Work took me to Weihai, China and I was excited to visit another new country. It was quite challenging to visit much of the places due to insane work pressure. But during that time also I managed to make some short trips and penned down in another blog , which you may find here.
https://siddhartasaha.wordpress.com/travelogues/say-hi-weihai/
For two weeks we literally slogged at work place and once the job was done, we earned much deserved day break before leaving Weihai and decided to go for a day trip.
Liugong Island is a complete package of its own. This was home of first Chinese Navy of Modern times and seen many bloody battle scenes. The Island has number of museums, hilltop view, temples , royal buildings , zoo and lots of other interesting things to see and do. One should reserve a day for Liugong to do justice to it.
There are regular ferries from Weihai to Liugong and one can buy return tickets. There are options to buy combo tickets which will give access to all major attractions and rides over there. During peak seasons and holiday, it can be very crowded, but the tourist centre is well managed.
We bought combo tickets and went straight to the open deck of the ferry. A short journey of 15 minutes cutting across waves took us to destination. The ride was enjoyable.
After getting down at Island we found some trolleybuses which take tourists from place to place. But there was hell lot of confusion as none of the operators could speak or understand english. We decided to roam round by our own and discovered some amazing places.
Sino-Japan War Museum
This is a huge museum dedicated to Chinese war history of modern times, mainly Sino-Japan war. In addition it gives nice history of Island and reason behind Qing dynasties decision to make this as a naval base. They wanted to establish a modern coastal defence against foreign naval aggression. Which was very common after first Opium War.
There are several pictures, paintings, weapons and other stuffs available on display which gives a fair idea about modern war and social history of China. I was intrigued by this hall and spent good bit of time here.
Sea God Temple
Liugong island played a major role in maritime history of China and is base for seamen for centuries. They used to come to this temple to offer prayers before voyage. There are some beautiful wall arts made of stones of different shades, and those are sure to grab attentions!
Modern History of Weihai Exhibition Hall
Weihai had been a colony of Britain for a brief period of 39. This exhibition hall has some nice paintings, models and heritage items on display to show how was the city under British rule.
Whale Museum
Different species of whales inhibit this part of Yellow Sea and their interaction with local human population is recorded since hundreds of years. May be for that reason a museum is dedicated here on Whales.
You are bound to stuck by the huge stuffed body of the animal and the skeleton. Plus, there are tons of interesting audio visuals and information available on whale and other marine creatures. Good place to spend some time specially with kids.
Mt. Qiding
Mt Qiding is highest point of Liugong Island and has been guardian post of sea and mainland for centuries. Reaching here by hiking can be tiring but thanks to the cable car which can take you to the top. Ride was included in our tickets, so we went straight to the station.
Cable car ride itself was awesome and it gave nice views of mountain, sea and island. One can see free roaming dears and other animals of zoo as well. In short, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
A short walk from the top station took us to the highest point of Mt. Qiding. The view is amazing from the top! We could see some old, made in Germany heavy cannons there mounted on rail and ready to fire 360 degrees. Those are old but seemed ready for action and still guarding the island from enemies.
Zoo
If you come to China and planning to visit a zoo, probably the reason is to see cute creature, Panda. The zoo here had number of those, but they seemed to be more interested in post lunch nap than posing for tourists 😊
Other than pandas, this zoo has deer of several types and other animals that little ones would enjoy. But by this time, we were very tired to venture more and called it quits.
We came down towards the ferry dock and found some shopping centre. These stalls are run by locals and they sell all kind of unbranded gifts, dresses, souvenirs and what not! After hard bargaining I bought some gifts for home.
Tips n Tricks:
If you are shopping in China, don’t forget and don’t hesitate to bargain (even in malls!) Shops are infamous for elevating prices 2-3 folds specially seeing foreigners. For example, I was quoted RMB 45 for an umbrella and I ended up getting two for 40!
Final Verdict:
If you are Visiting Weihai, Yantai or anywhere in Shandong province; Liugong Island is a must visit. It has plenty to offer so remember to keep entire day for all activities. Remember to carry your hiking shoes, water, caps and sun screens and may be some snacks. There will be lots of walking and hiking so prepare yourself. Summer can be very hot here and during winter some part of the Island may be closed due to snow, so please look for update before you plan your trips.
Some random clicks
The Urban Nomad 