{"id":2939,"date":"2024-04-18T06:46:24","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T06:46:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev-alumn-nus.pantheonsite.io\/alumnus\/?p=2939"},"modified":"2025-07-15T16:07:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T08:07:56","slug":"northern-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/2024\/04\/18\/northern-star\/","title":{"rendered":"Northern Star"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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As a tourist destination, the northeastern city of Qingdao may not immediately come to mind the way that megacities like Beijing and Shanghai do, but it has its own charm, says NUS alumnus Mr David Lye, who has called the city home for nearly 30 years. \u201cIt has a unique culture of its own, thanks to its history as a German outpost,\u201d explains the NUS Overseas Alumni Qingdao Ambassador, who is married to a Qingdao native, Ms Cynthia Xin.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Qingdao\u2019s illuminated waterfront makes for a dazzling spectacle at night.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Since 2004, Mr Lye has run a successful auto export business from the city. In the early 2000s, starting a business in Qingdao was a no-brainer. However, starting and running a business has gotten harder in recent years, given the growing tariffs and trade war between the United States and China. Still, this should matter little to travellers visiting the city whose name loosely translates to \u201cgreen island\u201d. \u201cIt blends the best of both worlds,\u201d says Mr Lye, pointing to how the old city has been preserved, with distinctive cobbled streets, colonial German architecture and red-roofed villas across the city.<\/p>

Food in Qingdao <\/b>has been greatly influenced by its location overlooking the Yellow Sea. \u201cI always recommend guests to try the seafood here: scallops, crabs, squid, yellow croaker\u2026 they are all fresh and can be cooked in any style you want,\u201d he says.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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There is no shortage of gastronomic delights in Qingdao.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Sights in Qingdao<\/b> largely centre on its unique history, a legacy of the city\u2019s German occupation between 1898 and 1914. The Qingdao Beer Museum<\/b> provides a glimpse back in time through old photos and preserved brewery equipment. You can also get to meet the staff behind the iconic beer and sample various brews.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The famous Tsingtao Brewery, a quintessential city landmark.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cDon\u2019t leave the city without checking out the old city\u201d, says Mr Lye. Noteworthy attractions include St Michael\u2019s Cathedral<\/strong>, a grand edifice built in the 1930s with a blend of Gothic and Romanesque architecture, and the Governor\u2019s House<\/strong>, originally the residence of the German governor and presently a captivating museum.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Given its history, the city boasts a proud architectural heritage.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Travellers would love Qingdao because of its weather! \u201cWe have four distinct seasons,\u201d says Mr Lye. The best time to visit is between April and May, when thousands of cherry trees bloom. Who says you need to go to Japan to take in the sakura season?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The city looks magical in autumn as well, as trees take on vibrant shades of red.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The most underrated shopping destination in the city is the Jimo road market, home to an assortment of goods and wares, all at low prices. A highlight to buy is jade and pearls, although the adage \u2018If it\u2019s too good to be true, it probably isn\u2019t true!\u2019 applies here.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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NUS ALUMNI OVERSEAS NETWORKS IN CHINA<\/b><\/p>

Did you know that Qingdao is one of seven NUS alumni overseas networks in China? Besides Qingdao, these are located in Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Xiamen.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Photos courtesy of David Lye<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NUS Overseas Alumni Qingdao Ambassador Mr David Lye (Arts & Social Sciences \u201995) takes us behind the veil of Qingdao, one of northern China\u2019s industrial hubs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2940,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2939"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2939\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3129,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2939\/revisions\/3129"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}