Dongying is a little city in the north of Shandong province which is an eastern province of China. It has the second biggest oil field in China, and the estuary of Yellow River (the second longest river in China) is found here.
There are about 1,800,000 people live in Dongying, but it is still only a small city of China. Because of the oil field, the oil industry is developed in Dongying and the University of Petroleum located there. Furthermore, it was oil that created this city, in 1974 people discovered the first oil well in a village called Dongying, so they named this new city after the name of this village. Now the city is divided into two districts called Eastern City which is new and has the city government, and the Western City which has more business streets. Both of them have perfect high ways which are ones of the best high ways in China. However, you have to be careful to the taxis, because they drivers always drive too fast and carelessly, but taxis are very cheap in the city (¥6). Dongying could be boring to travelers since the soil contains a lot of salt so that almost no plants can grow there healthily. However, it is suitable to do business here because of the oil field and the citizens who have large disposable incomes.
Dongying is split into two areas, West City and East City. West City is the older and more developed area of Dongying, whilst East City is quieter and more residential. For expats the main difference is that West City has the Western restaurants and bars.
In 2008, Dongying received a formal introduction to the West when photos of the city and its people appeared in American travel photographer Tom Carter's photobook China: Portrait of a People. Carter was a English teacher in Dongying and began photographing the city during his first year. Included in his journalistic photoessays are behind-the-scenes at Shengli Oilfield, KTV girls from Dongying's infamous karaoke street, nightlife at the old JJ's Disco, and many of Carter's primary school students. The tributary photos capture perfectly the sights most evident to expats living in Dongying.
To travel in Dongying, you have 5 ways to choose: Bus There are many cars; even the bus system is not good enough. In weekday, the buses are not enough, you'll stay for 15 minutes to wait for your bus. The price is cheap, from ¥1 to ¥2, it depends on distance.
Taxis Taxis in Dongying are common. They are not cheap, but you can reach wherever you want. First 3 km will cost you ¥7 Yuan (2012), and then 1 km will cost you ¥1. There are also 'black cabs', private cars that will stop and offer a ride to where you need to go. These are especially useful when there aren't any taxis for whatever reason.
Bicycle Bikes are the cheapest way to travel. You can hire a bike to get where you want. You'd better ride on pavement.
Electric bike Electric bike is the bike which can move by electricity. It is a machine which speed can reach like a motor bike. Sometimes it is dangerous, because it is quiet, and some people will be hit. So you must be careful of it. It can save fuel, so it is good for the environment.
Motor bike It is a machine which uses fuel, and its speed is very fast. Sometimes it is not easy to control. If you are not able to control it, you'd better to choose another way to travel.
Dongying has all types of food from all over China, such as Sichuan food, northern food and southern food. Sichuan food is the most popular in Dongying
For Western food there are a few MacDonalds, KFCs and a newly-opened Pizza Hut in West City.
In a restaurant it is best to order beer or green tea like the locals. There are plenty of soft dinks like coke available. Sparkling water is impossible to come by and the bottled water can be dreadful - buy an expensive brand. You can buy sweet soy-milk piping hot in restaurants and also from little shops on the street.
If a place does serve coffee it will most likely be instant coffee so good luck if you are a caffeine fiend.If you are desperate for a coffee you could try Simple Coffee on Qingdao/Bei lu. It is fairly drinkable but be warned that the cappuccino will be served with fake whipped cream on top. Otherwise there is Cite Coffee on Xi Si Lu.
For beer there are plenty of bars to choose from. The famous (in China) Tsingdao beer from Qingdao city on the coast is good. The most popular one is Snow Beer (xue hua pi jou). You can find other foreigners if you check out the small Music Bar on Xi Si Lu (near Cite Coffee). Jay Jays on Yu Hua Jie is for those who like to get drunk with other ex-pats who aren't coping with life abroad; opening hours are anyone's guess and you really need to find someone who knows where it is to show you.
Casablanca on Qingdao Lu has a good mix of foreigners and Chinese locals and the staff are all dressed up in pretty cowboy uniforms. Also you can play foozeball there for free and buy expensive, and prettily-made, cocktails. There are other bars on Qingdao Lu too, and all are worth a visit if you're missing Western-style bars.
If you want to burn your throat try the spirit Báijiǔ 白酒 often referred to as "white wine". The hangover will probably leave you unable to move for hours.
Primary administrative division