Yantai

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East China (华东) » Shandong (山东) » Yantai (烟台)

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Shandong Province
Shandong Province

[edit] Overview

Yantai is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. Located on the southern coast of the Bohai Sea and the eastern coast of the Laizhou Bay, Yantai borders the cities of Qingdao and Weihai to the southwest and east respectively.

The largest fishing seaport in Shandong and a robust economic center today, Yantai used to be known to the West as Chefoo, a misnomer which refers, in Chinese, solely to Zhifu Island, which is historically governed by Yantai.

The contemporary name of Yantai came from the watchtowers constructed on Mount Qi in 1398, during the reign of the Hongwu Emperor, founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty (yan—smoke; tai—tower). The towers served to raise alarms against invasions of Japanese pirates.

--from wikipedia.org

[edit] History

The region was inhabited by the non-Han people of the Eastern Yi (東夷), who were believed to have established a small state during the Xia Dynasty on the site of present-day Laizhou City. It became a feudal state called Lai (萊國) until the Warring States Period, when it was annexed by the State of Qi. During the Qin Dynasty, Yantai belonged to the Qi Prefecture, later renamed Donglai Prefecture (東萊郡) during the Han Dynasty. The area was known as the Donglai Kingdom during the Jin Dynasty (265-420) but later returned to prefecture status (first jùn, then zhōu). In the Tang Dynasty and following it was known as the Teng-chou prefecture, part of Henan Circuit. Next, the city became the Laizhou Subprefecture (萊州府) and, eventually, the Dengzhou Subprefecture (登州府) in the time of the Qing Dynasty. A Qing Dynasty postage stamp from Yantai, then known as Chefoo

In July 1858 the Chinese empire signed the Treaty of Tianjin and Dengzhou was renamed for the last time. Yantai opened its harbor for business in May 1861, but was not officially designated an international trading port until later that year on August 22. This decree was accompanied by the construction of the Donghai Pass (東海關). 17 nations, including Britain, established embassies in Yantai. The Chefoo Convention was signed there in 1876.

Yantai literally means "smoky tower". In the Ming Dynasty, locals used wolf dung to light fires (Langyan) to warn the whole village of approaching Japanese Pirates (Wokou). The city was nothing but a small fishing village until the late 19th century when it became a treaty port for the British, handed over by the falling Qing Dynasty, which had been defeated in the Opium War. Then with the Germans' power over the whole Shandong peninsula in early 20th century, Yantai was also controlled by Germans for about 20 years. After the Americans won World War I, they turned Yantai into a summer station for their entire Asian fleet. Then the Japanese set up a trading establishment in the town. You may be able to get an idea of the different influences at the western style Yantai Museum, which used to be a guild hall. However, the colourful history has not left a distinctive architectural mark, there has never been a foreign concession, and though you will see an occasional nineteenth-century grand European building, most of the town is of much more recent origin. After liberation, the town's name was changed from the original, Chefoo, to Yantai and was opened to the world as an ice-free trade port in 1984.

On November 12, 1911, the eastern division of Tongmeng Hui declared itself a part of the revolutionary movement. The next day, it established the Shandong Military Government (山東軍政府) and, the day after that, renamed itself the Yantai Division of the Shandong Military Government (山東煙台軍政分府). In 1914, Jiaodong Circuit (膠東道) was established with Yantai as the capital. Jiaodong Circuit was renamed Donghai Circuit (東海道) in 1925. On January 19, 1938, Yantai participated as part of an anti-Japanese revolutionary committee.

After the creation of the People's Republic of China, in 1950, Yantai was officially awarded city status with the outer lying towns of Laiyang and Wendeng (文登) tacked on as "Special Regions" (专区). Wendeng was merged into Laiyang six years later, and this larger Laiyang Special Region was combined with Yantai City to become simply Yantai Region (烟台地区). Yantai is of strategic importance to Chinese defence as it and the city of Dalian are primary coastal guard points for Beijing. In November 1983, the region became a prefecture-level city. Since then, Yantai has worked its way into becoming a modernized economic center in Shandong Province.

