Meet Van Gogh Café [Photo/Qingdao Today]

On August 8, a project for opening up historical buildings in Taipingjiao of Qingdao’s Badaguan scenic area to visitors was officially launched. Taiping Bay Modern Art Exhibition Hall and another four villas, all located along Taipingjiao No. 1 Road, will open first. Numerous stories about Qingdao can be told

The historical buildings, which used to be off-limits to tourists, carry numerous stories about Qingdao.

Thirteen historical villas to open within the year

The Taipingjiao area, spanning roughly 110 hectares on the east side of Badaguan Scenic Area, is surrounded by sea on three sides. Extending from Taipingjiao No.1 Road on the west to Taipingjiao No.6 Road on the east, it has a collection of 140-odd historical buildings, most of which were masterpieces of Chinese and foreign architects from the 1920s and 1930s.

The five historical villas opened on August 8 complete the first phase of the project. Another eight villas are scheduled to open within the year, including the former sites of consulates. National pavilions of Belgium, Britain, Norway and Finland, and Italy will be erected on the sites as venues for economic, cultural and academic exchanges. A literature bar in honor of Chinese writer Guo Moruo (1892-1978) will also be inaugurated.

Taiping Bay Modern Art Exhibition Hall [Photo/Qingdao Today]

The authorities defines the future position of Badaguan as follows: "Badaguan should make its visitors feel as if they were in Europe. Every last one of its buildings should represent a country. It should create a sense of travelling back in time to when Qingdao was known for being a gathering place of buildings in a rich variety of foreign architectural styles.”

So far, Huashi Lou, Gongzhu Lou, Hudie Lou, Geological Exhibition Hall, and Spain Pavilion have opened one after another. These historical buildings and courtyards have been given modern functions. While being of high aesthetic value, they are also places of historical and cultural interest. Numerous stories can be told about them.

5,000-square-meter additional public art space

On August 8, two villas covering 5,000 square meters at the intersection of Taipingjiao No. 1 Road and Zhanshan No.3 Road were renamed as Taiping Bay Sculpture Park. An additional two historical buildings will be used to house the Taiping Bay Modern Art Exhibition Hall, another public art space.

Taiping Bay Modern Art Exhibition Hall, located on No. 18, Taipingjiao No.1 Road, is especially worth mentioning. The two-storey brick and wood structure was originally built in 1930. Designed by a French architect, the building has a floor area of merely 190 square meters, but is attached with a courtyard of close to 2,000 square meters, thus a typical example of Badaguan’s unique architectural feature.

Taiping Bay Modern Art Exhibition Hall collects replicas of 20-odd classical European oil paintings [Photo/Qingdao Today]

The first exhibition of the hall will feature twenty-four works by twelve famous foreign watercolorists. The works will show how extensive and diverse the creation of modern water colorists of different countries is.

Meanwhile, an exhibition of replicas of classical European oil paintings will be staged. The more than 20 works on show, all created by painters from Chinese academies of fine arts, have a religious theme and reflects the essence of western traditional art and culture.

Placed in a 5000-square-meter courtyard and set off by lush green plants, the life-size replicas of 13 timeless European sculptures on such themes as the Garden of Eden and Green mythology are very eye-catching. When you are in it, you feel like being in a European courtyard.

The co-exhibition of excellent water color paintings from around the world and classical European oil paintings set the tone for the exhibition hall as a public venue for cross-country cultural and art exchanges.

A lush courtyard in Taipingjiao [Photo/Qingdao Today]

Concentration of various forms of business

When you step out of the exhibition hall through its door on Taipingjiao No. 1 Road, the flower wall of Meet Van Gogh, a local café, will come into sight. The two-storey building fully embodies a design philosophy of simplicity and comfort plus a rich artistic flavor.

Black Forest Music Restaurant, with live classical German music, reproduces the flavor of Bavaria, Germany and serves German beer along with other authentic German foods.

Claude Monet Garden Theme Boutique Hotel is decorated mainly with paintings centering on Monet's garden and even its interior walls are painted in the color of water lily, the plant featured in Monet's garden.

The historical buildings, where businesses involving art, accommodation, catering, literature, technology, and so forth are concentrated, reflect Qingdao’s culture. They are places to have a taste of European food and live in a European setting. This is exactly the message Taipingjiao is trying to send.

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