Jimo, a shining pearl in the east of the internationalized metropolis Qingdao, faces the Yellow Sea on the east and Japan and South Korea across the sea. With a land area of 1,780 square kilometers and a sea area of 2,517 square kilometers, Jimo enjoys abundant natural resources in terms of mountains, seas, islands, hot springs and beaches. Some of them include globally rare seawater hot springs, Mashan Stone Forest (one of three wonder stone pillar groups in the world), and Heshan showing the “beautiful scenery of Laoshan”, which is regarded as the holy land of Taoism. Apart from that, there are over 30 bays of different sizes such as Tianheng Island, Daguan Island and Xiaoguan Island scattered like pearls along the of 183-kilometer “Gold Coast”.
 

Aerial View of Jimo

Looking back at the origin of Qingdao’s history and culture, the Jimo Beiqian Site in Jinkou Town is known as the earliest remains of ancient human activities in Qingdao at that time 7 millenniums ago. Jimo’s history of over 2,580 years with administrative institutions has left its people with historical relics such as the ancient city of Gaoyu of the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD) and the Xiongya Seat of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), well-known historical figures and stories related to Jimo Dafu, who is the highest military and political officer of Jimo during the Warring States Period (475–221 BC) and Tianheng 500 martyrs in the Han Dynasty, etc. Jimo is also the cradle land of the “Langya family” surnamed Wang, an aristocratic family politically influential for generations emerged during the Han Dynasty. Jimo has kept valuable cultural relics including national first-class cultural relics such as the scrolls of Saddharma Pundarika Sutra written with Gold/Silver powder of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), the seal of vassal states in ancient times of the Han Dynasty, and national intangible cultural heritage like the Liuqiang opera known as “the flower of Jiaodong” and the Tianheng Sea Sacrifice Festival. 
 

Saddharma Pundarika Sutra written in the Northern Song Dynasty

Liuqiang opera, one of the National Intangible Cultural Heritages

For thousands of years, the commercial capital has been passed down from generation to generation. Today’s Jimo is an important pole of the international metropolis Qingdao. It has won honorary titles of “National Environmental Protection Model City” and “Top Tourist City of China”. According to results of the 2019 Urban Development Index of Small-Medium Cities in China released by People’s Daily, Jimo was ranked in the top 100 administrative districts in China in terms of comprehensive strength, 14th in China and 1st in Shandong Province.
 

Night View of Jimo

As China’s only high-tech R&D and high-tech industries concentrated area with ocean characteristics, Qingdao Blue Valley by the Aoshan Bay, keeps soaring with innovative achievements of marine science and technology, and it has gradually become a “vanguard” of marine science and technology innovation and development based in Qingdao, radiating Shandong and the whole country. Qingdao Automobile Industry New Town has attracted a number of whole-vehicle projects such as FAW-Volkswagen Passenger Vehicles and FAW Jiefang Commercial Vehicles, together with high-end manufacturing industries like the assembly Line of Airbus H135 Helicopter, International Land Port Rail Transit, etc. They are working together to form a “hundred-billion-level” transportation industry system, covering transportation of sea, land, air and railway. High-end emerging industries such as the Industrial Internet, integrated circuits, semiconductors, Artificial Intelligence, and block chain applications are bringing vitality to this land of emerging opportunities, driving the comprehensive and high-quality development of Jimo.
Jimo, a birthplace of Qingdao, is now playing a role featuring openness, inclusiveness, vitality and fashion. Committed to develop into an innovative and livable city with people of good quality of life, Jimo is advancing to a better stage in the new Era.