--from wikipedia.org

[edit] Map

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[edit] Video

Yantai

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[edit] Getting in & Getting out

[edit] By Air

International flights to Seoul, Osaka and Hong Kong are available. Domestic flights connect Yantai with more than 20 major cities in China, such as Beijing (daily, 1 hour), Harbin (daily, 2 hours), Jinan, (daily, 35 minutes), Shenyang, (daily, 2 hours), Ningbo (daily, 1.5 Hours), Dalian (daily, 45 minutes) Chengdu (4 hours), Guangzhou (3 hours), Kunming (4 hours), Shanghai (daily, 1.5 hours), Shenzhen (3 hours), Wuhan (daily, 2 hours) and Xi'an (2 hours). The airport is 15 kilometres south of the city. An airport shuttle bus (RMB10) is available at No.6, Dahaiyang Lu. A taxi ride to Laishan or downtown can cost you about RMB40.

[edit] By Train

Yantai is easily accessible from Jinan and Qingdao with frequent trains daily. But rail transport may be inconvenient if you travel long-distance, as there are no direct or fast trains. Sometimes you need to transit at Jinan.

[edit] By Bus

The Yantai-Weifang (272 kilometres), Yantai-Qingdao (276 kilometres) and Yantai-Weihai (86 kilometres) high quality superhighways have been put into service. Minibuses run between Yantai and nearby cities, such as Qingdao (3.5 hours) and Weihai (1.5 hours). The long distance bus station is southwest of the railway station on Qingnian Lu.

[edit] By Ship

There are seven slow boat departures daily to Dalian at the ferry terminal. A third class bed costs RMB114-160 and the journey takes 8 hours. An alternative fast boat (four departures daily) which takes only 3.5 hours at RMB170. There are also boats to Tianjin, but only in the summer. Several Korean ports can be reached by boat which takes approximately 16 hours, including Pusan (Thursday, 11:00am), Qunshan (Monday, 11:00am). Japan can be reached by boat which takes approximately 30 hours, Kobe (Tuesday, 12:00am).

--from wikitravel.org

[edit] Getting Around

[edit] By Public Bus

There are about 30 public bus lines in service. Bus Line No.10 and 17 are by far the most useful for travelers for sight seeing purposes. No. 10 goes from the railway station, then passes Nan Dajie and turns east down the coast. No. 17 goes from the railway station to the coast and all the way to the municipal government in newly-developed Laishan District.

[edit] By Tour Bus

[edit] By Metro

[edit] By Taxi & Rental Car

Taxi is a good means of going places with a flagfall fare of RMB7.

--from wikitravel.org

[edit] Attractions

[edit] Hotels

[edit] Budget

[edit] Mid Range

[edit] Luxury

[edit] Restaurants

One French restaurant, one American-Diner style restaurant, a few Japanese and Korean restaurants and lots of Chinese seafood restaurants (well what do you expect, it is the seaside?!).

There are several great restaurants in Yantai: Penglaichen is very good: "hen hao." Penglaichun is over 100 years old, and some of the dishes are truly fabulous. The dining experience is quaint and very well tailored to a lone gentleman diner, a well-to-do family, or an intimate dinner date. The staff is very friendly and well mannered, and they invited foreigners in with open arms.

Jackies Cuisine serves great western style food in a nice hard rock cafe style environment, with many Europeans, Americans, Australians, and Chinese businessmen and women. It is a good place to meet some fellow English speakers, and also to just sit at the bar, eat peanuts and drink some great imported beers. They serve Quesadillas, Burgers, Fries, Fajitas (beef or chicken), chile, chips and salsa, fish and chips, and much more. Jackie keeps the only real cheese inventory in Yantai, so if your hankering is for cheese, drop by and pick up a brick. Jackie is kind and fun loving. The staff speaks English very well. The flat screen LCDs are often bussing with concert videos of Queen, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, and other great Western musical acts. I recommend the Jalapeno Burger, medium well, some fires, heinz ketchup, and a Guinness beer. If that sounds to Western for you, then try one of the Chinese restaurants below. You won't be disappointed.

