Reminiscence of Qingdao (Excerpt)
By Liang Shiqiu
Trans. by Li Guoliang（李国梁）
Peiping1 is my hometown but never an ideal place in my eyes. This once prosperous, elegant city has gone through ups and downs, falling into decline, vulgarity, and even inferiority, and eventually out of all recognition. I may not have traveled a lot, but during my journey across a dozen provinces in China, from the eastern part of Liaoning in the north to the provinces in the south, I would list Qingdao as the perfect destination where everyone would really linger on.
Surrounded by sea and hills, Qingdao is a naturally formed city on the coast of the East China Sea and the Jiaozhou Bay estuary. In 1897, the 23rd year of the reign of the Guangxu Emperor, Germany rented the Jiaozhou Bay by force. Then Qingdao was opened up as a market with gigantic construction underway. Up to now, the look of Qingdao still retains the traces of the Germans. For instance, red-brick roofs set off the luxuriant greenery that caps undulating hills, offering a fantastic sight. In 1904, the 3rd year of the Republic of China, Qingdao was occupied by Japan and was not taken back until 1922, the 11th year of the Republic of China. While it was taken over by several warlords, little damage had been done on the surface. The foundations were solid that they couldn’t be destroyed in such a short while. The clean, tidy appearance has been maintained. Therefore, I believe that Qingdao is the cleanest among Chinese cities, to which Peiping is not comparable for the reason that the road in Peiping is piled with dust on sunny days and becomes muddy on rainy days.
The climate of Qingdao is continental, but the bay current moderates the change of seasons. Therefore, Qingdao is a worthy place where “it is flowery in the spring and has moon in the autumn, and it is bathed in cool summer breeze and snows in winter”. It does snow in winter, but only occasionally. And water won’t freeze even without fire in a house. It’s delightful to feel the cool breeze in summer and the expanse of sky and pleasant air in autumn. The blooming flowers in spring are even a feast for the eyes.
The ordinary Shandong people are stubborn and heroic in appearance but honest and gentle in their heart. Most of the officialdom in the country are shortsighted and good-for-nothing, something unworthy of the slightest mention. However, if you want to learn about the local customs in a place, you should start with the common people. The Qingdaonese are honest and warm-hearted, as can be seen among the populace. When I first arrived in Qingdao, I noticed that the rickshaw pullers never bothered about the fare, and all the passengers paid one jiao2 when getting off and two jiao for a longer journey. No one bargained. Such a phenomenon is not found elsewhere throughout the country. This is said to be an invisible system left by the Germans. However, it is commendable for this tradition to last for such a long time. In the markets of Qingdao, one hardly sees the evil practice of bargaining. Trivial as it is, it is of great significance. Shandong was formerly the states of Qi and Lu in ancient China, where sages Confucius and Mencius were born and brought up. No wonder, comments someone with a sigh, that Qingdao is shaped by the legacy of these sages.
Notes:
1. Peiping: former name of Beijing from 1368 to 1403 and from 1928 to 1949.
2. jiao: a fractional unit of money in China (=1/10 of a yuan or 10 fen)