Shandong Province is located in the east of China, downstream of Yellow River and between the capital city Beijing and the biggest commercial city Shanghai. It is one of the most important coastal provinces. It covers 156.7 thousand square kilometers, about 38 percent of the size of State of California in the Unites States. Shandong has 3,100 kilometers of coastal line, and has a large population of 92, 48 million. Shandong has a warm-temperate monsoonal climate. It has hot summers with centralized rainfall as well as short springs and autumns with an average annual temperature ranging from 11centigrade to 14centigrade. The temperature diversifies more dramatic from east to west than from the south to north.

Shandong is famous for Lu Dishes. The Lu Dishes, also called the Shandong Cuisine, has a long history and far-reaching influence all over China. It has constituted a vital part of Chinese culinary culture. As one of the four well-known schools of culinary arts in China, it is well known for its unique flavor and fine workmanship and enjoys great prestige both at home and abroad. Shandong Cuisine emphasizes natural flavor. The taste tends to be a little salty but fresh and well-known for its freshness, tenderness, rich in taste, and crispness. It pays special attention to the seasoning of consommé (clear soup) and milk soup. The former is light and fresh; the latter is creamy and mellow.





There are many famous excellent tourism cities in Shandong. One of them is Qingdao city. Beijing and Qingdao are the twin cities to hosting Olympic events in 2008. Qingdao is a key economic center and port city in the eastern coastal areas of China. It is a famous historical and cultural city as well as a tourist attraction. It is also one of the important ports for foreign trade in China and one of the cradles of Taoism.

Another one is Yantai city, which is also a scenic coastal city. Surrounded by mountains and seas, Yantai is endowed with splendid natural landscapes, a variety of products and a hospitable climate. It has long been renowned all over the world as "Gold Coast", "Fairyland on the Earth", "Hometown of Shandong Cuisine" and "City of Wine". Therefore, it has become an ideal seashore ecological tour and holiday resort for visitors from home and abroad. Qufu is also in Shandong, which is the hometown of Confucius, the pioneer of Confucian school. There are the house in which Confucius and his offspring used to live for thousands years.

I am very glad to introduce about my hometown Shandong to you. But Shandong is one of the most flourishing provinces in China, which has a long history. Shandong culture is one of the most important cultures in China. Therefore I cannot introduce all the things of Shandong. I can only pick up a small part of it. I hope you can learn more about China by learn about my hometown Shandong.