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 wildfire that engulfed part of a forest in Shantou City of south China's Guangdong Province on Sunday has been extinguished after 17 hours of concerted efforts by multiple departments including emergency response, firefighting and public security units.

Villagers living at the foot of Xianglu Mountain were the first to notice the fire erupting on its slopes.

"It looked far away and I thought it was just someone burning garbage," recalled one villager.

Upon discovering the fire, local authorities immediately organized personnel to combat the flames, with mobilization of over 200 rescuers from surrounding areas to assist in the firefighting efforts.

"We were divided into two to three groups, with one conducting regular firefighting and another using water pumps to extinguish the fire," said one rescuer.

Given the rapid spread of the fire, local officials also called in aerial support with helicopters to aid in extinguishing the blaze. Furthermore, many personnel organized by local grassroots departments were actively involved in the firefighting efforts.

By 06:00 on Monday, the wildfire was finally extinguished without causing any casualties. The dry climate in winter increases the risk of forest fire in the region. However, the cause of the forest fire is still under investigation.

Wildfire extinguished in south China's Guangdong after 17 hours of efforts