Submitted by Bailey, who says:

Here’s a map from of the Qingdao Metro for Line 3 – quite an interesting, stylistic one. For all the effort that went into the (quite brilliant) artwork, I’m surprised the station names are entirely unreadable near the city center.

Transit Maps says:

Despite the name, Line 3 is actually the first Metro line constructed in Qingdao, opening in two stages from 2015. In typical Chinese style, it’ll be joined by many more in just a few short years – by 2050, there will be 16 lines with a network length of some 836 kilometres (519 miles)!

Bailey’s right when he says that the illustration style is quite lovely, although one could argue that it’s presenting a very rose-tinted view of the city, with fields and trees shown everywhere as if in some bucolic pastoral idyll. What looks like a sunny beach in the bite-shaped area to the left is actually the city’s port –the seventh busiest in the world by volume handled. 

However, notable landmarks are incorporated nicely, including some of the old German colonial buildings from the late 19th century. Despite the busy feeling to the illustration style, the red route line stands out well, and the type isn’t quite as invisible as Bailey thinks.

Our rating: A rather pleasant little illustrated map, if just a little idealised. Three stars.

Source: Quingdao Metro website (link no longer active)