Shandong
Shandong[a] is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region.[8]
This article is about the province of China. For the peninsula, see Shandong Peninsula. For the subdistrict in Chongqing, see Shandong Subdistrict. For the aircraft carrier, see Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong. For other uses, see Shandong (disambiguation).
Shandong
山东
山东省 (Shāndōng Shěng)
山 Shān—"(Taihang) Mountains"
东 dōng—"east"
"East of the (Taihang) Mountains"
16 prefectures, 140 counties, 1941 townships
Shandong Provincial People's Congress
Lin Wu
174 deputies
157,100 km2 (60,700 sq mi)
1,545 m (5,069 ft)
101,527,453
650/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
CN¥ 81,846
US$ 12,689
CN-SD
山東
"East of the (Taihang) Mountains"
Shāndōng
Shāndōng
ㄕㄢ ㄉㄨㄥ
Shandong
Shan1-tung1
Se平 ton平
Sāan-dūng
Saan1-dung1
Soaⁿ-tang
Suann-tang
Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural and religious center for Taoism, Chinese Buddhism and Confucianism. Shandong's Mount Tai is the most revered mountain of Taoism and a site with one of the longest histories of continuous religious worship in the world.[9] The Buddhist temples in the mountains to the south of the provincial capital of Jinan were once among the foremost Buddhist sites in China.[10] The city of Qufu is the birthplace of Confucius and was later established as the center of Confucianism. Confucianism developed from what was later called the Hundred Schools of Thought from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius.[11]
Shandong's location at the intersection of ancient and modern north–south and east–west trading routes has helped establish it as an economic center. After a period of political instability and economic hardship that began in the late 19th century, Shandong has experienced rapid growth in recent decades. Home to over 100 million inhabitants, Shandong is the world's sixth-most populous subnational entity, and China's second most populous province.[12] The economy of Shandong is China's third largest provincial economy with a GDP of CNY¥8.3 trillion in 2021 or USD$1.3 trillion, which is equivalent to the GDP of Mexico.[13][14] Compared to a country, it would be the 15th-largest economy and the 15th most populous as of 2021.[15] Its GDP per capita is around the national average.
Shandong is considered one of China's leading provinces in education and research. It hosts 153 higher education institutions, ranking second in East China after Jiangsu and fourth among all Chinese provinces/municipalities after Jiangsu, Guangdong and Henan.[16] As of 2023, two major cities ranked in the top 50 cities in the world (Jinan 32nd and Qingdao 43rd) by scientific research output, as tracked by the Nature Index.[17]
Etymology[edit]
Individually, the two Chinese characters in the name "Shandong" means "mountain" (山) and "east" (东). Shandong could hence be translated literally as "east of the mountains" and refers to the province's location to the east of the Taihang Mountains.[18][19] A common nickname for Shandong is Qílǔ (simplified Chinese: 齐鲁; traditional Chinese: 齊魯), after the States of Qi and Lu that existed in the area during the Spring and Autumn period. Whereas the State of Qi was a major power of its era, the State of Lu played only a minor role in the politics of its time. However, Lu became renowned for being the home of Confucius, and hence its cultural influence came to eclipse that of the State of Qi. The cultural dominance of the State of Lu heritage is reflected in the official abbreviation for Shandong which is "鲁" (Chinese: 魯; pinyin: Lǔ). English speakers in the 19th century called the province Shan-tung.[20]
Location[edit]
The province is on the eastern edge of the North China Plain and in the lower reaches of the Yellow River (Huang He), and extends out to sea as the Shandong Peninsula. Shandong borders the Bohai Sea to the north, Hebei to the northwest, Henan to the west, Jiangsu to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the northeast, east and southeast; it also shares a very short border with Anhui, between Henan and Jiangsu.
The Jingjiu railway (Beijing-Kowloon) and Jinghu railway (Beijing-Shanghai) are both major arterial railways that pass through the western part of Shandong. The Jingjiu passes through Liaocheng and Heze; the Jinghu passes through Dezhou, Jinan, Tai'an, Yanzhou (the Jinghu high-speed railway will through Qufu) and Zaozhuang. The Jiaoji railway is an important railway of Shandong, linking its two largest cities of Qingdao and Jinan, with the longest history of all.
Shandong has one of the densest and highest quality expressway networks among all Chinese provinces. These National Trunk Highway System (NTHS) expressways pass through or begin in Shandong. Expressways that begin in Shandong are in bold:
There are also many shorter regional expressways within Shandong.
The Shandong Peninsula, with its bays and harbours, has many important ports, including Qingdao, Yantai, Weihai, Rizhao, Dongying and Longkou. Many of these ports have historical significance and the sites of former foreign naval bases or historical battles. Ferries link the cities on the north coast of the peninsula with the Liaodong Peninsula, further north across the sea.
Important airports include Jinan Yaoqiang Airport and Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport. Other airports are Dongying Shengli Airport, Jining Qufu Airport, Linyi Shubuling Airport, Weifang Airport, Weihai Dashuibo Airport and Yantai Laishan International Airport.
As of the end of 2018, Qingdao is the only city in Shandong with a metro system, with four lines in operation. Jinan was opened in early 2019.
Tourist attractions in Shandong include:
Five-Year Clean Heating Plan[edit]
In 2017 air pollution contributed to about 21% of deaths in China.[66] In 2017, the Chinese government began a five-year plan to convert half of northern China to clean energy for winter heating.[67] Haiyang city is expected to convert completely to nuclear power by 2021,[68] reducing fossil fuel emissions by more than 60,000 tons annually.[69]
