Every once in a while something from the days of the German occupation of Qingdao crops up on the net.
Collector’s items from old postcards to photos to miscellaneous stuff that came from QD from back in the day are offered online for those who want to begin or supplement a collection. For example, this copper plaque showing the Port of Qingdao, which bears the name of Qingdao stylized in German as Tsingtau.
The item description says this about the plaque and the city of Qingdao:
From 1898 it was leased for a period of 99 years by the national government to the German Empire and was known at the time as Tsingtau.
German colonists established a brewery in 1903 that still brews and sells Tsingtao beer.
In 1914, a few months after the start of the First World War, it was captured by Japan and Great-Britain during the Siege of Tsingtao.
This plate is from the German period of 1898 – 1914. It is not entirely certain what this plate was for. The back of the plate has a groove, but the function is unknown.
The plate bears the German text “Hafen von Tsingtau” (Tsingtau Harbour). It also bears 4 Chinese characters: 青岛 (Qingdao) 船 (Boat) (Dock)
Many fun details can be seen on the plate, including the harbour and the lighthouse “Ju Nui San”.
The plate is very sturdy and heavy, made of 7.5 kg copper.
Find out more information on the German history of Qingdao.