Just yesterday Qingdao Municipal Archives opened doors on an expansive exhibition consisting of hundreds of historical postcards gathered from around the world over the past several years by local collectors. The postcards picture scenic landscapes, local daily life, historic buildings and monuments in and around Qingdao, mostly during the first half of the 20th century. The collection includes both privately owned postcards and some from the in-house permanent collection.
A few highlights include:
- Women dressed in kimonos walking through the cherry blossoms of Zhongshan Park and then two large Shinto shrines built during the first Japanese occupation of Qingdao during 1914-1922.
- A large German eagle epigraph carved in a cliff just below Signal Hill that is no more.
- Traditional rural life in and around the Jiaozhou Bay area, including the large gates of Jimo which was a large walled-in city for many centuries.
There is also a short video near the entrance which includes footage of a horse race at what is now Tiantai Stadium (where Jonoon football club plays), as well as rural festivals around Qingdao. Unfortunately there are no translations of introductions and background information, but the images alone are a fascinating revelation of a Qingdao that once was. Also, on a side note, it does appear some of the supposed postcards are just copies, but a large percentage are certainly originals.
The Qingdao Municipal Archives is located on 148 Yanji Lu (延吉路148号) just east of the new Jusco/Wanda shopping center. The exhibition will be open daily from 9:00am-5:00pm up until May 31st and is free. View more information on the Qingdao Municipal Archives online.
Christopher
Thanks for the info! I went there today and it was great. Hundreds of postcards and the pictures alone are worth it. But the really good part is on the second and third floor:
there’s a fantastic museum there about Qingdao, even with English signs. Tells you about Qingdao through the years, starting from German times, over to Japanese and the Communists. And it’s for free! Well worth a visit.