Little Qingdao Isle and Taoist Palace

A white lighthouse stands 15.5 meters high in the Little Qingdao Island and still serves as an important beacon for shipping in and out of Jiaozhou Bay. (Source: Shanghai Daily)

Among Qingdao's many attractions, Little Qingdao Island with its old German lighthouse and the Taoist temples on Laoshan Mountain offer spectacular views and tranquil settings.

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.