Beijing was not the only city in the People’s Republic of China that I visited. Qingdao was another interesting city that I saw and fell in love with. Qingdao is located in the southern section of the peninsula of Shandong in the province with the same name. Qingdao was once a colony of Germany as well as the home of the Kuomintang leader named Chiang Kai Shek. Before continuing, it should be remembered that before 1949, China suffered heavily. Before 1949, China was divided between Colonial Powers including Japan with the Chinese people being treated as second class citizens in their own country. The Western Countries cannot hide from the reality that existed. The only good that came from the German Occupation of Qingdao was a beer making tradition called Tsingtao Beer which will be discussed later. Regardless, Qingdao [as well as China] has made progress since 1949.

I was in Qingdao from the first of July 2008 to the third of July 2008. The first day started in Qingdao after arriving by train from Beijing. I stayed in the Xindong Hotel during this period and started by eating a heavy breakfast of asparagus, broccoli, and coffee. After breakfast, it was off to visit the Mansion of the former German Governor and the House of the Kuomintang Leader Chiang Kai Shek.

The Mansion of the former German Governor was lined with memories of the era in which he dominated the city. There was a photo of the German Governor and his family in the mansion. A Glass Painting of a Woman looking after her two children was also appreciated. A Balcony where the former German Governor looked from his study was appreciated. The house reminded me of the house of one of my family members in Cuba taking into account the architecture. The Mansion of the former German Governor was also the place where Chairman Mao Zedong as well other members of the Chinese Communist Party [including Deng Xiaoping] would sleep and hold their reunions. There was also a room where many dignitaries slept. The room had a commemorative plaque which stated that The King Father of Cambodia Norodom Sihanouk, Ho Chi Minh [Vietnam], and delegations from Albania and Australia slept. I saw the room and felt the presence of Norodom Sihanouk and imagining what it must have been to be in this room during his exile in 1972. I am of the personal opinion that the King Father of Cambodia Norodom Sihanouk will be remembered for his love of China, as well as the music and films that he has produced which have become timeless classics.

After visiting the Mansion of the Former Governor of Qingdao, I went with the rest of the CRI [China Radio International] Tour Group to the mansion of the Kuomintang Leader Chiang Kai Shek.

It was interesting to see where the Kuomintang Leader Chiang Kai Shek spent his time in Qingdao. The house itself was of a European Style Architecture and one was able to appreciate the rooms and beds of the period. One article that attracted my attention was a big transatlantic radio. While radio was the biggest medium during the majority of the twentieth century, the radio resembled one that my great uncle had while he was in New York.

The Tsingtao Brewery was one of the greatest places to visit. The Tsingtao Brewery was where the famous Tsingtao Beer is manufactured. The CRI [China Radio International] Group went on a tour of the Tsingtao Brewery. It was impressive seeing how beer is manufactured using its purest form of water, barley, and hops. I even smelled some of the hops. Helmut Mutt [the German Representative in the Olympic Tour of China] commented with members of CRI about the different types of beer and the laws governing the purity of beer. I paled in comparison since I was in expert in coffee. We saw the different buildings where the history of Tsingtao was shown via photos and commercials. There was a section of the museum where the person could pass through a room and feel what is like to be in a state of drunken stupor. I remember telling some of the CRI Staff about how in Medical School in the Dominican Republic, many students would celebrate their graduation from medical school [as well as from dental school] by baptizing each other with beer followed by water. It was a tradition that while good for some people could also damage people if they have an allergy to beer.

We were witness to how the beer was bottled or placed in cans after a thorough process that included boiling and fermentation. Again, I am not an expert in the beer manufacturing process so sorry if the terms were not used correctly. After touring the beer manufacturing section, we were lead to a replica of a bar where there were many souvenirs including beer label bottles and an invitation to drink beer. I declined since my body cannot dissolve the alcohol.

The staff of Tsingtao Beer photographed those in the tour and our faces appeared in the beer labels. I even had a photo taken next to the beer bottle with my face on it. The people with certain exceptions celebrated with the beer. While I was grateful to Tsingtao for the beer bottle, I ended having to share the beer inside the bottle with other people. The reason was simple, in the United States of America; it is unwise to bring a full beer bottle upon arrival. The US Customs and Homeland Security would confiscate the beer and any other belongings in the luggage. Regardless, I am forever grateful to CRI for taking me to the Tsingtao Brewery and I am grateful to the Tsingtao Brewery for their generosity in allowing me to visit them.

One of the commercial centres that attracted my attention has the name of Jusco and it was a commercial centre of eight floors. I myself who live in the United States of America was surprised by the size and diversity of products of such a beautiful place. I decided to buy a Philip Shaver which functions on AA Batteries since my Electric Shaver [which was a Philips bought in America] did not function in spite of having used a volt transformer. After purchasing the Philips Shaver, I decided to fall into temptation with a cup of a Cold Vanilla Latte. It appears that Chinatea [one of the manufacturers of Tea and Coffee] should open up shops in the United States of America. Again that is another proposal but Jusco was the place to enjoy one self. In the commercial centre parking lots, I was able to appreciate the billboards of Jackie Chan with Yao Ming exhorting the people to use their Visa Credit Cards, Sofia Vergara [Colombian Actress] telling people to consume Pantene Shampoo, and Shakira promoting MP3s by Sony.

