Changdao Islands

Archipelago Off The Shandong Coast On A Major Bird Migration Route · Yantai, Shandong

An archipelago of more than thirty islands strung across the strait between the Shandong peninsula and Liaoning, reached by ferry from Penglai and quite unlike the mainland coast behind it. The islands are low and rocky, their cliffs cut into arches, stacks and caves by the currents that funnel between the Bohai and Yellow seas, and their beaches are made not of sand but of smooth wave-polished pebbles, banked in ridges that rattle as the waves draw back. The main island carries most of the villages and the two sightseeing routes: a northern line taking in the Jiuzhangya cliffs, the Moon Bay pebble beach and the Wangfujiao headland, and a southern line of temples, lighthouses and sea-view walks. Changdao sits on the East Asian flyway, and in spring and autumn the islands fill with migrating raptors and songbirds; seals haul out on the outer rocks in winter. Seafood is the other draw - scallops, sea cucumber and kelp farmed in the surrounding water and served in the village guesthouses.

Changdao, Penglai District, Yantai, Yantai, Shandong, China

Sightseeing routes open daily, roughly 8:00-17:30 (check); ferries run in daylight and are cancelled in rough weather or fog.

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