Lying across the Shandong Peninsula while looking out to the Yellow Sea, Qingdao today is a major seaport, naval base, and industrial center. It is also the site of the Tsingtao Brewery.

Qingdao City in Shandong Province topped China's top 10 leisure cities in the 2nd China International Leisure Development Forum & the Mayors' Summit of Leisure Cities held in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province on November 6, 2009. Qingdao attracts tourists with its location by the blue sea, the green mountains, the European flavor from the architecture and the abundant sports facilities.

The other nine cities in order are: Guiyang City in Guizhou Province, Jilin City in Jilin Province, Zhaoqing City in Guangdong Province, Chengde City in Hebei Province, Heyuan City in Guangdong Province, Jiaxing City in Zhejiang Province, Shiyan City in Hebei Province, Yingkou City in Liaoning Province, and Anshun City in Guizhou Province.