Yantai China

“People mountain, people sea” is a Chinese saying that I use quite a lot, and it means that wherever you look, there are thousands of people. If you have never lived in China, the term “population density” will have a very different meaning for you compared to me. No matter where you go in China, you have to get used to the fact that there will be hundreds or thousands of people everywhere. That is just life in China. So when my friend told me about a small little city called Yantai with a hotel on the beach with very few people there, I did not believe him, but I decided to go there and have a look for myself.

 

 

OMG, my friend was so right. The beach was almost empty except for a few local people fishing. It was clean, with almost no pollution and no crowds. This must be China’s best-kept secret. Unfortunately, I only had two days off from work, but it was such a peaceful two days. I cannot remember having so much space and freedom in China before.

 

 

I guess I must be one of the first foreigners to visit Yantai because wherever I went, all I heard was the Chinese word 老外 (lao wai, which means foreigner), and everyone was amazed at me. Besides that, it was so peaceful. No matter where you walked, there was just a mass of empty space and the quiet atmosphere of nature. A complete disconnect from the modern world in China, and it was beautiful to find this kind of freedom. Most Chinese people travel to the West to find this kind of isolation.

 

 

This section of Yantai is under heavy development, so I doubt it will be this peaceful forever. All around, you can see development encroaching on the beach area. My best guess is that within the next two years, this little quiet part of the Chinese world will be swallowed by the development monster that is sweeping through China right now.

 

 

 

 

I think the hotel plans to be an expensive getaway resort, but right now, their prices are extremely cheap because no one knows about it or is going there. I think the entire hotel only had three couples while I was there. You have to love the privacy you get under those circumstances.

 

 

Shaun.