the city and province have been under PRC control since that time.