Business Traveler, December/January 2019

b u s i n e s s t r a v e l e r u s a c o m 4 5 D E S T I N AT I O N S D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 9 nese Buddhism and Confucianism So any visit to Qingdao should be complemented with a trip to some of Shandongs other captivating locations such as the birthplace of Confucius and Mount Tai a revered mountain for Buddhism and Taoist worship Geographically the province sprawls for some 60000 square miles think of the state of Georgia with nearly 2000 miles of coastline It has a mountainous middle and attractive tourism areas given to names such as Fairyland Coast Affectionate Yimeng and the Oriental Holy Land Close to Qingdao a two to three hour drive or two hour by rail is the Fairyland Coast of northeast Shandong which juts out between the Bohai Huanghai and Yellow seas like a hand Here the Penglai Pavilion is considered one of the four great pavilions of China It sits atop Danya Hill covered by centuries old Cyprus trees and overlooking the confluence of the waters The massive gift shop is a good place to buy carvings exotic fruits and trinkets and area wines Or one can taste the wines at the source Yantai on the northern flank of the Fairyland Coast has become Chinas wine capital thanks to the work of Chang yu Pioneer Wine Company the countrys oldest and largest winery in the late 19th Century The terroir of this region compares to Bordeaux and the chateaux of the region to pour bottles of attention grabbing cabernets rieslings and chardonnays While the tastes cater to more local preferences the viticulture in China is catching on for tourism A tour of the Chang yu wine museum brings post tour tastings and a chance to contemplate a room size model of the new 1000 acre 870 million Disney style wine theme park with its palatial chateau a research institute wine production and a number of bars and restaurants TREASURES OF THE INTERIOR Farther afield but very much of interest is Shandongs capital Jinan Its a two hour high speed train ride from Qingdao five hours by car This is a magical city of geothermal mineral waters that bubble up from deep in the earth it can be enjoyed from gurgling fountains in tea in the local cuisine and in spas around the city Baotu Springs is one of the top water spouts in the city with pavilions gardens and peaceful pathways all in a stunning park setting A leisurely moat boat ride around Daming Lake makes a great intro to the city High end hotel spas offer geothermal heated swimming pools saunas Jacuzzis and massage services Among these are the Luxury Blue Horizon Hotel InterContinental Jinan City the Sheraton Jinan Swisshotel and Shangri La Hotel Jinan Xiamen Air is offering a complimentary roundtrip ticket to Jinan from Qingdao on Chinas high speed rail line to travelers taking the LAX DAO nonstop flight Business Class passengers will enjoy the rails 2x2 first class car service Coach passengers will ride in coach class with comfortable seats in two by three configurations