See the OSC Handbook for more detailed information
For the list of hotels with address and name in Chinese click here
A hard copy of the Conference Handbook will be available in the registration package as well as a USB stick with the abstract book, programme, town hall listing and Exchanges 70
About Qingdao
Qingdao, located in the southeast part of Shandong Province, is a beautiful seaside city with clear air and enchanting sea views. This city, bordering the Yellow Sea, has the largest bathing beach in Asia and produces the mellow Tsingtao Beer. To the east of the city, a short distance across the Yellow Sea, lie Korea and Japan, making the city an important port for international trade. The city hosted the Sailing Competition in the Olympic Games in 2008.
For thirty three years, until 1949, the city was a colony of Germany and Japan and handsome architecture from that period remains. Many skyscrapers and modern facilities have been built in recent years, and a subway is due to open in 2016 to complement the excellent public bus system. At night the Qingdao skyline, with its tall buildings and neon displays, rivals that of Shanghai.
Qingdao is an important center for marine science research and technology in China and home to several major ocean research institutions including: The First Institute of Oceanography (FIO) of the State Oceanic Administration (SOA), The Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS), Ocean University of China (OUC), Chinese Academy of Fishery Science Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, and the new Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (QNLM).
Qingdao Liuting International Airport is the main airport serving the city of Qingdao, China. It is about 27 kilometres from the main Conference venue. Apart from regular routes to Hong Kong and Taipei, Qingdao is also a major transfer station from inland China, South Korea and Japan.
Airport arrivals:
There are two terminals at the Qingdao airport. Taxis are located in the basement, between the two terminals. Follow the Taxi signs and take the escalator or elevator to the basement. Do not take rides from taxis or cars located outside the airport terminal; these are not licensed. At peak arrival times we will have OSC volunteers in green polo shirts at the airport to assist with taxi’s etc. Addresses of the hotels in English and Chinese are posted on the Conference website.You can print these out to show to the taxi driver. A taxi to your hotel will cost very approximately 100 RMB. You will need Chinese RMB to pay the taxi driver. There are 2 ATMs that accept international credit cards in the Departure Level of the Domestic terminal, and there are exchange bureaus, but their hours are limited. Therefore we strongly advise you to bring enough RMB cash to pay the taxi driver.
Weather
September is by far the best weather month in Qingdao. Average daytime/nighttime temperatures are 26oC/19oC. Average rainfall days in September is 7 days, average precipitation is 63mm.
Time Zone
GMT +0800
Electricity
Voltage is 220 and most outlets accept US and European style plugs.
Tipping
In China it is not customary to tip restaurant waiters and taxi drivers.
VPN:
All Google applications (Gmail, Google Drive, etc…), social media tools (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and application like Dropbox, are not accessible in China without a VPN (Virtual Private Network). Short-term subscriptions for VPNs can be found online for little or no cost, but we advise you to download them before coming to China.