Qingdao draws crowds with cinematic charm, booming coastal tourism

The coastal city of Qingdao in east China's Shandong Province is witnessing a boom in tourism, driven by its cinematic charm and popular filming locations that continue to captivate moviegoers and travelers alike.

With its unique mix of historic European-style architecture and natural coastal beauty, the city has long attracted filmmakers and became the shooting location for many successful domestic films and TV dramas, such as "A Little Red Flower" (2021), "As Beautiful As You" (2024) and the military-themed movie "Operation Leviathan" (2025).

"We came here after watching the movie ["A Little Red Flower"]. The gorgeous sunset here serves as the perfect backdrop for couples like us to pledge our love to each other. I will never forget about this scene for the rest of my life," said a female traveler who recently visited the Taiping Mountain cableway with her boyfriend.

At the China Movie Metropolis in Qingdao, the country's first heavy industrial film base, tourists can experience the movie scenes and even taste the food that appeared in films.

"Tasting this dish reminds us of the TV drama series ["As Beautiful As You"] and is a way for us to pay tribute to our youth and our dreams," said a tourist dining in a restaurant at the base with her friend.

For fans of submarine action blockbuster "Operation Leviathan", a follow-up to the 2018 film "Operation Red Sea", the film's shooting location in Qingdao is a must-see place. Here, visitors can board the "Dragon Whale" submarine featured in the film and engage in a virtual deep-sea battle.

Official data showed that during the National Day holiday from Oct 1 to 8, Qingdao's overall tourism order volume increased by 18 percent year on year.

Qingdao draws crowds with cinematic charm, booming coastal tourism

Qingdao draws crowds with cinematic charm, booming coastal tourism

A Japanese expert warned that rising oil prices are beginning to slow Japan's economic recovery and push up overall prices, and that tapping national oil reserves is not a long-term solution.

Japan will start releasing oil from state reserves on Thursday as concerns over supply mount amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

The measure, announced by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a meeting of relevant Cabinet members to discuss ways to cushion the impact of the tensions in the Middle East on the Japanese economy, comes after Japan started releasing oil from private-sector stockpiles last Monday.

Masatoshi Kojima, a professor in the Department of Business Administration at Momoyama Gakuin University, said the policy assumes the Middle East crisis will end soon; if it doesn't, the policy will require a dramatic adjustment.

"In fact, I don't believe that the current policy (of releasing oil reserves) is sustainable in the long term. The policy currently rests on the assumption that the crisis in the Middle East will end soon. If it drags on, I think the policy will need significant adjustment," said Kojima.

On the economy, Kojima warned that continued rises in crude oil prices would put long-term pressure on Japan.

"The Japanese economy is recovering steadily, but ongoing Middle East tensions could have a major impact. If the crisis is resolved quickly, the damage will be limited. However, given the uncertainty, if consumers and investors start cutting back, the economic fallout could be far greater than expected even after the tensions end," said Kojima.

Releasing state oil reserves not long-term solution for government: Japanese expert