Located in the center of a business and scenic area, Qingdao Guest House (former official residence of the German governor-general) lies at the southern foot of Signal Hill and faces the sea. It is a building assembling the essence of  Western-style architectures. The construction was begun in 1905 and finished in 1908. It was the official residence of the German governor-general in the war zone of Jiao'ao. The residence is a luxurious garden villa on the southern slopes of Xinhao Hill. It is a masterpiece of German architecture, and today serves as a guesthouse.

The construction of the governor's mansion was a significant move of Germany after it occupied Qingdao, which revealed the wild ambitions of German colonists. The cost of the project was not less than 450,000 gold marks. It is more than 4,000 square meters in size and over 30 meters in its main height. Some parts of the external wall are decorated with granite. There are four storeys with 30 rooms of various sizes and 14 major exhibition halls in the main part of the building. The exhibition halls are linked up together, yet each of them has a unique style of its own. What is more amazing is that each exhibition hall has three distinctive features. The building is still among the top individual buildings for its luxurious interior decoration and elegant shape.

The delicate shape, splendid ornaments, graceful lines and bold colors make Qingdao's Guest House one of the best examples of European villas in China. The original name was the Governor's Official Residence, in 1934, it was formally renamed "Guest House," and then became important as a retreat to receive the VIPs of military affairs and politics.

It is architecture of a classic German castle. The delicate shape, splendid ornaments, graceful lines and bold colors make the Guest House one of the best examples of monomeric villas in China. Originally, it was the official residence of the German governor in Qingdao and was called "the Governor's Official Residence". In 1934, it was formally renamed "Guest House", and has become important as a retreat to receive VIPs in military affairs and politics.