Qingdao has changed over the last decade, from a quaint local tourist destination, to an international coastal business mecca. Although the environment as a whole is definitely cleaner and more suitable to the western lifestyle similar to Beijing and Shanghai, industrialization does take its toll and can be seen in the annual green-blue alga bloom that started in 2008 prior to the Qingdao sailing events of the Olympic games; its causes include excessive raw sewage and pesticide/fertilizer run off.
The city has grown rapidly in recent years, the small town feel is slowly being “white washed” by the influx of international business and towering skyscrapers. As one who has resided in Qingdao for the last decade, I must say that miss the the “Old Qingdao”, and gladly embrace the new. Experience Qingdao!