Qingdao Beach is one of the beaches that is attractive and is like Miami and Key West in China. The people who visit this attractive beach are able to appreciate young couples taking photos for their future weddings and people taking photos of friends and families like if they were models or movie stars. It was a relaxed atmosphere with stores selling seashells and starfish. I was reminded of the times in Miami Florida within the beaches when people sold seashells and starfishes. The atmosphere also reminded me of how we should take care of our beaches and natural resources. The air and the sea were clean and the employees in Qingdao Beach did their best to maintain the beach clean.

There was a street alongside the sea that reminded me of a street in Santo Domingo called “El Malecon” [Street next to the sea]. A similar street exists in La Habana Cuba which I have yet to visit. The Consulate of the Republic of Korea [South Korea] is in this street as well as a Korean Restaurant located in the Sophia International Hotel. The Sophia International Hotel is located a few blocks from the Republic of Korea Consulate. There must be an obsession with Sofia Vergara since there is the Sophia International Hotel. Even though both are separate, it is a good comparison. The Sophia International Hotel also has a Korean Restaurant. The restaurant was impeccable like all restaurants in Qingdao and Beijing [in which cooks and waiters wear gloves and hats]. Since I am unable to have seafood, I was able to eat Noodles, Broccoli, with Orange Juice, Fanta, and Coffee. The Noodles and Broccoli were excellent.

Who could not conclude a trip to Qingdao without seeing the Olympic Venues for the Sailing Events as well as the Haier Factories?

For me, it was an honour and a moment of emotion to be able to visit the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Centre. I was able to witness the history of the Olympics including the torch. I carried the Beijing Olympic Torch replica as well as being photographed with the Los Angeles and Atlanta torch. It was a touching moment since the Atlanta Torch passed through the main avenue of my neighborhood in Miami Florida called Coral Way. After the visit to the Sailing Centre, CRI took photos of this humble listener in front of the American and Spanish Flag.

The CRI Tour group was treated to a trip around the Qingdao Bay by the Coast Guard of the People’s Republic of China. In spite of the photos, many people complained of being seasick. It is hoped that there is no bragging but a person who lives in Florida could not get seasick since Florida is a maritime state. It was a privilege and an honour to see the bay and I want to extend my thanks to the Coast Guard of the People’s Republic of China for their support in making this trip around the bay possible. It was also a pleasure to be able to see the city of Qingdao from the top of Xiaoyushan Park.

Haier is a company that is thinking in the mode of the twenty first century. Haier was founded in the year 1984 and is a company that manufactures air conditioners, electronic devices, and computers that turn off and on [secondary to parental controls]. Haier also has laptops of various colours, washing and drying machines that do not need detergents or water, and toilets that lift their seats automatically. The chairman of Haier spoke to us about how the customer is always right and how there are a Haier Building in New York as well as factories in diverse places such as South Carolina, Florida, Cuba, Iran, and Pakistan. I am convinced that Haier will overtake Whirlpool, Sears, Hitachi, and Mitsubishi in the future. My reason is that Haier is the company that has initiated the globalization process and knows how to treat its customers.

What is more that can be said about Qingdao except that it was very beautiful just like Beijing was beautiful? The crowning moment of the trip to Qingdao was the reception given by the municipal government in honour of CRI. It was an honour to see the Vice Director of CRI Wang Dongmei conversing with the Director of the Qingdao Publicity Department/ Executive Vice President of the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Committee Wang Wei about CRI and the Olympic Contest. The banquet in honour of the CRI Listeners was great. I enjoyed the banquet as well as the conversation with Wang Dongmei with the help of my interpreter Gao Huiying. These moments are forever etched in my memory.

Another defining moment was the visit to Taiqing Temple on Laoshan and burning incense as part of the ritual of respect to the civilization which is China. It was very emotional since I felt part of China and CRI. I will never forget the conversation I had with the people of Radio Qingdao who were nice. After all was finished, I took a return trip with the CRI Group on my first Air China flight from Qingdao to Beijing. I wish there was a direct flight from China to Miami Florida since both areas have a lot to offer each other. My trip to China will always remain in my mind. I would like to thank the following people.
The following is the Thank You Note that I wrote in Beijing, capital of the People’s Republic of China on the 30th of June 2008 with modifications as the trip progressed.

I would like to take the time to thank the People’s Republic of China and CRI English including Gao Huiying [my interpreter], Xie Tingting [my photographer], Guan Juanjuan [Deputy Director of CRI], Ye Feng [Deputy Director Associate Professor of the CRI Urdu Service], Jade Wang [Channel Director of Easy FM China Radio International], Meng Yi [West Asian and African Broadcasting Director], Xing Bo [Vice Director CRI Editorial Office], Fernando Bo [Asociacio Chinesa do Brasil], Wang Dongmei [Vice Director of CRI] and Yang Lei [Chief of CRI English] as well as the staff of Radio Qingdao.

I would also like to thank the members of the Government of the People’s Republic of China [National and Municipal], the China People’s Palace for hotel accomodations in Beijing, United Airlines for the flight to Beijing and then the return trip to Miami, the United States Embassy in Beijing, as well as fellow participants of the contest who were with me in this historic occasion Azam Ali Soomro [President of the Eagle International Radio Listeners Club in Pakistan], Dr. Rajitha Senaratne [Member of Parliament, Minister of Construction and Engineering Services in Sri Lanka], Helmut Matt [Germany], John Stephan Akwari [Tanzania][one of the runners of the 1968 Olympics in Mexico and proof that people can be inspired to do great things in sports], Semenykin Dymytro Stanislavovych [Ukraine], and Bounteng Vounsey [Laos].

Roberto Carlos Alvarez Galloso
Beijing, China 30th of June 2008
Qingdao, China: 3rd of July 2008
Miami, Florida: 6th of July 2008