Originally named St.Emil Church after construction was finished in 1934, the Catholic Church (Tianzhu jiaotang) is Qingdao's largest and most opulent church. After climbing the steep road off Zhongshan Lu, the 200ft twin spires rise majestically before you, claiming dominance over the surrounding buildings. The cool white interior is interestingly offset by garish pictures and life-size wax models of famous Christians, including a huge mural of a beatific Mary and some simple, tattily clothed Franciscans.

The area around this church is also well worth a wander, with old 30s German buildings mixed in with modern Chinese concrete. The cobbled streets leading up to the church are normally filled with local Muslim vendors selling their wares, the meat and octupi on stick look intriguing, and are worth tasting.

Opening hours for the Church are highly variable and out of season the place only seems to open on Sundays, but even without entrance this area is definitely good to visit. Access to the twin towers was blocked off for renovations at the time of writing, but it is always worth asking about. As with the nearby Protestant Church, services are normally held here every Sunday.

Address: 15 Zhejiang Lu.

How to get Qingdao Catholic Church : Take the lane opposite the Qingdao Hotel on Zhongshan Lu.

Opening hours: Variable, but with services Sunday, 6am-7am and 6pm to 7pm.

Cost: RMB10.

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