ESTABLISHED about 120 years ago, Qingdao is an immigrant city which has contributed greatly to China’s modernization. Although there have not been many renowned artists born in Qingdao, many of them lived and worked here for years.

    In the 1930s, great writers such as Wen Yiduo, Liang Shiqiu, Shen Congwen, Hong Shen, Lao She and Wang Tongzhao had all lived in the young city for years, working on their novels and academic research and bringing culture. During that period, Qingdao was one of China’s key cultural cities.

    Although these great men had already gone, their former residencies in Qingdao will be used as heritage sites to preserve their spirits.

    Around the Ocean University of China, there are many buildings that date back to the early 20th century. Fushan Road, Yushan Road and Daxue Road have many homes that were once inhabited by famous people, including Hong Shen, Shen Congwen, Lao She, Wen Yiduo, Xiao Hong and Yang Zhensheng and famous scientists and scholars such as Hua Gang, Zhu Shuping, Tong Dizhou, Su Xingbei, Wang Xiantang and Mao Hanli.

    Why were so many famous writers and scholars attracted to such a young city like Qingdao? In the 1930s, Qingdao was under the direct administration of the central government the same as Nanjing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Hankou in Wuhan, said Sun Baofeng from the research department of Qingdao Achieves.

    Meanwhile, Qingdao was also a developed coastal city with a beautiful natural environment. Scholars such as Cai Yuanpei, Liang Shiqiu,  Shen Congwen, Lao She and Su Xuelin all expressed their love for Qingdao. Due to a beautiful environment, they came to live or spend their holidays here for work and research.

    According to a research, there were more than 20 newspapers, including more than 10 foreign-language newspapers here in the 1930s. The number of foreign-language newspapers was the second-highest in the country, just slightly fewer than Shanghai. There was also an advanced range of culture magazines.

    (Wang Yuanyuan, Liu Yanqing)