Life in Qingdao
Qingdao is a city on the west shore of the Pacific Ocean. The city borders inland areas of Shandong Province to the north and west. Qingdao covers a land area of 11,282 km² and a sea area of 12,240 km². The city has a resident population beyond 10 million and has jurisdiction over seven districts: Shinan, Shibei, Licang, Laoshan, Huangdao, Chengyang and Jimo, and three county-level cities of Jiaozhou, Pingdu and Laixi. Qingdao University of Technology is located in the Huangdao district of Qingdao.
Qingdao is one of China’s regional economic power houses, one of China’s top five seaports for international trade, and a maritime transportation hub. A number of China’s top-ranking enterprises, such as Haier, Hisense, Double Star, Aucma, Tsingtao Brewery and CRRC Sifang, are headquartered in Qingdao, and their products are very popular at home and abroad.
Qingdao is steeped in rich historical and cultural heritage and is widely recognized as a cradle of Taoism. Qingdao has long been reputed as a favoured location for the filming of movies and television series and an “island of music”. Qingdao is one of China’s first coastal cities opening to the outside world. Up to today, the city has established sister-city relations or friendly-cooperative-city relations with 70 cities of other countries.
Qingdao is one of the best-known tourist destinations in China and it has 49 bays and 69 islets. Qingdao’s perpetual cityscape is characterized by “red roofs nestling in green foliage” and “the blue sea meeting the azure sky”. The Badaguan Scenic Area is renowned as “a museum of world architectural styles”. Mount Lao is China’s highest coastal mountain. Over 100 exhibitions and conventions are held in Qingdao every year, including the Qingdao International Beer Festival and China International Consumer Electronics Show.
- Pleasant Climate: Mild temperatures ranging from -5°C to 30°C, with comfortable summers (20–25°C from May–October).
- Cultural Vibrancy: Home of Tsingtao Beer and host of a major annual beer festival. It was also the sailing host for the 2008 Olympics.
- Excellent Connectivity: Well-developed public transport (Metro, buses, e-scooters) and easy access via flight (≈1.5 hours from Beijing/Shanghai), 3 h train to Beijing.
- Dynamic Environment: A city blending historic charm with modern development, offering a high quality of life.
About Qingdao University of Technology (QUT)
Founded in 1952, Qingdao University of Technology (QUT) is a flagship Chinese university renowned for pushing the boundaries of knowledge and innovation. It is a comprehensive institution excelling in Engineering, integrated with Science, Economics, Management, Literature, Law, and Art.
Its major academic pillars are Civil Engineering & Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, and Environmental Engineering.
Recognized for excellence, QUT is part of the national “Project 111”, a Ministry of Education initiative to establish premier innovation centers.
The university comprises 12 schools, 29 national and provincial research platforms, over 38,000 students, and 2,400 faculty members across a 200+ hectare campus.
QUT is ranked among the top 51–75 universities worldwide in Civil Engineering and 401–500 in Environmental Sciences and Engineering in the World Shanghai University Ranking.
School of Environmental & Municipal Engineering
International Activities
The School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering has strong links with leading international universities in the world. The school participated in two successful Erasmus+ projects, EU Horizon Europe Water JPI project and several Norway and South Korea funded bilateral projects.
Professors from QUT, UBC- Canada, SNU-South Korea, NMBU-Norway visiting a project meeting at the University of Hokkaido, Japan.
