This is the land,

Where Confucius the Sage was born,

Where Mount Taishan rose majestically skyward,

Where the Yellow River empties into the ocean, and

Where sailing events of the Beijing Olympia took place.

Shandong is here to welcome you with open arms!

Lying on the East China seaboard where the Yellow River empties into the sea, Shandong Province forms a part of a large peninsula that thrusts far out into the Yellow Sea. Along its 3,000-km coastline are 25 ports, the biggest being Qingdao, Rizhao, Weihai, Yantai and Longkou. The province has an area of 156, 7000 sq km and a population of 86,432,000. The provincial capital is Jinan. In 2010, the nominal GDP for Shandong was 3.98 trillion yuan (US$603 billion), ranking third in the country (behind Guangdong and Jiangsu). Its GDP per capita was 42,014 yuan (US$6,365), ranking eighth.

Topography and Climate

Shandong is mostly flat in terrain. The northwestern, western, and southwestern parts of the province are all part of the vast North China Plain. The center of the province is more mountainous, with the Taishan Mountains, Lushan Mountains, and Mengshan Mountains being the most prominent. The east of the province is the hilly Shandong Peninsula extending into the sea.

Shandong has a temperate climate, with moist summers and dry, cold winters. Average temperatures are -5 to 1°C in January and 24 to 28°C in July. Annual precipitation is 550 to 950 mm.

Transportation

The Jingjiu Railway (Beijing-Kowloon) and Jinghu Railway (Beijing-Shanghai) are both major arterial railways that pass through the western part of Shandong. Shandong has one of the densest and highest quality expressway networks among all Chinese provinces. The Shandong Peninsula, with its bays and harbors, has many important ports, including Qingdao, Yantai, Weihai, Rizhao, and Longkou. Important airports include Jinan Yaoqiang Airport and Qingdao Liuting International Airport.

Economy and Strategic Plans

Shandong, with a GDP of 5.001.32 trillion yuan (US$820 billion)in 2012, is the third largest economy in the country.

Shandong is actively promoting the development of the Blue Economic Zone of the Shandong Peninsula and the Yellow River Delta Eco-efficient Economic Zone. Vigorous efforts are being made to advance marine economy, explore marine resources in a scientific way and to foster competitive marine industries. Featuring an eco-efficient economy, the Yellow River Delta is to be built as an eco-efficient economic demonstration zone, a unique industrial base and a reserve land resources development area.

Shandong is China's largest supplier of agricultural products. Along with food grain, cotton, oil crops, fruit and aquatics that are produced in great quantities, Shandong wins nationwide fame for its "three treasures": donkey-hide gelatin, sea kelp and sea cucumber.

Shandong's industry includes such pillar sectors as energy, chemical, metallurgy, construction material, machinery, electronics, textile, foodstuff and in recent years, new energy, new materials, new IT, new pharmaceuticals and marine resources development.

Shandong, with such energy giants as Sinopec Shengli and Shandong Energy Group, is a principal supplier of coal and crude oil in China.

History 

With its location on the eastern edge of the North China Plain, Shandong has felt the influence of Chinese civilization since remote antiquity. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period , Shandong was home to two powerful states: the state of Qi at Linzi and the state of Lu at Qufu. The Qin Dynasty conquered the region and founded the first centralized Chinese state in 221 BC. The modern province of Shandong was created by the Ming Dynasty. Under the Qing Dynasty, which they founded, Shandong acquired (more or less) its current borders. In 1949, the entirely Shandong was controlled by the People’s Republic of China.

Culture and Traditions

Shandong got its name during the Spring and Autumn and Warring State period (722-221BC) because of its location east of the Taihang Mountain. It was made an administrative province during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368AD). In 1636AD it became a full province of China during the Qing Dynasty (1616-1912AD).

Shandong is one of the cradles of the Chinese culture. Taowen, the earliest Chinese written language dating back over 4000 years was found in Shandong. It is also called the land of Qi and Lu because of the two powerful dukedoms that once flourished here long time ago.

In addition to Confucius, the greatest thinker and educator in ancient China, Shandong was also home to a galaxy of extraordinary talents including thinkers Mencius, Mo-tse and Zhuang Zi, military strategists Sun Zi and Zhuge Liang, literary giants as calligrapher Wang Xizhi, writer Pu Songling and poetess Li Qingzhao and agronomist Jia Sixie.

In modern times, Shandong has brought to the fore such famous personalities as scholar Ji Xianlin, writer Mo Yan, calligrapher Ouyang Zhongshi, diplomat Li Zhaoxing.

Tourism

With beautiful natural landscapes and numerous historical and cultural relics, Shandong has rich tourist resources. It offers a string of tourist attractions, such as Mount Taishan and the Temple, Mansion and Cemetery of Confucius, two World Heritage sites; Lingzi, capital of the ancient Qi State; Penglai, the well known “fairyland on earth”; Mount Laoshan, a sacred land of Taoism; Weifang, the “world capital of kites”; Qingdao, a charming coastal city famous for its annual International Beer Fair; Yantai, known worldwide as a wine producer; Rongcheng, a place considered as “the edge of the world” by ancient Chinese; Jinan, the provincial capital honored as “the city of springs”; and the site for watching the wonderful scene of the torrential Yellow River running into the sea. 

Food

Shandong cuisine is one of the eight great traditions of Chinese cuisine. It can be more finely divided into inland Shandong cuisine (e.g. Jinan cuisine); the seafood-centered Jiaodong cuisine in the peninsula; and Confucius's Mansion cuisine, an elaborate tradition originally intended for imperial and other important feasts.

Universities in Shandong

• Shandong University 
• Qingdao University of Science and Technology 
• Qingdao Technological University 
• Weifang University 
• Weifang Medical University 
• Shandong University of Chinese Traditional Medicine 
• Shandong Institute of Education 
• University of Jinan 
• Shandong Institute of Light Industry 
• Shandong Jiaotong University 
• Shandong Jianzhu University 
• Shandong Economic University 
• Shandong University of Finance 
• Shandong University of Art & Design 
• Shandong University of Arts 
• Shandong Normal University 
• Shandong Sport University 
• Ocean University of China 
• Qingdao University 
• Taishan Medical University