Qingdao City, a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Shandong Province, is abbreviated as "Qing" and also known as "Island City" and "Qindao." It is a sub-provincial city and a separately planned municipality. Located in the southern part of the Shandong Peninsula, Qingdao borders the Yellow Sea to the east and south, Yantai to the northeast, Weifang to the west, and Rizhao to the southwest. The city covers a total area of 11,293 square kilometers. As of June 2023, the city governs seven districts and administers three county-level cities. The Qingdao dialect belongs to Jiaoliao Mandarin. As of the end of 2024, Qingdao's permanent population was 10.4425 million.
Qingdao is a key coastal city designated by the State Council as a key city in China and the leading city in the core area of the Shandong Peninsula Blue Economic Zone. Qingdao is also the birthplace of the May Fourth Movement, the host city of the sailing competitions of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 13th Paralympic Games, and one of the cities with the highest concentration of former residences of modern and contemporary Chinese cultural figures.