When the night falls upon, all the beacons in the Little Qingdao are turned on to aid navigation and positioning to the ships passing by. At present, Qingdao Navigation Mark Bureau manages totally 9 beacons. These gracefully shaped beacons standing upright in the sea provide good escort to the passing ships.

    Ma Tijiao beacon built in 1904 is the strongest beacon which can withstand 12 grade wind and already 110-year-old. This beacon is located in the northwestern end of Ma Tijiao indicating the existence of shoal reef. It is the bending point towards and out of the big harbor as well as the most vital water beacon in Jiaozhou Bay. It can resist 12 grade wind.

    The oldest beacon is 115-year-old now. Located in Chaolian Island about 30 sea miles from Qingdao downtown, it is the most authentic Germany-stylish beacon as well as the largest beacon built by Germany navy in Qingdao. It is recorded that this beacon was built starting from 1899. This octagonal stone-built beacon is 12.8m high of the tower and 80m high for the light. It emits white light beam , flashes every 10 seconds, extends over the range of 24 sea miles and is mainly powered by the diesel generator set.

    The most famous beacon is the Tuandao beacon located in Jiaozhou Bay mouth which was built with masonry starting from 1898 and completed in 1900. This earliest beacon is an independent pillar internally equipped with cockle stairs. The upper part is dome shaped lampshade with electric arc lamp emitting the white, green and red light beams. This beacon was called “Younei Shan Beacon”, built with stone in octagonal shape and painted with black and white horizontal lines. In 1955, the beacon was renamed Tuandao beacon. In 2006, Tuandao beacon was identified as the national key cultural relic protection unit.