Qingdao youlan shouce ("A Handbook to Qingdao").

Qingdao: Qingdao ribao she,, 1957. First edition, sole printing, of this hard to find Mao-era tourist guide to the resort city of Qingdao, demonstrating that leisure travel and commercial advertising, including for the city's famous Tsingtao Beer, remained alive and well under Communism. Of the 10,000 copies originally printed, few have survived: WorldCat finds two and none are traceable in commerce. Qingdao emerged as a popular tourist destination in the late Qing and Republican periods when the city was administered as a German and then a Japanese colony. Its beautiful beaches, strong transport links, vibrant shopping scene, and nearby attractions continued to appeal to urban travellers during the 1950s and 1960s. The present guide, of a much higher production quality than most contemporary publications, was compiled by staff from the newspaper Qingdao ribao (The Qingdao Daily). It includes sections on architecture, museums, recreational sports, parks, and places of interest such as the beautiful mountain of Laoshan. Some of the companies advertised within include: Tsingtao Beer; Qingdao Department Store; the confectioners Zhenzhuyi; People's Bank of China; Qingdao Cultural Merchandise Store (selling cameras, typewriters, and musical instruments); and Xinhua Bookstore. Octavo. Original illustrated wrappers, front cover lettered in yellow and white with vignette of beachgoers, advert for Laoshan Qishui (Laoshan Soda Water) on rear wrapper. With 8 half-tone plates, 3 folding maps, vignettes and plans in text; pp. 21 of advertisements, many printed in red or blue. A fine example with illustrations in excellent condition and just a little rubbing and toning to covers. Institutional copies: University of California, Berkeley; Yale.