Qingdao, one of China's most beautiful coastal cities, on the southeastern part of the Shandong Peninsula. Photos provided to China Daily

Qingdao has an environment comparable to Silicon Valley's, in California, or India's Bangalore, and is known for its marine resources. It has taken the lead in marine science research and has many industries in related areas.

When the Shandong peninsula's "blue economic zone" was made a part of the nation's development strategy in January this year, the Qingdao government came up with a plan to turn itself into a Blue Silicon Valley and a New Economic Zone on West Jiaozhou Bay.

This is expected to make Qingdao the center of international marine science and technological development, and a national demonstration site, and a force behind the peninsula's blue economic zone.

Qingdao provides major support for Shandong Peninsula's "blue economic zone", thanks to its marine resources, and a solid foundation for its marine economy. And steps are being taken to turn Qingdao into a leader in the marine economy field.

The city has a 711-kilometer coastline, 69 islands, and 49 natural harbors and is just across the Yellow Sea from Japan and South Korea.

Its offshore areas are full of a rich variety of marine life, which contributes to marine industrial development and it held the Olympic Sailing Competition in 2008, which added greatly to its coastal tourism.

The city has 28 marine research institutes, or just over a third of China's total and 20 key laboratories at the ministerial level. It has 19 academics from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering; leading scientists working on 14 of the country's 17 key marine science programs, live in Qingdao.

It is also building major sites for marine innovation, such as the national deep-sea base and national laboratory for marine science and technologies. Since the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010), work on 46 percent of the National High-Tech R&D Program's marine studies has been done at Qingdao universities

Qingdao has had some breakthroughs in artificial breeding technology for kelp, edible seaweed, prawn and scallop production.

It also has emerging industries - beyond the traditional fields such as fisheries, harbor logistics, shipbuilding, and tourism - in marine life and biomedicines that are doing well.