Nestled along the coastal line of Qingdao, Xiaomai Island is a breathtaking gem where the sky blends seamlessly with the crystal-clear waters. [Photo by Liu Dong/Guanhai News]

Qingdao, endowed with 49 bays and 120 islands along a 905.2-kilometer coastline, is advancing a sustainable marine ecology and urban development plan. The city uses a combined land-sea management system, focusing on development and protection, pollution control, and ecological healing. The "One Bay, One Policy" plan helps with pollution in bays, habitat recovery, and better public access.

Thanks to these efforts, over 99 percent of Qingdao's waters nearshore are now of great quality. Bays like Lingshan and Laoshan are now examples of beautiful bays, with clean waters and rich biodiversity.

Tech is key. Drones with AI and 5G conduct automated checks over bays such as Fushan, spotting and reporting marine trash in hours — a job that once took days. This smart bay inspection system is part of Qingdao's shift from human-dependent to tech-enabled supervision.

Underpinning these actions is a multi-tiered bay chief system working with river chiefs for coordinated management. As a result, all seven rivers flowing into Lingshan Bay meet national standards.

Further measures include tracing and fixing 6,174 marine outfalls, cutting total nitrogen in rivers by 25.4 percent year-on-year, and improving fishing ports. The visit of a whale shark near Zhucha Island is a sign of Qingdao's cleaner marine environment.

Restoration projects, like the Blue Bay Initiative in Xiaodao Bay, have turned degraded areas into ecological and recreational assets while fostering industries like marine research, biotechnology, and coastal tourism. Qingdao aims to develop all 49 bays into ecologically sustainable, economically vibrant, and socially enjoyable spaces within the next 15 years, advancing from clean seas to healthy and harmonious oceans.