[edit] Chinese food restaurants

Penglaichun Restaurant It is a time-honored restaurant and specializes in cooking sea food. It's said that the dishes are tasty but not too expensive. Recommended food: Quanjiafu (Hotchpotch), Soft-fried Oyster and Scrambled Eggs with Agarics. Location: No.13 Dingxi Road, Yantai

Xile Restaurant Highly recommended for its food but its service and environment are not so good. Recommended food: Fish Dumplings, Garlic-Style Scallop, and Fried Leek Dumplings. Location: No.52 Huanshan Road, Yantai

Shunshui-renqing Quite good environment as it is near to the Golden Beach. Recommended food: Dove Soup and pumpkin pies. Location: No.34 Haibin Road, Yantai

Yantai Renjia Old Restaurant Good service and dishes are moderately priced. It is not so crowded. Recommended food: Soft-fried Shrimp Meat, Stir fried Crab, Fish Ball Soup, Penglai Noodles. Location: No.32 Beima Road, Yantai

Juxiangyuan Casserole It specializes in casserole, a dish with soup cooked in the clay pot. It comes in many flavors, such as Beef Casserole, Chicken Casserole with Mushrooms and the Vegetable Casserole. Location: No.7 Huamao Street, Yantai.

Western food restaurants Jackie's Western Food Many locals feel that this restaurant is the most native western food restaurant, with good service and tasty food in Yantai. Location: No.14 Huanshan Road, Yantai.

Recently opened Jusco in Laishan District has a number of Japanese, Korean and Chinese restaurants as well as McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut

Mingtien Coffee Language It serves coffee and western food. Location: No.51 Shifu Street, Yantai

--from wikitravel.org

[edit] Shopping

French-owned Yantai-based Louis Wann [1] makes wines and a good brandy.

Changyu Winery has also been around for over 70 years and their wines are pretty good.

[edit] Night Life & Entertainment

  • ChaoYangJie The place to be seen in Yantai! Although it has a slightly seedy reputation within the city, ChaoYang street is most definitely the ex-pats' first port of call when feeling homesick. Trendy locals and ex-pats mix along the street, and for many westerners its the only place where you can bump into other native English-speakers.
  • Bohemia Bar, ChaoYangJie (on the corner of the northern, seaside-end of the street). A welcoming and relaxing western-owned joint to start an evening in.

Midway down the street, Havana bar plays good western music and has a fantastic atmosphere after 12 if you want to dance (again, western staff).

Revelers were very friendly during my many drunken nights out on ChaoYang street, however, local mafia are known to operate the bars in the area and so a little vigilance is required.

Alibaba's newly opened bar is also a great place up the hill about 10 minutes by taxi from the beach hotels, and has great atmosphere with hip-hop music and great long bar, and also has about 20 pool tables in the adjoining area.

Bracchus Bar just a few minutes walk from Chiayangji is also an upmarket western style bar

  • DRUID's the newest bar now in Yantai is an Irish Pub with typical Irish decor. With Guiness, Kilkenny, Strongbow and Heineken on tap, good Irish music and soft rock, genuine wood interior, satelite tv, pool room, library with wireless internet, it is the place to go. Located midway down Chao Yang Jie, near Havana bar.
  • Baby Face Club - Located downtown, the only real clubbing experience Yantai offers, Baby Face Club offers you loud house music, laser lights galore, poor bar service, cover charge and cross dressing bartenders

--from wikitravel.org

[edit] Sports & Recreation

[edit] Excursions & Day Trips

[edit] Tips & Practical Info

[edit] See also

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