When Zheng told me she was from a smaller town in China, I subconsciously pictured what my silly American brain thought a small town in China would look like: single-story shops, small and cluttered markets, dusty roads, few people... very disconnected and remote.
Boy, was I in for it.
It's true that Qingdao is less populated and sprawling than Beijing and Shanghai, but those two megacities boast over 20 and 35 million inhabitants respectively. So yes, Qingdao is tiny by comparison. Its estimated 9 million people in 2014 doesn't even rank it in the top 10 largest cities in China. But consider this: little Qingdao is more populous than the United States' largest city, New York City.
Qingdao is a coastal city located in Northeast China that borders the Yellow Sea. Its landscape is draped with high rises, a winding subway system, and even hosted a few events at the Beijing Olympics in Summer 2008.
Regardless of whether Zheng's hometown consists of 10 people or 10 million, I couldn't wait to see and explore where she grew up.
What surprised me almost as much as the size of the Qingdao was its hazy resemblance to Seattle (and my sweet childhood Ballard, too). Yes, my city is minuscule when placed alongside Qingdao, but similarities rose within me nonetheless: their proximity to the water, the jutting mountains in the distance, a rich history tightly woven with fishing.
If this wasn't enough, we share a love of seafood. And beer. What? That's right. Qingdao is the home of Tsingtao beer. Did you not make the connection because Qingdao and Tsingtao aren't spelled the same? You can thank the Wad-Giles transliteration system that romanized Mandarin over 100 years ago. ANYWAY. Back to my new city bff.
When I realized all this, a bond was forged. Did we just become best friends? Yup. This city and I likely understood each other. And these unexpected common bonds of landscape, story, and food thereby deepened my connection to Zheng. I envisioned us as two little girls growing up in somewhat mirrored towns playing at the beach on either side of the Pacific Ocean. Cue the "aww"s.
There's something intimate and special about seeing where someone has come from – their roots; to see the foundation that made them who they are to you today. To experience firsthand the webbing of the nest that cradled the person they would soon become.
© 2026 Kelsi
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