Shandong province is situated in the eastern part of Chinaon the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It borders on the Bohai and Huanghai seas in the east, and overlooks the Korean Peninsula and the Japan Archipelago across a vast stretch of sea. The province has a total area of 156,000 square kilometers and a total population of over 90 million. As capital city of Shandong Province, Jinan is famous for her long history and culture. Because of a great deal of springs, Jinan is called "Spring City". Qingdao is a famous city along the coast, which has prosperous economy and beautiful landscape.
Shandong Province is frequently affected by marine monsoons, especially during the summer time. The climate is characterized by rain during the summer and autumn and a dry winter. The annual average temperature is between 11 and 14 degrees Centigrade while the annual precipitation is mostly affected by the monsoon rain. Between 500 millimeters and 1000 millimeters of rain can fall each year.
Shandong is a key production area for grain, cotton and oil crops. It usually ranks first or second in production output. Shandong is also well known for its tobacco, fruit, peanuts, tussah silks, meat, and marine products. Shandong's industry covers oil extraction, and processing, machinery, electric power, chemicals, foodstuff, textile, arts & crafts, papermaking etc. In recent years, it has seen a rapid development in computer industry and consumer electronic industry, holding an important place in China in output value. While railway is its mainstay of transport, Shandong is one of the Chinese provinces with the most dense highway network. It has seaports like Qingdao, Yantai, Weihai, Longkou, Shijiu and Lanshantou etc. Shandong has a long history of tobacco and tussah growth. It is also a famous temperate fruit grower. The apples of Yantai, the pears of Laiyang, the small dates of Leling and the watermelons of Dezhou are particularly well known. The offshore waters are rich in fish, prawns and kelp. It is also a major producer of wheat, corn, cotton and other corps. Its peanut production accounts for a quarter of the nation's total. The province has large deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron, diamonds and bauxite. Its gold output ranks first in China. The Shengli Oilfield, the country's second biggest crude-oil producer, is located in northwestern Shandong near where the Yellow River discharges into the Bohai Gulf. Xindian in Zibo is rising chemical industrial center.
Shandong is rich in historical and cultural resources, and gifted with beautiful landscapes. Among its famous scenic spots and historical sides are Mount Tai, Laoshan Mountain, seaside of Jiaodong penisular, Confucius family Mansion, Confucius woods and Temple in Qufu etc. Renowned traditional specialties include clocks and watches of Yantai, porcelain of Zibo, Kites of Weifang, shell-carving and beer of Qingdao.
The Confucian temple is located in qufu, Shandong province. It is a magnificent architecture group with oriental feature. It enjoys a fame of three ancient Chinese architecture groups with Forbidden City and Chengde summer resort. It is the largest place to memorize Confucius. |
