Urban murals of trendy fashion have caught people’s eyes in downtown Qingdao in eastern China’s Shandong province. These colorful wall paintings adorn the sides of apartment buildings along the Taidong commercial street in the coastal city known for its beaches, beer and seafood. The paintings were created in 2004, and were touched up in a renovation program a few weeks ago, according to the street’s management office.

The images feature many themes, but the buildings with the fashionable women seem to draw the most attention. While young people appreciate the art, the big visuals have managed to annoy some elderly passers-by, local media reports. Many shop owners in the neighborhood applaud the paintings for bringing in more customers.

Buildings are a wonderful medium to serve as a backcloth to fabulous art installations. This art in downtown Qingdao is testament to that philosophy. Building art is nothing new either, right across Europe and the rest of the world we can find evidence that the most highly decorated buildings are the most treasured by the inhabitants and the locality. It’s as though the building through its artistic adornments are raised to iconic status and serve as an island of calm and become ‘home’.