(WU DENGFENG)

China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, anchors at its home port in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, on February 27.

The carrier base in Qingdao has become operational after four years of construction, according to a People's Liberation Army Navy statement.

Qingdao is ice-free throughout the year for berthing civilian and naval vessels. The city is also the base of the PLA Navy's Beihai Fleet headquarters.