Visitors and space enthusiasts from across China gather in the coastal city of Haiyang to see the Smart Dragon 3 rocket launch. [Photo/Shandian News]

This summer, Shandong province has provided visitors an eclectic mix of experiences, blending industrial tourism with laid‑back coastal leisure offerings.

In Haiyang, a city in Yantai, thousands gathered recently to watch the Smart Dragon 3 rocket launch from the Yellow Sea. As the home of China's only commercial sea-launch mother port, Haiyang has hosted 27 sea launches to date, deploying 166 satellites. The latest spectacle boosted local consumption, with hotels and homestays on the coast reporting surging occupancy rates.

In Weihai, fishing has become a popular summer pastime, supported by a robust angling industry. The city is home to over 1,400 fishing‑tackle enterprises, producing 40 million fishing rods a year and capturing more than 60 percent of the global market. More than 50 fishing tournaments are held there each year.

Shandong Museum offers an immersive digital art exhibition based on the famous painting Autumn Colors on the Que and Hua Mountains. [Photo/Shandian News]

In Jinan, Shandong Museum launched an immersive digital art exhibition based on the famous painting Autumn Colors on the Que and Hua Mountains. This uses spatial computing to virtually teleport visitors back to the Song (960–1279) and Yuan (1271–1368) dynasties. A digital experience hall also offers hands‑on activities like 3D printing and drone assembly.

The 36th Qingdao International Beer Festival, running until Aug 15, features over 2,300 beer brands and more than 2,000 events, including nightly drone shows and fireworks. The festival has energized the city's hospitality, dining, and retail sectors.