The unforgettable 2014 has come to a close. The following are the 10 major events that happened in the year.

1. Two sessions

Yantai's annual sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee were held in Yantai, Shandong province from Jan 8 to 12. Meng Fanli was elected as the mayor of Yantai.

2. Letter from President Xi Jinping

On Jan 28, Zhang Guangxiu, a female official from Lushang village in Yantai, Shandong province, received a letter from President Xi Jinping who congratulated her on recovering from leukemia and applauded her ongoing work for the welfare of villagers.

3. 24th China Cook Festival

The 24th China Cook Festival kicked off at Yantai International Expo Center in Yantai, Shandong province on May 30th. More than 1,500 representatives from more than 120 enterprises in 27 provinces and regions attended the festival.

4. Eighth Yantai International Wine Expo

The eighth Yantai International Wine Exposition began in Yantai, Shandong province on June 12th. The three day event attracted exhibitors from top wine producing countries and regions including France, Italy, Spain, Slovakia, as well as China’s Hebei province and Yantai city.

5. China’s first international luxury cruise ship makes maiden voyage

Chinese Taishan embarked on its first voyage on Aug 26, carrying 700 passengers from Yantai, in Shandong province, to Incheon, South Korea. It is the first international luxury cruise ship to be completely owned and managed by a Chinese company, Bohai Ferry. As of Oct 27, the ship has run between Yantai and Incheon. It has also begun operations to serve the route between Shanghai and Taiwan since November.

6. Shandong’s first cross-sea bridge opens to traffic

On Sept 30th, the first cross-sea bridge that links two islands opened to traffic in Shandong province. As a key project of the province, the 1,510-meter long bridge stretches from the Wangfujiao scenic spot in Changdao, an island county, to the North Changshan Island.

7. Penglai International Airport launches maiden flight

Yantai-based Penglai International Airport witnessed the first flight of an airplane of Shandong Air on Oct 27th. The airport will become one of the top three airports in Shandong, along with Jinan Airport and Qingdao Airport.

8. Yantai recognized as the most competitive ecological city

The city of Yantai, Shandong province, was promoted as one of the most ecologically competitive cities at the sixth China International Forum of Ecological Competitiveness held in Yantai on Oct 25th.

9. Yantai selected as best tourist destination in 2014

Yantai was honored as the best tourist destination at the 2014 International Holiday Destination Forum held in Zhejiang’s Zhoushan on Dec 21st, while two other cities in Shandong including Haiyang and Penglai were named as the best coastal tourism destinations.

10. Yantai enters high-speed railway era

The Qingdao-Rongcheng high-speed railway, Shandong province's first inter-city line, opened to traffic on Dec 28th with a designed speed of 250 km/hr.

The 299-kilometer line has three main stops in the cities of Qingdao, Yantai and Weihai and will cut the travel time from Jinan to Yantai to 3.5 hours.

Part of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway, the line also shortens the travel time between Yantai and Beijing to 5.5 hours.