On the morning of May 22, a flag awarding ceremony was held in Weihai, Shandong, marking the unveiling of China’s first Blue Flag beach. The Center for Environmental Education and Communications of Ministry of Ecology and Environment（CEEC in short), as the National Operator of Blue Flag Programme in China, awarded the Blue Flag to Weihai International Bathing Beach.
[Flag Awarding]
Established in 1992, Weihai International Bathing Beach is a naturally formed cape-bay beach located within Weihai Bay, which was awarded as one of the fourth batch of outstanding cases in the "Beautiful Bays" initiative by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE in short)—the "Beautiful Bays" initiative is a bay environmental improvement program launched by China in 2021, with 43 outstanding cases nationwide currently. The beach stretches approximately 2,800 meters in length, with water quality consistently rated as excellent. The section certified as a Blue Flag beach covers approximately 1,600 meters of the central coastline. In 2024, the beach attracted approximately 8 million visitors.
[Blue Flag flying over the Weihai International Bathing Beach]
At the ceremony, Mr. Daniel SCHAFFER, CEO of FEE, offered his congratulations via video on the success of China’s first Blue Flag beach. He stated that this achievement reflects the strong commitment of national and local authorities to protect the marine environment. He noted that the first Blue Flag beach located within a Beautiful Bay, indicates alignment between China’s “Beautiful Bays” initiative and the Blue Flag Programme.
[Photo from FEE CEO Daniel Schaffer’s congratulatory video]
In his remarks, a representative from the Department of Marine Ecology and Environment of MEE noted that the Blue Flag beach award ceremony further demonstrates the significant achievements made by Weihai in strengthening marine ecological conservation and advancing the development of beautiful bays. These efforts have not only improved the ecological quality of the bay but also fostered the growth of coastal eco-tourism, enhancing the public’s sense of fulfillment and happiness in enjoying the sea activities.
Mr. LIANG Hao, Vice Mayor of Weihai Municipal People’s Government, stated that the awarding of Blue Flag to Weihai International Bathing Beach represents not only recognition for Weihai but also a significant responsibility. Moving forward, Weihai will take the opportunity to align with international best practices and standards, systematically enhance coastal protection and management, and fully commit to developing a set of replicable and scalable “Weihai models” for beach conservation and management, thereby contributing to the construction of a Beautiful China.
Special observers for ecological and environmental affairs Ms. JU Ping and Mr. HU Ge, Shanghai Film Studio actor Mr.CHEN Long, and ecological artist Ms.HAN Lili recorded special videos for this event, calling on the whole society to protect the marine ecosystem and work together to build a harmonious home for both humans and wildlife. Renowned athlete and Athens Olympic women’s weightlifting world champion Ms.TANG Gonghong, along with Weihai marine ecological volunteers, jointly issued a call to the public on civilized ocean engagement and eco-friendly beachcombing.
[Photos from JU Ping’s congratulatory video]
[Photos from HU Ge’s team’s congratulatory video]
[Photo of TANG Gonghong (the second from the right) and other volunteers]
As China’s first Blue Flag beach pilot site, the Weihai International Bathing Beach undertook improvements in 2025 under the guidance of CEEC , Ocean University of China and the Weihai Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment, etc. based on 33 criteria of Blue Flag beach across four categories.
These improvements include, but are not limited to, inviting third parties to establish a routine water quality monitoring, upgrading the multilingual guidance system and accessibility facilities for water activities in accordance with international standards, installing educational displays on biodiversity conservation, and leveraging occasions such as “World Environment Day” to continuously organise environmental education activities—including beach cleanups and science outreach—to encourage the public to engage in ecological conservation. Since January of 2026, NGOs in Weihai have organized 31 volunteer beach cleanup events at the International Bathing Beach, as well as 10 “Daily Beach Cleanup for 5 Minutes” activities designed to engage local residents and tourists, which have attracted more than 360 participants.
[Beach cleanup events]
Of course, the Blue Flag beach honor of Weihai International Bathing Beach largely benefits from the marine ecological conservation and restoration efforts promoted at the national level. Since 2018, the Torch High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, where the Weihai International Bathing Beach is located, has invested over 300 million yuan in coordinated efforts to restore the bay’s ecology. It has also continuously conducted a series of key projects, including the remediation of discharge outlets into the sea and rivers. As a result, the water quality in the zone’s nearshore waters has remained consistently at 100% excellent.
[Group photo of Weihai International Bathing beach staff and volunteers with the flag]
In February 2026, the beach passed the domestic review conducted by a national committee composed of experts from various authoritative departments, and then CEEC formally submitted the application materials to Blue Flag International. In April 2026, the beach successfully passed the international review.
For more information, please refer to the offical site of Blue Flag China - https://naturesch.cn/indexController.do?zxsskjJs