Weihai (Chinese: 威海; pinyin: Wēihǎi), formerly Weihaiwei (Chinese: 威海卫; pinyin: Wēihǎiwèi; lit. 'Mighty Sea Fort'), is a prefecture-level city and major seaport city in easternmost Shandong province of China. It borders Yantai to the west and the Yellow Sea to the east, and is the closest Chinese city to South Korea (specifically, Chengshan to Yeonpyeongdo, 174km).
Weihai's population was 2,804,771 as of the 2020 Chinese census, of whom 1,164,730 lived in the current built-up (or metro) area of (Huancui District) even though Wendeng district to the south with 563,529 inhabitants is soon being conurbated. There are two county-level cities within Weihai; Rongcheng had a built up area with 714,211 inhabitants, while Rushan had 464,078 inhabitants in 2020. A subway is planned with 4 lines and 204.6 km (127.1 mi) route length to link all city districts. The first phase, Line 1 and 2 is planned for 2025.
In Weihai, there are many beautiful places that you need to have a visit, such as Liugong island (inside Weihai city), Chengshantou (in Rongcheng district), and Shengjingshan Mountain (in Wengdeng city, here you can experience the culture of the traditional Chinese religion Dao). Also you need to experience the life in Weihai as a fisherman.
"Weihaiwei" was leased by the United Kingdom from 1898 until October 1, 1930. It was a summer station for the British naval China Station.
Chinese food: it's obviously everywhere; however, some consider the local cuisine to be tasteless. To others, the traditional and simple steaming of fresh seafood along with locally grown varieties of fresh vegetables make for healthful, delicately tasty food, remarkable merely in its simple, unadulterated purity. The local delicacy is sea cucumber for which Weihai is very well known. Fresh scallops are readily available and are extremely affordable by western standards. In the summer months, fresh fruits abound. Rice is less prevalent than noodles in this region of China, for wheat is grown in the area. Be sure to try the local jiaozi or baozi, tender dumplings, particularly those filled with local fresh shrimp and chive.
One local restaurant that has very unique offerings is called Yi Kuai Dou Fu (一块豆腐), their specialty is a one piece tofu dish. They also have other great dishes such as tang su liji and gong bao rou.
Korean Food: you can't miss. Given the proximity of Korea, the food has made a strong presence. During the warm summer months, seek out the tasty soup called mool naeng myun, an ice-cold, bold beef broth that is laden with buckwheat noodles and laced with bits of cucumber, chive, sliced beef and leafy coriander (British) or cilantro (North Americans refer to coriander as the seed, not the leaf, of the same plant). Top it off with kim chee. It's more refreshing than a cold shower after a hot, sultry day at the beach.
There are many Korean places in the city (市里), in the Economic Development Zone, there is a Korean Food street called "Han guo mei shi jie" (韩国美食街). There is an excellent Korean restaurant located in the Jusco (佳士客), in the Economic Zone (经济开发区).
There is a Korean coffee shop called "BREAD'N BAKERY & COFFEE", which is located on Tong Yi Road (统一路) just north of Kuming Road (昆明路), next to the Adidas shop (and two more shops in other areas in Weihai). It is a wonderful place to hang out. Coffee is really delicious and starts at ¥15 and they have delicious breads as well and free Wifi.
Western food you may find in:
Japanese food: Haibin Lu close to the RT Market (大润发)
The famous American junk fillings such as KFC and McDonald's have infiltrated the local offerings.
There is a computer center, clothing, small commodities, and seafood market on the west side of N Tongyi Lu, one block south of Wenhua Lu near the city center. A good place to find a variety of things in one stop.
There are plenty of places to choose from so shop around. The rates are posted at the front desk, usually in English, and that's the "rack" rate. You should expect a lower rate and they usually quote one. You can bargain for even lower rates, but since I don't speak Chinese, it's hard to do and the rates seemed fair anyway - about $30 for a nice room with a/c, tv, phone, and up-to-date/clean at a normal looking hotel with a nice lobby, probably a restaurant, and usually a little spa of some kind. There are some very cheap places to stay.
You need to decide first where you want to stay as Weihai has a number of areas that could suit you depending on what you are in Weihai for.
Downtown is nice if you want to be near the ferry terminals, the main parks and shopping, and have easy access to most transport.
You could stay near the bus/train station, but that's a little remote and not much around.
The last option is the beaches. You have 3 main ones to choose from with hotels ranging from almost normal to way-too-swank. Some of these are like self-contained resorts and can be isolated to themselves. The International Bathing Beach area is popular, but really any of the beaches is just fine.
Bus is by far the cheapest option but could involve many hours of travel depending on your starting point. It takes roughly six and a half hours hours by bus from Jinan, capital of Shandong, to the bus station in Weihai. There are many companies serving Weihai with many destinations possible at good frequencies.
By electric bike
You can ride an electric bike around the beach and see the view.
