Qingdao's Olympic legacy sails into the future

World-class maritime museum

Part of the center was annexed in 2009 to create a sailing museum, helping visitors to learn about its role in hosting the Olympics.

The free museum received well over 100,000 visitors a year and includes precious memerobelia from the games, such as the sailboard used by Chinese yachtwoman Yin Jian when she won gold.

"We placed it here as the most precious treasure of the museum," said one of the museum's tour guides, "You can even find her signature on it".

Opposite the museum's main hall is the panorama of the Olympic competition area, which displays the sea sectors and plans, amid several sailboats.

With the 29th Olympic Games and local marine culture at as its core themes, the three-storey museum exhibits nearly one thousand items. Visitors can get a glimpse of the century-long history of sailing in the modern Olympic Games and learn about the sport through interactive exhibitions.

With Beijing set to host the 24th Winter Olympic games in 2022, the eyes of the sporting world may well return to Qingdao to recall the legacy of the Summer Games.

National media representatives tour the Olympic Sailing Center of Qingdao and the Olympic Sailing Museum on Sept 8. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Certificates of honor awarded to the Olympic Sailing Museum of Qingdao. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Qingdao has been learning from the example of Kiel in Germany of how to inherit a culture of sailing through hosting various festivals, in a bid to promote the image of the city. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

By Ding Yuanyuan and edited by Jacob Hooson