The phrase Lao Tsingtao refers to 老青岛 in the Qingdao local dialect meaning “old Qingdao”, i.e. someone who is native to or very familiar with Qingdao, or something that is very historical and representative of the city. Check out the eponymous group on our site here.
Qingdao’s collection of turn of the century architecture remains evidence that this city was once a German concession/colony on the Yellow Sea. The title shot shows both famous churches in Qingdao, the yellow Lutheran Church (look for the clock tower) on Jiangsu Lu and the double spire Catholic Church on Zhejiang Lu just off Zhongshan Lu (original downtown Qingdao) to the left (only one spire is visible).
Check out the honey bees being kept near the tower at Zhan Shan Temple. Zhan Shan is the largest Buddhist temple in the city and retains a semi rural location in the middle of the green belt around Zhongshan Park and Qingdao Botanical Gardens.
Mom and pop shops operate out of family ground floor flats in lieu of a 7-11 or Hao Yi De. This one is near the COSCO Institute (Jiangxi Lu gate) in the Ba Da Hu neighborhood.
Bicycles in Qingdao circa 10 BC (“Before Cars”). This shot is from the mid 90’s, about 10 years before cars became common in Qingdao and bicycles were still the main form of private wheeled transportation.
Photos by ceramic artist Derek Walter, who previously taught English at the Qingdao Textile Institute and Qingdao Mariner’s College in the early 90’s. He’s better known as the Laowai Who Shagged A Minibus on the way to class.